Greenhouse gas mitigation potential of replacing diesel fuel with wood-based bioenergy in an arctic Indigenous community: A pilot study in Fort McPherson, Canada

Buss, Jennifer; Mansuy, Nicolas; Laganière, Jérôme; Persson, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2022.106367

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Although the results of this work cannot be directly compared with other studies evaluating the replacement of oil-fired boilers by biomass-fired boilers, the findings are similar to other studies carried out for residential buildings in Spain [11] and even for case studies in Chile [54] and Canada [55]. Nevertheless, users were generally willing to switch to biomass boilers even though there were some problems arising from the variance in ash content, fuel moisture or CO emissions, which are especially high if the boiler maintenance is poor [56].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

A stochastic approach to feasibility analysis of boiler replacement in educational buildings in Extremadura (Spain)

2022

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Background Energy efficiency in buildings must be increased in order to reduce both energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions. This study proposed the replacement of existing diesel boilers with biomass boilers, using four fuels (bulk pellets, wood chip, olive kernel and milled nutshell) to meet the energy demands of educational buildings in the region of Extremadura (Spain). High uncertainty surrounds biomass price prediction affecting the accuracy of economic feasibility analyses; thus, stochastic processes are suitable to support an improvement in the accuracy of predictions. The objective of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility of replacing diesel boilers with biomass boilers in order to revalorize agroforestry residues. Results A stochastic simulation of the feasibility of replacing oil-fired boilers with biomass-fired boilers was carried out in this research. Up to 20 million possible scenarios of 10 years of fuel price evolution were simulated by Monte Carlo method based on empirical price trends data. Regression models were built to relate Net Present Values with discount rates, whose statistical dependency was significant. Predictions on financial indicators showed biomass fuels as the most profitable investment, rather than fuel oil. Specifically, in this study, milled nutshell was found the most profitable fuel in the simulation runs, with Net Present Value = 27,151.09 € (standard deviation = 7939.88 €) and Internal Rate of Return = 16.9% (standard deviation = 3.4%). Conclusions Continuing to use oil-fired boilers costs more than the purchase and operation of new biomass-fired boilers, since the latter produce a higher cumulative cash flow than the initial investment within the next years. The payback period lies within the range of 4 to 6 years depending on the type of biomass fuel. Getting on the path to sustainability in education buildings can reduce up to 94.4% GHG emissions. This research contributes to promoting the use of low-emission fuels to meet the energy demand of educational buildings. Its results will have a positive effect in the region of Extremadura (Spain), as it boosts the appreciation of agro-industrial waste and economically strengthens the sector.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

A stochastic approach to feasibility analysis of boiler replacement in educational buildings in Extremadura (Spain)

2022

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“…Having these specimens available for research will be an important resource for any future studies related to understanding the composition of the M. epitea complex in Canada. Within Canada, short-rotation willow plantations are becoming increasingly common for phytoremediation (Jerbi et al, 2023) and bioenergy production (Buss et al, 2022). These plantations rely on genotypes that have been selected for growth and yield, and some of these genotypes have been demonstrated to become infected by M. epitea (McCracken and Dawson, 2003).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

First report of Melampsora epitea causing stem cankers on Salix pentandra in Alberta, Canada

Ramsfield

Feau

Tanguay

et al. 2023

Front. For. Glob. Change

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In June, 2021, laurel willow (Salix pentandra) near Slave Lake, Alberta, was found to be infected by a Melampsora sp. that produced bright yellow urediniospores in uredia that were present on catkins, leaves, and stems. All Melampsora species previously reported in Canada are recorded as infecting leaves; therefore, further investigation was undertaken to ascertain the identity of this pathogen. To assess the relationship between this specimen and other Melampsora spp. previously collected from Canada, samples of willow leaves infected by Melampsora spp. were sourced from mycological herbariums located at the Laurentian Forestry Centre (QFB) and the Northern Forestry Centre (CFB, WINF(M)). DNA sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal RNA region of the fresh specimen, herbarium specimens, and DNA sequence data deposited within GenBank, were used to conduct a phylogenetic analysis. Sequencing and BLAST analysis of the material from the sample resulted in a 99.3% sequence identity match to Melampsora epitea “Mel J” collected from Larix laricina in New York State. The ITS sequence from the herbarium sample WINF(M)7356 (described as M. abieti-capraearum from Manitoba) had 100.0% identity with the Alberta sample. Additionally, specimens WINF(M)11892 (Melampsora sp. from Manitoba) and CFB8931 (Melampsora sp. from the Yukon) had 99.0% sequence identity with the Alberta sample. From these results we applied the identity of M. epitea to the rust discovered in Slave Lake, AB. With the current emphasis on willows for bioenergy production in Canada, growers must remain vigilant for this pathogen and the damages it could cause to willow plantations.

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“…Blair and Mabee [48] model multiple bioenergy scenarios, including the production of renewable natural gas for a forest-based community in Ontario to study its economic and environmental impacts. Buss et al [49] analyze the GHG mitigation potential of replacing diesel infrastructure with wood-based energy generation under two different feedstock options. This project has remained a pilot for several years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harvesting Local Energy: A Case Study of Community-Led Bioenergy Development in Galena, Alaska

et al. 2022

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Community-led bioenergy projects show great promise to address a range of issues for remote and Indigenous Arctic communities that typically rely on diesel for meeting their energy demands. However, there is very little research devoted to better understanding what makes individual projects successful. In this study, we analyze the case of the Galena Bioenergy Project (Alaska)—a biomass heating project that uses locally sourced woody biomass to help meet the heating demands of a large educational campus. Using project documents and other publicly available reports, we evaluate the project’s success using three indicators: operational, environmental, and community level socio-economic benefits. We find that the project shows signs of success in all three respects. It has a reliable fuel supply chain for operations, makes contributions towards greenhouse gas reductions by replacing diesel and has improved energy and economic security for the community. We also examine enabling factors behind the project’s success and identify the following factors as crucial: community-level input and support, state level financial support, access to forest biomass with no competing use, predictable demand and committed leadership. Our findings have important implications for other remote communities across the Boreal zone—especially those with nearby forest resources. Our examination of this case study ultimately highlights potential pathways for long-term success and, more specifically, shows how biomass resources might be best utilized through community-led initiatives to sustainably support energy security in Arctic communities.

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Greenhouse gas mitigation potential of replacing diesel fuel with wood-based bioenergy in an arctic Indigenous community: A pilot study in Fort McPherson, Canada

Cited by 12 publications

References 39 publications

A stochastic approach to feasibility analysis of boiler replacement in educational buildings in Extremadura (Spain)

A stochastic approach to feasibility analysis of boiler replacement in educational buildings in Extremadura (Spain)

First report of Melampsora epitea causing stem cankers on Salix pentandra in Alberta, Canada

Harvesting Local Energy: A Case Study of Community-Led Bioenergy Development in Galena, Alaska

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