LCA from Biomass Powerplants: from Soil to Electricity
Résumé
Biomass is one of the most promising renewable energy. The sustainability of biomass to energy chains needs to be assessed from the soil, including forest management, to the biomass valorization process. A strategy is presented to model the whole life cycle inventory of power production from biomass (beech). The forest growth, management and the wood valorization chain (including pulp, timber, etc., and energy) are modeled by a dedicated platform (called "CAPSIS"). It gives the detailed carbon and minerals (N, S, Cl, P, K) balances for the production and transport of the wood chips for the energy purpose. These results from CAPSIS are included in a "soil to power" model under Aspen Plus®, a process-oriented software. The process model flow sheet handles: CO2, sun power, and minerals used for biomass growth, wood transport and pretreatment (crushing, drying), gasification and gas engine to produce heat and power. The detailed chemistry of the thermo-chemical reactions is modeled to better assess the emissions (PAH, NOx, SOx, etc.) and the fate of minerals in the gasification process. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first such detailed life cycle inventory for biomass to energy. Minerals, exported from the soil during biomass harvest, could be a major issue for the sustainability of biomass use. The life cycle inventory is then included in a conventional life cycle assessment software (GaBi®).
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
Loading...