Title:
Optimal Use of Biomass - Setting up an Evaluation Framework
Author(s):
Devriendt, N., Manshoven, S., Vandereydt, I., Pelkmans, L., Braekevelt, A., Vanaken, N.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
The Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) responsible for the (re¬)use of biowaste is in search for a framework to direct a market where tension is building up because of different applications fields for the same biomass. The research was to compare the set up a framework to evaluate the use of biomass over the different applications, in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts. This means that the performance of very different applications in very different sectors needs to be measured and compared based on multiple criteria. A set of indicators was constructed to assess the main sustainability impacts of each application. The methodology that was used to do the evaluation is based on the life¬cycle thinking approach. For each biomass application it is determined which traditional alternative is replaced by the use of biomass as a renewable resource. By measuring or calculating the indicators an evaluation is made which environmental, economical and social impacts are avoided or created by replacing the usual alternative with biomass. Applications in different sectors are compared by evaluating the improvement that can be obtained by dedicating the biomass resource to one or the other application.
Keywords:
certification, life cycle assessment (LCA), sustainability, biobased products
Topic:
Biomass Policies, Markets and Sustainability
Subtopic:
Competition between various types of biomass use
Event:
20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
5AV.3.27
Pages:
2388 - 2393
ISBN:
978-88-89407-54-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/20thEUBCE2012-5AV.3.27
Price:
FREE
