LCA of forest chips versus diesel boilers in the Mediterranean region

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Obtaining energy from forest chips is a technology widely used in many regions. There are currently many studies and applications on the use of forest biomass [1,2], mainly promoted by policies aimed to reduce greenhouse gases. The forests of the Mediterranean area are characterized by a mountain relief. This orography makes difficult the selective biomass extraction from the forest. Thus, the biomass is accumulated in the forest and becomes a serious danger for wildfires. Forest fires are considered the most important natural impact in the Mediterranean region due to its effect to ecosystems, as some authors state [3,4]. This study aims to compare by means of LCA methodology the use of forest chips and diesel fuels in a boiler, focusing on the difficulty of extracting the wood from a Mediterranean forest area. In the Mediterranean area there are no environmental studies centred on the extraction of timber from forest areas without affecting the life in the forest. This work presents an LCA, where the difficulties of extracting the biomass from the forest and its use in heating boilers are presented.