The availability and quality of data concerning the wood industry, in particular the use of wood for energy purposes, must be improved, concludes a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published on 25 January.
According to the study, EU emissions from the combustion of woody biomass were between 350 and 380 million tonnes of CO2 in 2015. However, for the same year, the authors estimate the emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels “avoided” through the use of bioenergy at a level of between 250 and 270 Mt of CO2.
“Wood-based bioenergy indeed emits more GHG when combusted, per unit of energy, than the equivalent fossil-based energy substituted”, the document therefore states.
Nevertheless, while “informative”, this comparison between biomass and fossil fuel emissions “alone cannot be used to draw conclusions on the negative or positive climate impact of forest bioenergy”, the authors point out. They explain that it is necessary to take into account the real composition of the woody biomass mix and its evolution.
In 2015, secondary woody biomass (sawdust, chips, post-consumer recovered wood, etc.) contributed at least 49% of the total wood used for energy purposes in 2015, compared with at least 37% for primary wood, according to the JRC. The remaining 14% is woody biomass whose origin is not known, but which “is more likely made up of primary wood than secondary wood”.
Moreover, while the use of woody biomass for energy purposes increased by about 34% between 2009 and 2015, the growth rate of secondary woody biomass use was only 20%. The amount of unclassified woody biomass used for energy purposes, on the other hand, increased by more than 52% over the same period.
However, the authors point out that giving priority to residues and a 'cascading' use of wood “remains a key overarching principle for maximising the positive climate impact of bioenergy”.
In conclusion, they stress the need to address data gaps: “Overall, greater certainty on the composition of the bioenergy mix is a prerequisite for increasing the confidence on the positive climate impact of the current wood-based bioenergy used in the EU”.
See the study: https://bit.ly/3rbWOCp (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)