THE BIOMASS AND ITS ROLE IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE

MANRIQUE S.; FRANCO J.

Carbon Sequestration: Technology, Measurement Techniques and Environmental Effects

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012; p. 3 - 47

The increased concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere (mostly due to the use of fossil fuels and deforestation and forest degradation) is causing an overheating of the planet. In this context, the strategic management of biomass could contribute to GHG mitigation through two different mechanisms: i) use of the annual supply of bioenergy to replace fossil fuels and ii) sustainable management of forests to maintain and / or increase the carbon sequestered in their tissues.In the Lerma Valley, in the province of Salta, Argentina, we have identified two broad categories of biomass: i) residual (agricultural residues and municipal solid waste) and ii) natural (ecosystems Yungas, Chaco and shrublands), which, handled comprehensive and strategically, could contribute -through both mentioned mechanisms- to the mitigation of GHG into the atmosphere.The use of energy to the supply of biomass available annually (from all biomass resources considered: residual and natural), would mitigate the emissions of approximately 40,000 citizens of the Valley (considering the average carbon footprint of them), which is more than half of the total population in this area.Different strategies are required for the use of natural resources and waste biomass; the category of natural biomass is more complex and demands further study. This complexity mainly lies in the fact that each ecosystem includes a multiplicity of different species and characteristics, which does not happen with the residual biomass. Still, the residual biomass resources, although their use could mean a contribution to the mitigation of emissions, should be studied from the economics and life- cycle aspects, in order to maximise profits.