Non-wood Products
Electricity generation
Wood waste from forest thinning, harvesting, sawmilling operations and industrial processes can be used as a renewable energy source to generate electricity.
Currently over three million tonnes of dry wood waste, which is considered a fire hazard, is generated in Australia each year. It has been calculated that this volume of wood waste could be used to deliver electricity to 400,000 houses, whilst reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2.2 million tonnes per year.
There are a number of processes that can be used to turn wood waste into renewable energy products. These include direct combustion, gasification, biological digestion, and co-firing of wood with coal or bagasse (sugarcane waste). Co-firing up to 10% wood waste with coal has the benefit of retaining the high efficiency of coal-fired power stations while replacing some of the coal fuel itself.
Similarly, gasification of wood waste is a high-energy conversion process which leads to the co-generation of diesel fuel replacements, steam and electricity.
Case Study: Product diversity – trading carbon credits
Photo: David Barnes /
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Carbon emissions’ trading involves the trading of permits to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. It is calculated in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and it is one of the ways countries can offset their carbon emissions. Forests NSW has become the first body in the world to trade carbon credits arising from forests in a greenhouse gas abatement scheme. This government agency was accredited as an abatement certificate provider under the New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme.
These certificates represent the carbon sequestered (or stored) in planted forests. The first batch of Forests NSW carbon certificates, worth more than $1 million, were purchased by an Australian energy company to help offset the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of electricity use in NSW. This and subsequent sales confirm that there is a market for forest-based carbon credits and this should help provide additional incentives for companies to partner with government to invest in new plantations.
For more information about carbon trading visit NSW Department of Primary Industries website.
To find out how to reduce your own carbon or CO2 footprint visit the Australian Greenhouse Office website.
To read more information about this case study see an article titled “Credit where credit is due” taken from In the living forest: an exploration of Australia’s forest community.
Credit where credit is due - (PDF - 68KB)
