Greenhouse gas conversion factors for company reporting

2012 Guidelines to Defra / DECC's GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting
Annex 9 - Bioenergy & Water Conversion Factor Tables
Last updated: Apr-12
Table 9c
Life-Cycle Conversion Factors for biomass and biogas
Fuel used
Total Direct
GHG 5
Total units used Units 3 x kg CO 2 e per
unit
Scope 1 Scope 3 All Scopes
Total Indirect
GHG
kg CO 2 e per unit
Grand Total
GHG
kg CO 2 e per
unit
Wood Logs 1 tonnes x - 77.38 77.38 1435.29
kWh of fuel x - 0.01895 0.01895 0.35150
Wood Chips 1 tonnes x - 61.41 61.41 1372.00
kWh of fuel x - 0.01579 0.01579 0.35400
Wood Pellets 1 tonnes x - 183.93 183.93 1649.00
kWh of fuel x - 0.03895 0.03895 0.34900
Grasses/Straw 2 tonnes x - 41.08 41.08 1406.50
kWh of fuel x - 0.01020 0.01020 0.34800
Biogas 2 tonnes x - 0.00 0.00 2040.00
Total
kWh of fuel x - 0.00000 0.00000 0.24600
Outside of
Outside of
Scopes 4 Scope 1 Scope 3 All Scopes
Scopes 4
Total Direct
Total Direct Total Indirect Grand Total Total Direct
GHG
GHG 5 GHG
GHG
GHG
kg CO 2 e per
Total kg CO 2 e Total kg CO 2 e Total kg CO 2 e Total kg CO 2 e
unit
0 0 0 0
Sources
Notes
BIOMASS Energy Centre (BEC), 2010
BRE, 2009
1 Wood pellets, chips, logs and grasses/straw may be used in biomass heating systems.
2 The figure for grasses/straw and biogas (= 60% CH4, 40% CO2) is based on the figure from the BIOMASS Energy Centre (BEC). BEC is owned and managed by
the UK Forestry Commission, via Forest Research, its research agency. Fuel property data on a range of other wood and other heating fuels is available at:
http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/portal/page?_pageid=75,20041&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL, and
http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/portal/page?_pageid=75,163182&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Biogas is a mixture of methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) produced by anaerobic digestion, with small amounts of other gases. Biogas is effectively the same as
landfill gas, which is produced by the anaerobic decomposition of organic material in landfill sites.
3 Emission factors for biomass in kgCO 2 e per kWh are provided on a Net CV (also known as lower heating value) basis.
4 The Total GHG emissions outside of Scope 1, 2 and 3 is the actual amount of CO2 emitted by the biomass when combusted. This will be equivalent to the CO2
absorbed in the growth of the biomass. CO2 emission factors are based on information from the BIOMASS Energy Centre (BEC). BEC is owned and managed by the
UK Forestry Commission, via Forest Research, its research agency. Data on the direct emissions of biomass and biogas is available at:
http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/portal/page?_pageid=75,163182&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
5 Direct emissions of CO 2 are set to 0 for biomass and biogas, as the same amount of CO 2 is absorbed in the growth of the biomass from which they are produced
/resulting. Direct emissions of methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which are not absorbed in the biomass growth phase are not currently available.
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