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5052693 
Journal Article 
Pyrolysis biochar systems for recovering biodegradable materials: A life cycle carbon assessment 
Ibarrola, R; Shackley, S; Hammond, J 
2012 
1 
Waste Management
ISSN: 0956-053X
EISSN: 1879-2456 
32 
5 
859-868 
WOS:000303082100010 
A life cycle assessment (LCA) focused on biochar and bioenergy generation was performed for three thermal treatment configurations (slow pyrolysis, fast pyrolysis and gasification). Ten UK biodegradable wastes or residues were considered as feedstocks in this study. Carbon (equivalent) abatement (CA) and electricity production indicators were calculated. Slow pyrolysis systems offer the best performance in terms of CA, with net results varying from 0.07 to 1.25 tonnes of CO2 eq. t(-1) of feedstock treated. On the other hand, gasification achieves the best electricity generation outputs, with results varying around 0.9 MWhe t(-1) of feedstock. Moreover, selection of a common waste treatment practice as the reference scenario in an LCA has to be undertaken carefully as this will have a key influence upon the CA performance of pyrolysis or gasification biochar systems (P/GBS). Results suggest that P/GBS could produce important environmental benefits in terms of CA, but several potential pollution issues arising from contaminants in the biochar have to be addressed before biochar and bioenergy production from biodegradable waste can become common practice. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 
Biochar; Biodegradable waste; Pyrolysis; Gasification; Life cycle assessment 
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