Unpacking the Carbon Balance: Biochar Production from Forest Residues and Its Impact on Sustainability

Diego Voccia and Lucrezia Lamastra ()
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Diego Voccia: Department of Sustainable Food Process, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
Lucrezia Lamastra: Department of Sustainable Food Process, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122 Piacenza, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: Climate change demands urgent action to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and explore methods for atmospheric carbon removal. Forest residues, a significant biomass resource, represent a readily available solution. With the use of life cycle assessment (LCA), this study investigates the environmental advantages of thermochemical processes utilizing forest residues to produce valuable energy-dense products, like syngas, bio-oil, and biochar, providing a carbon sink. While slow pyrolysis emphasizes biochar production for carbon sequestration, gasification focuses on bioenergy generation. This research evaluates the environmental performance of both techniques in terms of carbon sequestration and GHG emissions mitigation. This comprehensive analysis aims to identify critical factors influencing the environmental sustainability of thermochemical processes in forest management. The findings aim to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals by highlighting the environmental advantages of biochar in mitigating climate change.

Keywords: forest residues; biochar; slow pyrolysis; fast pyrolysis; life cycle assessment (LCA); climate change mitigation; bioenergy (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: 2024
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