RTL Nieuws answered the question of whether biomass as an energy source saves CO2. When biomass is harvested from forests or other sources that are managed in a sustainable way that maintains carbon stocks in plants, trees and soil, it contributes to reducing CO₂ emissions.
Biomass is perhaps the most disputed energy source after nuclear energy. In public discussion you often hear that at least as much CO2 is released when burning wood pellets as from coal. But then it is forgotten that the same amount of CO2 is absorbed when biomass grows.
Where does the biomass come from?
If this were all to say, biomass would be completely CO2 neutral. But of course there is more to it. How much CO2 is released in the entire biomass chain, from cultivation to combustion, depends mainly on where and how the biomass is grown.
An example of what not to do is cutting down tropical rainforest to make way for a palm oil plantation to produce biodiesel. This is bad for both biodiversity and the climate, because a very large amount of CO2 is blown into the air by the clear-cutting of primeval forests.
European forest grows
Most of the woody biomass we use in the Netherlands comes from Northern Europe. In these production forests, approximately as much forest is cut down as is planted. Then the balance for the climate will of course be a lot more favorable.
Growing wood takes longer than burning it, but through good forest management, wood can be harvested without losing any forest in the long term. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO the total forest area in Europe has even increased slightly in recent decades.
General statements about biomass as an energy source are therefore difficult. How good or bad it is for climate change depends entirely on how and where the biomass is produced. Residual flows such as wood waste or discarded frying fat are the best, but unfortunately only available in limited quantities.
At odds
Growing biomass can also influence biodiversity, as the example of the tropical rainforest makes clear. Scarce land is used, which could otherwise be used for food production or nature.
Sometimes the different goals can go hand in hand, for example a sustainably managed production forest has natural value, but sometimes they are at odds with each other. The various aspects and arguments that arise in the biomass discussion are discussed Planning Office for the Living Environment organised.
Transition
Ultimately, all methods of energy generation have disadvantages, some more than others. The cleanest energy is the energy we do not use. As Professor Guido van der Werf of VU Amsterdam notes: “Anyone who only wants to accept perfect solutions in the energy transition will ultimately be left with no options.”
In short, the answer to the question is complex, but, as expert Van der Werf says: “If sustainability criteria are met, biomass emits less net CO2 than fossil fuels.”
Source: RTL News
