How Clean Is Biomass?

For some time all biomass has been treated as a renewable resource. More recently, it is recognized that not all uses of biomass are greenhouse gas neutral. In fact, life cycle analyses (LCA) of biomass-based energy systems can become rather complex once the temporal dimension of the process is accounted for. This session will discuss LCA applications and results for various biofuel production methods, as well as the associated indirect impacts. Potential indirect impacts on economic growth will also be explored in the context of reforestation for ecologically damaged areas.