Nippon Steel Tests Reduction of CO2 Emissions by Burning Logging Residue Biomass along with Coal

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Nippon Steel Corp., a major Japanese steel company, announced on November 25, 2010, that its Kamaishi Works in Iwate Prefecture started co-combustion trials in October to burn coal along with logging residue biomass at its existing coal-fired thermal power station, which has a generating capacity of 149,000 kilowatts.

The trials include gradually increasing the rate of co-combustion while monitoring the operation until March 2011. According to its co-combustion plan from FY2011 onwards, Nippon Steel estimates it will be able to eliminate approximately 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year by burning 5,000 tons of logging residue biomass along with coal, which is equivalent to 2 percent of the co-combustion rate by weight.

While the use of tree branches and other forest-thinning waste left behind after logging is attracting attention as a carbon-neutral and untapped resource, it has hardly been used up to now due to various reasons. The city of Kamaishi is now utilizing the waste as biomass under its "Green System Creation" initiative.

The initiative is aimed at establishing a system to improve its forests, which cover 90 percent of the city's area, in a planned manner, to stably harvest and supply timber, and to effectively utilize forestry residue biomass. Under the initiative, the city is to maintain its forest road networks and support the introduction of high-performance forestry machines, while the Kamaishi forestry cooperative is to improve productivity by streamlining forestry work, and the Kamaishi Works is to generate electricity by co-combustion of biomass. The three parties are jointly working to stimulate the area's economy.

Posted: 2011/03/21 06:00:15 AM