The research calculated both economic and environmental factors to provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of replacing coal with timber for a 50-year period.

As one of the largest consumers of coal in the Southeast, Georgia burns over 7 million tons each year. This accounts for nearly two-thirds of all carbon emissions from Georgia’s power sector. Replacing coal with another fuel source could reduce those emissions by 43%, according to Farhad Hossain Masum, a Ph.D. graduate and first author of the study. [1]

Figure 1. Burning woody biomass in power plants could reduce carbon

Figure 1 shows burning wood to produce electricity is a relatively inefficient process. In generating exactly the same amount of electricity, wood will release four times as much carbon into the atmosphere as gas would do, and one and half times as much as coal. In addition, energy is used in harvesting and transport while vast stretches of land are needed to create the forests to supply generating stations with the wood they need. This also has profound environmental impacts for a world that will soon be home to more than 10 billion humans who will need every scrap of productive land to provide food. [2]

Even though more trees would need to be cut to replace coal, the research showed that this would benefit the environment by keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. Coal releases significantly more non-renewable carbon than torrefied wood when burned. In general, this carbon can be considered extra carbon that was not in the environment but sequestered underground.

On the other hand, trees soak up carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. While some of this carbon may be re-released, it results in a net reduction of carbon from the atmosphere. This reduction was the highest when both pulpwood and logging residues replaced coal for electricity generation.

Integrating logging residues into the energy supply chain would also allow foresters to make better use of every part of the tree. Currently, most logging residue in the southeast is left in the field and burned. [3]

References:

1. https://news.uga.edu/burning-woody-biomass-in-power-plants-could-reduce-carbon/
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/31/biomass-burning-misguided-say-climate-experts
3. https://newsazi.com/burning-woody-biomass-in-power-plants-could-reduce-carbon-output/

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Burning woody biomass in power plants could reduce carbon, Anatechmaz, pp.256