Lifecycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis of Biochar Pellet Production from Forest Residues and Field Application

Richard Bergman, Kamalakanta Sahoo, Karl Englund and Seyed Hashem Mousavi-Avval
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Richard Bergman: Forest Products Laboratory, United States Forest Service, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA
Kamalakanta Sahoo: Forest Products Laboratory, United States Forest Service, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA
Karl Englund: Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, 100 Dairy Road Pullman, Washington, DC 99164, USA
Seyed Hashem Mousavi-Avval: Forest Products Laboratory, United States Forest Service, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Biochar produced from low-value forest biomass can provide substantial benefits to ecosystems and mitigate climate change-induced risks such as forest fires. Forest residues from restoration activities and timber harvest and biochar itself are bulky and thus incur high logistic costs, so are considered major bottlenecks for the commercialization of the biochar industry. The objectives of this study were to assess the environmental footprints and techno-economic feasibility of converting forest residues in Pacific Northwest United States into biochar pellets using portable systems followed by delivery of the final product to end-users for land application (dispersion). Two portable systems (Biochar Solutions Incorporated (BSI) and Air Curtain Burner (ACB)) were considered for biochar production. A cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessment (LCA) and a discounted cash flow analysis method were used to quantify the environmental impacts and minimum selling price (MSP) of biochar. The global warming (GW) impact of biochar production through BSI and ACB was estimated to be 306–444, and 750–1016 kgCO₂eq/tonne biochar applied to the field, respectively. The MSP of biochar produced through BSI and ACB was 1674–1909 and 528–1051 USD/tonne biochar applied to the field, respectively. Pelletizing of biochar reduced GW impacts during outbound logistics (~8–20%) but increased emissions during pelletizing (~1–9%). Results show the BSI system was a more viable option in terms of GW impact, whereas the ACB system can produce biochar with lower MSP. The results of the study conclude that the production of biochar pellets through the two portable systems and applied to fields can be both an environmentally beneficial and economically viable option.

Keywords: biochar pellet; forest residues; lifecycle assessment; minimum selling price; environmental impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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