Title:
Assessing Environmental Impacts and Climate Change Mitigation of Carbon-neutral Biochar from Agricultural Wood Waste
Author(s):
Cerone, N., Contuzzi, L., Zimbardi, F., Alagna, F.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Biochar derived from agricultural wood wastes can serve as a long-term carbon storage solution, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation and could have valuable applications in agriculture. This kind of residue is considered as an appropriate raw material since it does not compete directly with the food chain. The aim of this study is to assess the potential environmental impacts of the production of biochar and its application on the soil, as planned within the framework of the REVINE project - Regenerative agricultural approaches to improve ecosystem services in Mediterranean vineyards (PRIMA EU Program), which analyses the effect of biochar addition in the soil in terms of enhancement of both the water/nutrients availability and the activity of beneficial microbes. The biochar was produced through pyrolysis of residual biomass conducted in a pilot scale plant. Our analysis included both the manufacturing phase and the subsequent addition of the biochar to the soil, with the goal of identifying critical stages, or hotspots, in the process. We employed GaBi software (LCA for experts 10.7) to construct a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model, in accordance with LCA standards and ILCD Handbook recommendations, using the experimental results collected during the tests completed in the pilot plant. Conducting a cradle-to-grave analysis of the biochar production process, we identified hotspots and areas for improvement. In addition, we compared the analyzed process with an enhanced scenario. In this improved scenario, the production and soil application of the biochar resulted in a -5.35 kgCO2eq/kg of biochar, when including the use of co-products from biochar production to replace energy in a thermal process. These results strongly support existing data suggesting that biochar could be used a carbon-negative product. Furthermore, our study showed that 1.81 kgCO2 is stored for every 1 kg of biochar produced, providing additional support for its potential as an environmentally beneficial solution.
Keywords:
biochar, life cycle assessment (LCA), pyrogasification, agricultural wood wastes
Topic:
Sustainability, Impacts and Policies
Subtopic:
Climate impacts and GHG performance
Event:
32nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
2BV.7.15
Pages:
332 - 336
ISBN:
978-88-89407-24-0
Paper DOI:
10.5071/32ndEUBCE2024-2BV.7.15
Price:
FREE
