Analysis of the Global Warming Potential of Biogenic CO₂ Emission in Life Cycle Assessments

摘要

Biomass is generally believed to be carbon neutral. However, recent studies have challenged the carbon neutrality hypothesis by introducing metric indicators to assess the global warming potential of biogenic CO₂ (GWP_bio). In this study we calculated the GWP_bio factors using a forest growth model and radiative forcing effects with a time horizon of 100 years and applied the factors to five life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies of bioproducts. The forest carbon change was also accounted for in the LCA studies. GWP_bio factors ranged from 0.13–0.32, indicating that biomass could be an attractive energy resource when compared with fossil fuels. As expected, short rotation and fast-growing biomass plantations produced low GWP_bio. Long-lived wood products also allowed more regrowth of biomass to be accounted as absorption of the CO₂ emission from biomass combustion. The LCA case studies showed that the total life cycle GHG emissions were closely related to GWP_bio and energy conversion efficiency. By considering the GWP_bio factors and the forest carbon change, the production of ethanol and bio-power appeared to have higher GHG emissions than petroleum-derived diesel at the highest GWP_bio.