Life Cycle Assessment of Peat Utilisation in Finland

摘要

Environmental issues related to the production of peat and its use in energygeneration have been the subject of public debate and research over the past few years in Finland. Peat is both an indigenous and a locally utilized fuel. Finland has no fossil fuel resources, and the transportation distances of imported fuels into Finland are normally long. In Finland the large peat resources can be utilized locally and peat-burning power plants are situated near the peatlands. Peat production and energy conversion methods are being continuously developed to make use of the environmentally and technically best available technology. In Finland peat formation exceeds peat utilization and an increase in peat utilization is therefore sustainable. The life cycle assessment concept gives an opportunity to evaluate and improve the environmental quality of peat utilization options. The study focuses on an inventory analysis, but some of the most common methods of impact assessment with valuation are also included. The study also includes a comparison of fossil fuels and a discussion part. All the calculated results are based on new emissions. The background emissions of natural peatland are subtracted from the emissions of the utilization phases. (Copyright VTT 1997).