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

ABSTRACT: 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-li

SUBMITTER: Liu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5206676 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature