The effect of increasing lifespan and recycling rate on carbon storage in wood products from theoretical model to application for the European wood sector

The use of wood products is often promoted as a climate change mitigation option to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. In previous literature, we identified longevity and recycling rate as two determining factors that influence the carbon stock in wood products, but no studies have predicted the effect of improved wood use on carbon storage over time. In this study, we aimed at evaluating changes in the lifespan and the recycling rate as two options for enhancing carbon stock in wood products for different time horizons. We first explored the behaviour over time of both factors in a theoretical simulation, and then calculated their effect for the European wood sector of the future. The theoretical simulation shows that the carbon stock in wood products increases linearly when increasing the average lifespan of wood products and exponentially when improving the recycling rate. The emissions savings under the current use of wood products in Europe in 2030 were estimated at 57.65 Mt carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year. This amount could be increased 5 Mt CO₂ if average lifespan increased 19.54 % or if recycling rate increased 20.92 % in 2017. However, the combination of both strategies could increase the emissions saving almost 5 Mt CO₂ more by 2030. Incrementing recycling rate of paper and paperboard is the best short-term strategy (2030) to reduce emissions, but elongating average lifespan of wood-based panels is a better strategy for longer term periods (2046).     

Der chemische Sediment-Qualit?tsindex Vorschlag zu einer vorl?ufigen Bewertung der Schwermetalle

Vorbild für alle Bewertungsschemata zur Güte von Oberfl?chengew?ssern ist das biologische Saprobiensystem. Man hat versucht, für ausgew?hlte chemische Parameter, die laut Definition die „chemische” Güte repr?sentieren, eine analoge Klassifikation aufzustellen. Des weiteren haben die Umweltvertr?glichkeitsuntersuchungen dringenden Bedarf an der Bewertung speziell der Schwermetalle (und organischen Spurenstoffe), die sich als ?u?erst schwierig darzustellende Thematik erweist. Neben einem vorl?ufigen Vorschlag zum chemischen Sediment-Qualit?tsindex werden die Bemühungen anderer Arbeitskreise um eine Probleml?sung zum gleichen, aber auch zu verwandten Themen referiert. Ein allgemein anerkanntes und fundiertes Bewertungsschema ist z.Zt. nicht in Sicht. Dieser Beitrag stellt ausschlie?lich die pers?nliche Meinung des Verfassers dar.     

Shallow fluid flow over an obstacle: higher-order non-hydrostatic modeling and breaking waves

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The simulation of shallow flows over obstacles is an important problem in environmental fluid dynamics, including exchange flows over seabed sills, atmospheric flows...     

Large Eddy Simulation of turbulence generated by a weak breaking tidal bore

A tidal bore is a natural and fragile phenomenon, which is of great importance for the ecology of an estuary. The bore development is closely linked with the tidal range and the river mouth shape, and its existence is sensitive to any small change in boundary conditions. Despite their ecological and cultural value, little is known on the flow field, turbulent mixing and sediment motion beneath tidal bores. Indeed, some striking features can be highlighted in two-dimensional simulations, such as large velocity fluctuations and flow recirculation structures. Using Large Eddy Simulation method, the numerical results emphasised the complicated turbulent structures and their unsteadiness under a tidal bore.     

Transient secondary currents behind a compression wave in an irregular channel

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - A compression wave is an unsteady rapidly-varied open channel flow motion, characterised by an increase in water depth. A detailed investigation was conducted in a...     

A Device for Measuring Volatile Organic-Carbon Emissions from Cooling-Tower Water

A manual method for measuring reduced sulfur compounds in kraft pulp mill and sulfur recovery plant emissions was evaluated. The method involves removing SO₂ from the gas stream (if present) with a citric acid-potassium citrate buffer that passes reduced sulfur compounds; thermal oxidation of all reduced sulfur compounds to SO₂; collection of the SO₂ in H₂O₂; and a titrimetric analysis of the H₂O₂ for SO₄ ^2?. A heated filter removes alkaline particulate matter that would produce a negative interference if absorbed by the buffer. When used at kraft pulp mills, the method agrees closely with Reference Method 16, provided that nonregulated reduced sulfur compounds, such as carbonyl sulfide, are not present in the emissions. At sulfur recovery plants, nonregulated reduced sulfur compounds, such as thiophene, are likely to be present in the emissions and will produce a positive bias in the results obtained with this method. The precision of the method ranges from 1 to 7 percent relative standard deviation.