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Environmental performance of wood pellets' production through life cycle analysis

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  • Laschi, Andrea
  • Marchi, Enrico
  • González-García, Sara

Abstract

Forests play a key role as the source of an essential renewable material and/or fuel: wood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts related to high-quality pellet production for domestic heating following the LCA (life cycle assessment) methodology and considering a cradle-to-gate perspective in the Tuscany region. This is representative and interesting for Italian pellet factories and for similar factories located in Central Europe, considering the Italian contribution to the production capacity of that area. All of the activities involved, from wood extraction in no-industrial forests to packed pellet production, ready for delivery to final users, were taken into account. The environmental analysis was performed in terms of seven impact categories. The results showed how the most important environmental burdens are related to the use of electricity during pellet production, being responsible for more than 90% of the total in most of the impact categories. Operations carried out in the forest produce a minor part of the impact (from 1% to less than 10% depending on the category). Four different alternative scenarios for producing and supplying electricity and heat were proposed and investigated. Substitution of the boiler by a co-generation unit showed a substantial improvement in the environmental burdens.

Suggested Citation

  • Laschi, Andrea & Marchi, Enrico & González-García, Sara, 2016. "Environmental performance of wood pellets' production through life cycle analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 469-480.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:103:y:2016:i:c:p:469-480
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.02.165
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    Cited by:

    1. Piyarath Saosee & Boonrod Sajjakulnukit & Shabbir H. Gheewala, 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Pellet Production in Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Pietro Pandolfi & Ivan Notardonato & Sergio Passarella & Maria Pia Sammartino & Giovanni Visco & Paolo Ceci & Loretta De Giorgi & Virgilio Stillittano & Domenico Monci & Pasquale Avino, 2023. "Characteristics of Commercial and Raw Pellets Available on the Italian Market: Study of Organic and Inorganic Fraction and Related Chemometric Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-14, August.
    3. Nicolás M. Clauser & Giselle González & Carolina M. Mendieta & Julia Kruyeniski & María C. Area & María E. Vallejos, 2021. "Biomass Waste as Sustainable Raw Material for Energy and Fuels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Julia Szulecka, 2019. "Towards Sustainable Wood-Based Energy: Evaluation and Strategies for Mainstreaming Sustainability in the Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Vitale, Ignacio & Dondo, Rodolfo G. & González, Matías & Cóccola, Mariana E., 2022. "Modelling and optimization of material flows in the wood pellet supply chain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Proskurina, Svetlana & Alakangas, Eija & Heinimö, Jussi & Mikkilä, Mirja & Vakkilainen, Esa, 2017. "A survey analysis of the wood pellet industry in Finland: Future perspectives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 692-704.
    7. Wang, Zhiwei & Lei, Tingzhou & Yang, Miao & Li, Zaifeng & Qi, Tian & Xin, Xiaofei & He, Xiaofeng & Ajayebi, Atta & Yan, Xiaoyu, 2017. "Life cycle environmental impacts of cornstalk briquette fuel in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 83-94.
    8. Bello, Sara & Galán-Martín, Ángel & Feijoo, Gumersindo & Moreira, Maria Teresa & Guillén-Gosálbez, Gonzalo, 2020. "BECCS based on bioethanol from wood residues: Potential towards a carbon-negative transport and side-effects," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    9. Otavio Cavalett & Sigurd Norem Slettmo & Francesco Cherubini, 2018. "Energy and Environmental Aspects of Using Eucalyptus from Brazil for Energy and Transportation Services in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    10. Leonel J. R. Nunes & Margarida Casau & Marta Ferreira Dias, 2021. "Portuguese Wood Pellets Market: Organization, Production and Consumption Analysis," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-24, December.
    11. Lenka Štofová & Petra Szaryszová & Bohuslava Mihalčová, 2021. "Testing the Bioeconomic Options of Transitioning to Solid Recovered Fuel: A Case Study of a Thermal Power Plant in Slovakia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    12. Karner, K. & Dißauer, C. & Enigl, M. & Strasser, C. & Schmid, E., 2017. "Environmental trade-offs between residential oil-fired and wood pellet heating systems: Forecast scenarios for Austria until 2030," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 868-879.
    13. Martín-Gamboa, Mario & Marques, Pedro & Freire, Fausto & Arroja, Luís & Dias, Ana Cláudia, 2020. "Life cycle assessment of biomass pellets: A review of methodological choices and results," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    14. Saghar Sadaghiani & Fereshteh Mafakheri & Zhi Chen, 2023. "Life Cycle Assessment of Bioenergy Production Using Wood Pellets: A Case Study of Remote Communities in Canada," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-14, July.
    15. Boris Zezelj & Rado Maksimovic & Tanja Todorovic & Djordje Djatkov, 2020. "Analysis of the Possibilities for Using Renewable Energy Sources in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-18, July.

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