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A Comparative Parametric Study on Dynamic Biogenic Carbon of Harvested Wood Products: Biomass Rotation Period vs. Product Lifetime
oleh: Stéphane Kouamé, Ali Ghannadzadeh
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2023-03-01 |
Deskripsi
Harvested wood products (HWPs) are a class of products that are recognized for their potential to mitigate climate warming: the absorption of CO<sub>2</sub>, which is necessary to the growth of their biomass feedstock, temporarily reduces the amount of CO<sub>2</sub> 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<sub>2</sub> 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<sub>bio</sub>) 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<sub>bio</sub> 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<sub>bio</sub> 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.