Re: ISO 14001 for biomass power plant - aspects to be considered
WHAT ARE THE ASPECTS SHOULD BE COVERED IN ISO 14001 FOR A BIOMASS BASED POWER GENERATION PLNAT....
Moderator Note: Please avoid the use of all capitals - it's difficult to read and against good netiquette.
One of the most critical aspects is the handling and storage of Bio Mass. Two problems can occur, if the whether is extremely hot, always there are chances of fire and the smoke generated, as a result of
inadvertent burning of the mass, will have variety of elements that can impact the environment including contribution to global warming by way of CO2 emission.
So, to prevent it from catching fire or spontaneous ignition, you may resort to keeping it damp by frequent water spraying. If the wet material is stored for longer (as in rainy days as well), it starts decaying with the formation of methane whose Global Warming Potential (GWP) is 21 times that of CO2, i.e.;emitting one tonne of Methane is as good (or bad) as emitting 21 tonnes of CO2. If this is the case, the severity of the impact will escalate accordingly.
Ofcourse, You
must also evaluate its
positive impacts on the environment - Biomass is considered to be carbon neutral, and as such does emit ZERO CO2 when
consumed to replace equivalent amount of fossil fuel. Emissions from biomass are exempted from greenhouse gas accounting, and the industries receive renewable energy credits only while the biomass used has been proved to be of no value and is unsuitable for animal consumption.
You can also consider a positive aspect as preventing the generation of methane in landfill biomass had you not consumed it.
Unlike coal, it doesn't need to be finely ground (only shredded) which results in huge energy savings.
Another (adverse) aspect that you may consider is - transportation which involves consumption of fossil fuel like diesel, gas etc. You always need to compare it with coal (which otherwise would be used for the purpose). Also consider that it is lighter and bulky and weighs less, hence more trucks would be engaged in transportation which may adversely affect your carbon footprint.
One more aspect that has direct impact on human health is its bad odor when it decays or even the fresh lot may carry variety of germs or micro-organisms with high potential to unfavorably affect the health of workers engaged in handling or storage.
Hope it helps a bit.