Effect of cascade use on the carbon balance of the German and European wood sectors. (1st January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brunet-Navarro, Pau; Jochheim, Hubert; Kroiher, Franz; Muys, Bart
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 170(2018)
• Page Start: 137
• Page End: 146
• Publication Date: 2018-01-01
• Subjects: Climate change mitigation -- Forest -- Cascading -- Uncertainty -- CASTLE_WPM -- Wood product model; R Re-use Scenario (allocates recovered products to the same category of product, thus creating infinite recycling loops) -- C1 Cascading Scenario 1 (allocates construction and furniture to a new category of furniture) -- C2 Cascading Scenario 2 (allocates recycled construction and furniture to new categories of construction and furniture) -- C3 Cascading Scenario 3 (the same as C2 but with the number of loops of furniture increased to two) -- C4 Cascading Scenario 4 (the same as C3 but with the number of loops of construction increased to two) -- C5 Cascading Scenario 5 (the same as C1 but recycled construction and furniture are allocated to a new category of construction instead of a new category of furniture) -- Con Construction -- F Furniture -- P Paper; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.135
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Wood product models have often been used to estimate the carbon dynamics of wood products and evaluate their effects on the mitigation of climate change. Their increasing complexity allows for advanced analysis of industrial product conversion efficiency, product lifespan and recycling rate, although data availability for such analyses is very often problematic. In spite of the widely recognised importance of cascade chains from one wood product to another, some wood product models represent them with recycling parameters that allocate part of the recycled wood to the same product category. Consequently, the infinite repetition of these loops overestimates carbon stock. This study analyses and benchmarks the effect on carbon stock in wood products for the German wood sector, when infinite recycling loops in wood product models are replaced by cascade chains. Different scenarios were simulated to analyse the effect of enhanced cascade chains. We estimated the carbon stock in the German wood product sector at 22.17 ± 3.82 t C per hectare of forest in the most realistic current scenario, an amount that is overestimated by 15.8% if infinite recycling loops were used instead. The deviation on the estimated carbon stock was derived from the uncertainty of allocation parameters. Then we estimated the carbon stock in the European wood product sector (EU-28) at 1231.76 t C, representing 9.16 t C per hectare of forest. The carbon stock in German wood product sector estimated for the high quality wood benchmark scenario (103.17 t C per hectare of forest) indicated that strategies to promote the development of new product designs and material technologies to enhance cascading may have the highest impact on carbon stock in the wood product sector. Studies aiming at reducing uncertainty on results are urgent, because the use of wood products is becoming an important strategy of the international community to mitigate climate change. At the same time, a correct representation of cascade use in wood product models is important because cascade practices are being promoted by governments and will probably become more common in the near future. Highlights: Cascade chains are used to evaluate the inaccuracy of infinite loops and explore the potential of optimized cascading use. Wood product models including infinite recycling loops overestimate 15.8% carbon stock of the German wood product sector. The current carbon stock in the wood product sector amounts to 22.17 t C per ha of productive forest in Germany. The current carbon stock in the wood product sector amounts to 9.16 t C per ha of productive forest in EU-28. Improving cascade use of harvested wood products has an important potential to increase carbon stock.