Authors:
Tobias Dahms, Wendelin Wichtmann
Book:
Proceedings of the 14th International Peat Congress
Venue:
Stockholm
Keywords:
energy-biomass, land-use, life-cycle-assessment, paludiculture, rewetted-peatlands
Documentfile:
Dahms, Wichtmann 2012: Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Biomass from Rewetted Peatlands
Summary:
Theme III. Agricultural use of peat and peatlands
SUMMARY
Using a life cycle assessment approach, the energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions of energy crop production on rewetted peatlands were estimated. The results show that the primary energy consumed during the analysed life cycles is small compared to the energy content of the biomass. If hard coal is substituted by biomass from rewetted peatlands, between 82 % and 92 % of the greenhouse gas emissions and between 70 % and 83% primary energy depletion can be avoided.
The substitution of hard coal by biomass from rewetted peatlands as fuel in power plants offers a promising potential to reduce primary energy depletion and greenhouse gas emissions.