A Comparative Parametric Study on Dynamic Biogenic Carbon of Harvested Wood Products: Biomass Rotation Period vs. Product Lifetime

Stéphane Kouamé and Ali Ghannadzadeh ()
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Stéphane Kouamé: Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands
Ali Ghannadzadeh: Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, 6167 RD Geleen, The Netherlands

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: Harvested wood products (HWPs) are a class of products that are recognized for their potential to mitigate climate warming: the absorption of CO 2 , which is necessary to the growth of their biomass feedstock, temporarily reduces the amount of CO 2 present in the Earth’s atmosphere, effectively mitigating global warming. This study decided to look into the effect of changing two important parameters associated with HWPs: the rotation period of the biomass used for their raw material (effectively, the rate of CO 2 absorption), and the length of their lifetime (effectively, the amount of time the captured carbon is stored within them in the form of embodied carbon). For this purpose, a carbon accounting calculator, Quantis’ Biogenic Carbon Footprint Calculator for Harvested Wood Products (BCFC-HWP), was employed. The Biogenic Global Warming Potential (GWP bio ) metric, which was used by the BCFC-HWP to describe the climate impact of a wooden product’s embodied carbon, was analyzed for its evolution with respect to the two identified parameters. The results showed that while GWP bio followed a consistent decrease with respect to the product lifetime parameter, it showed a non-consistently evolving trend with respect to biomass rotation period i.e. first decreasing then increasing. This made the confrontation of both parameters’ effect complex mathematically, such that no clear-cut conclusions on the relative benefits of changing one parameter versus the other were made. Nonetheless, a valuable resolution was made based on the observations regarding the evolution of GWP bio with respect to the lifetime of an HWP: the results indicated that extending the lifetime of an HWP is an advantageous strategy in decreasing the climate effect of the considered product.

Keywords: carbon footprint; harvested wood products; product lifetime; biomass rotation period (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: 2023
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