University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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Turf soils are very valuable carbon absorbers: they absorb carbon approximately 10
times more per hectare than any other ecosystem. In reverse: the burning of peat fuel
contributes to greenhouse emissions more than any other fuel. Hence e.g. biogases
are much more environmentally friendly than turf-based fuels. In addition, the
production method of peat is very slow compared to the production of biogases,
bioliquids and field biomasses. Digging turf from swamps requires heavy machinery,
which destroys wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and changes the landscape.
Moreover, it causes phosphor loading in the remaining soil. From the environmental
point of view, turf swamps should be protected, not used for fuel production.
Socially turf fuel production is more sustainable. It has created jobs and provided
employment opportunities to entrepreneurs in Finland. Nevertheless, there are many
negative beliefs and fears concerning peat production. Many people think that peat
production accelerates loss of pure nature, swimming places and recreational areas,
and changes the traditional landscape permanently.
Culturally turf has seemed to be easy enough for Finnish people to adapt to but they
have also learned fast that is not so environmentally friendly as other biofuels. In
many other countries the concept of turf fuel is relatively unknown.
Turf may look like an economically sustainable fuel, but it requires substantial
investments from the community and municipality. So far the return of investment
has been excellent: peat production is very effective and profitable and it boosts local
economy. However, the benefits from these long-term investments may be shortlived
if mitigation of climate change becomes a priority globally, nationally and
locally.
Turf can be classified as the cradle-to-cradle approach because it is ecologically
intelligent, and it can be used over and over again. Turf has brought a new idea of a
biofuel into the market, which has brought jobs and – of course – money. But as turf
is slow to develop, pollutes during usage, and is, consequently, firmly classified as a
fossil fuel by European and global authorities, it may be fleeting solution.
Wood-Based Biomasses
Wood-based biomasses include industrial wood residues and industrial by-products,
such as sawdust, wood waste, construction wood and other kind of demolition wood.
Some wood-based biomasses are processed; these refined wood fuels comprise
pellets and briquettes or charcoal, gas and pyrolysis oil (Finbio 2005). It is important
to note that the effective use of wood-based biomasses varies a lot depending on
countries, even among EU members. As Finland is one of the pioneers in utilizing
wood and other wood-based masses as a source for energy, it will be used as a
comparison point to other EU members that could utilize the source material in a
better way.
The life cycle analysis takes into consideration both Finnish and foreign methods in