Task 38
Task 38
Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass
and Bioenergy Systems
Ken Byrne,
Department of Environmental Resource Management,
University College Dublin
Norway
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Ireland UK The Netherlands
Austria
Croatia
Canada
USA
Australia
Slide 1
New Zealand
Participating Countries
Task 38
Participating Countries
Country
Slide 2
National
Team Leader
1/2
Institution
 Australia
A. Cowie
 Austria
B. Schlamadinger Joanneum Research
 Canada
T. Hatton
Canadian Forest Service,
NRCan
 Croatia
S. Fijan- Parlov
EKONERG
 Denmark
N. Heding
Danish Forest and
Landscape Research Inst.
 Finland
I. Savolainen
K. Pingoud
VTT- Processes
VTT- Processes
 Ireland
K. Byrne
University College Dublin
State Forests New South
Wales
Task 38
Participating Countries
Country
Slide 3
National Team
Leader
1/2
Institution
 New Zealand
K. Robertson
Forest Research
 Norway
B. Solberg
Agricultural University
of Norway
 Sweden
L. Gustavsson Mid Sweden University
 The NetherlandsK. Kwant
A. Faiij
NOVEM
Utrecht University
 United Kingdom R. Matthews
Forestry Commission
Research Agency
 USA
National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
M. Ringer
Task 38
Objectives – scientific
 Develop, compare and make available
 models for assessing GHG balances
 Assess the life cycle GHG balance of
 bioenergy and C sequestration systems
 Analyze the country and regional potential of
 bioenergy, afforestation and other biomass based
mitigation strategies
 Identify and analyze synergies between
 afforestation and other land based activities for carbon
sequestration and enhanced bioenergy use
Slide 4
Task 38
Objectives – implementation
 Aid decision makers
 in selecting mitigation strategies
that optimize GHG benefits
 Assist in the implementation
 of LULUCF articles of the Kyoto Protocol
 Contribute to work
 of the IPCC/OECD/IEA related to GHG inventories
involving carbon sequestration, wood products,
or bioenergy
 Contribute to the development
 of international standards for GHG accounting and
verification in LULUCF sectors
Slide 5
Task 38
Work Scope
 Systems-analytical
assessment of GHG
(CO2, CH4, N2O)
balances, flows, stocks,
emissions in biomass
production, biomass
conversion and carbon
sequestration systems.
Slide 6
 Carbon pools include:
above and belowground biomass, litter
and woody debris, soils,
wood products, fossil
fuel reservoirs.
1/2
Task 38
Work Scope
 Investigation of trade-offs
within and among these
systems
 Analysis on short-term vs.
long-term mitigation
effects, considering the
time value of carbon
 Cost / benefit analysis of
GHG mitigation through
biotic options
 Involvement of industrial
participants with a view on
implementing biomassbased GHG mitigation
projects
Slide 7
2/2
Task 38
Task 38 work (2001 – 2003)
 Completed work:
 Frequently Asked
Questions paper
 Task 38 Folder
 Current and upcoming
work:
 Country reports
 Case Studies
 Country Specific
Baselines
 Soil Carbon and
Bioenergy
 Biofuel Trade
Slide 8
Task 38
Country Reports
 Background information on the general
energy system and GHG emissions, on
bioenergy systems and on national LULUCF
situation
 Bioenergy and carbon sequestration policies
and measures at national, regional and local
levels
 Bioenergy and carbon sequestration
implementation projects and research
programmes
Slide 9
Task 38
Case Studies
1/2
 Apply the ‘standard methodology’ to actual
bioenergy and/or C sequestration projects
 Assess and compare GHG balances
of different projects
 Compare to fossil energy systems
 Recommendations for optimizations
 7 in participating countries
Slide 10
Task 38
Case Studies
2/2
 Australia: GHG balance of 2 bioenergy systems (coal cofiring biomass, wood fired plant) from timber plantations;
 Canada: GHG balance of small pyrolysis plant for bio-Oil
production using sawmill residues and thinnings;
 Finland and Sweden: GHG balances of increased use of
construction wood and of biomass-fired CHP plants;
 Ireland: GHG budgets of peat use for energy in Ireland
 New Zealand: GHG balance of a bioenergy CHP plant
using sawmill residues (in comparison to natural gas);
 UK: GHG balances of 2 small scaleheat systems, using
conventional forestry and Miscanthus;
 Croatia: GHG reduction potential by biodiesel in context of
Joint Implementation;
 USA: GHG reduction potential by anaerobic digestion.
Slide 11
Task 38
Key activities
 Online Bibliography:
Greenhouse Gas Balances
of Bioenergy, Forestry,
Wood Products, Land Use,
and Land-Use Change
 Standard Methodology for
GHG Balances of Bioenergy
Systems (Biomass and
Bioenergy)
 Position paper:
The Role of Bioenergy in
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation
Slide 12
1/2
Task 38
Key activities
 Project-based Greenhouse
Gas Accounting: Guiding
Principles with a Focus on
Baselines and Additionality
(Energy Policy)
 Task Website (new
structure under
development)
 Posters, overheads
 Semi-annual workshops
 Workshop Proceedings
electronic and hard copy
Slide 13
2/2
Task 38
Standard Methodology
 Carbon stock dynamics
 Trade-offs and synergies
 Permanence
 Emission factors
 Efficiency
 Up stream energy inputs
 By-products
 Leakage
 Other GHG’s
Slide 14
Task 38
Slide 15
Workshop Topics
Task 38
Slide 16

Carbon accounting and
emissions trading related
to bioenergy, wood
products and carbon
sequestration.

Land-Use, Land-Use
Change and Forestry: the
road to COP6

Carbon sequestration and
energy balance models

Bioenergy for mitigation of
CO2 emissions: the power,
transportation and
industrial sectors
1/2
Task 38
Workshop Topics
2/2
 The role of bioenergy in achieving the targets
stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol
 Effects of the Kyoto Protocol on forestry and bioenergy
projects for GHG mitigation
 Forestry, Forest Products and Energy
 Biofuel Trade (jointly with Task 35)
Slide 17
Task 38
Task 38
Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass
and Bioenergy Systems
www.joanneum.at/iea-bioenergy-task38
Norway
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Ireland UK The Netherlands
Austria
Croatia
Canada
USA
Australia
Slide 18
New Zealand
Participating Countries