Energetic utilisation of biomass from the ecological viewpoint

The environmental acceptability of using biomass for energy production can, with certain reservations, be described by means of resource and environmental profile analyses. However, this requires a number of constraints to be observed, such as the necessity to consider the entire life cycle of the energy carrier under study. It becomes evident that it is impossible to define a universally applicable model for determining the environmental profile of bioenergy carriers. Rather, the environmental acceptability of energetic biomass utilisation depends on the conditions specific to the life cycle in question. Thus, the use of more extensive and environmentally benign farming methods can considerably lessen, and in some respects completely obviate, the environmental impact of the cultivation of bioenergy carriers. It is nevertheless possible to make discriminating statements with respect to certain predefined ecological aims. Thus, for example, solid biogenic fuels are clearly superior to biofuels from the point of view of fossil fuel resources management. On the other hand, biofuels have the advantage over fossil fuels of bearing a lower risk of soil contamination in the event of driving accidents in groundwater preservation areas. (orig.)