¦FIREDUP
Unsound Science
Technology/Source
Gram CO2 eq/kWh
Envio Energi CEO’s research proves woody biomass is carbon neutral.
Coal
>1,000
Envio Energi LLC had six biomass power plant projects in the works when the U.S. EPA’s proposed Industrial Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (IB MACT) rule was released. Then everything came to a screeching halt, says CEO Roland Fjallstrom. Now, he's unsure of the fate of those projects and his business. Fjallstrom, born and raised in Sweden, is a pioneer of biomass combined-heat-and-power systems and has worked in the forest products industry most of his life. In 2009, he obtained a license from KMW Energi, the largest supplier of wood bioenergy plants in Sweden and expanded into the U.S. market. Fjallstrom, also a wood chemist, has been compiling carbon footprint data (see chart) since the IB MACT proposed rule release. His research included turning to the EU Commission for clarification on its modeling for carbon footprints, which utilizes the ISO 14000 accredited Life Cycle Assessment. This is a method that’s used to analyze the cumulative environmental impact of a process or product through all stages of its life, from equipment manufacturing to construction to operation and maintenence. Fjallstrom also acquired data from a study done by the British government in 2006 and updated its harvesting information. “A big portion of carbon footprint calculations is the physical harvesting,” he says. “What they’ve done with modern machines today is about half of what it used to be in 2005 and 2006. This needs to be displayed to the public and the U.S., at least within this industry, because the EPA’s current approach is ridiculous.” The ISO certification of various biomass LCA methods is wellestablished in Europe, Fjallstrom says. “The biogenic carbon cycle of woody biomass proves that it consumes and absorbs more carbon dioxide in its life cycle than it would ever emit in a reasonable combustion process. It is carbon neutral, if not carbon negative.”
Coal Gasification
<800
Oil
650
Natural Gas
500
Natural Gas (Combined Cycle)
>350
Woody Biomass (Power Only)
<25
Woody Biomass (CHP)
8-20
PV (Photovoltaic)
35-55
Wave Technology
25-50
Hydro (Dam)
10
Hydro (River)
3
Wind (Off Shore)
5
Wind (On shore)
4
Nuclear (Sweden-Ringhals)
5
22 BIOMASS POWER & THERMAL |JANUARY 2011
CARBON CONCERNS: Roland Fjallstrom says the data he's gathered, especially taking into account improvements in the harvesting process, proves that woody biomass is carbon neutral. SOURCE: ROLAND FJALLSTROM
“I’ve gone through GHG life cycles many times, and now I’m seeing studies that more or less suggest that [the U.S.] cannot use the science the Europeans have used over the past 50 years, rather we must reinvent it,” Fjallstrom adds. “An individual biomass source consumes and absorbs more CO2 in its life cycle than it will ever emit. There can be no re-sciencing of that—it has already been proven.” —Anna Austin