Environmental sustainability and Occupational Safety and Health in the forest energy chain for small generation systems

Abstract

Among the different renewable energies, there has been in recent years a great spreading of the use of wood biomass. In particular the short wood energy chain with the implementation of micro-generation plants supplied by near woods is considered a particularly sustainable solution for the production of heat. This solution, because of the limited economic resources and small size, has often management issues as regards the implementation of the best available solutions regarding the environmental sustainability and the Occupational Safety and Health. The aim of this work is the identification of a methodology to analyze the different design solutions that is exhaustive regarding the considered points of view but it is also easily applicable to small work activities and processes. This methodology is aimed both at business managers, which require an expeditious and comprehensive method of analysis, and at the local authorities, who need to be able to determine whether a territorial implementation of these solutions can be environmentally sustainable. Given the identified end user, moreover the method need to be usable and applicable also by people which do not have an in-depth knowledge in the field. The draft version of the method have been defined by analyzing the different activities and processes composing the forest energy chain. The developed methodology of analysis was implemented by applying it to several real cases different for type, work environment, processes and work activities. The resulting methodology allows a parallel assessment of the research subject both from the points of view of Occupational Safety and Health and environmental sustainability. The method has been applied also to a prototype plant in order to observe if it is suitable to the application in the design phase. To validate the method, codified and recognized methodologies for the analysis of the Occupational Safety and Health and of the environmental sustainability have been applied to the same prototype plant. The method highlighted the need of a further assessment of the cumulative impacts which can be caused by the presence of different source of emissions in the same territory. Regarding them, the results obtained with the first draft of the method have not been considered sufficient. Therefore the method has been integrated with a further analysis. Considering atmospheric pollutant emissions, one of the factors that can cause greater alteration of the territory for the considered design hypotheses, along with the consumption of forest resources, a model for the dispersion of pollutants was applied to determine the modifications caused on the air quality. This phase of the analysis is essential in a feasibility assessment done by the local authorities. The final identified method of analysis allows an exhaustive evaluation of the whole forest energy chain and the identification for each phase of the process of the best technological alternatives from the points of view of Occupational Safety and Health and environmental sustainability. It can be the basis of analysis to obtain quality certifications and the necessary documentation of compliance for the activities and processes carried out. According to the obtained results is possible to determine the technical interventions and the procedures to be put in place to minimize the risk for the workers and the responses to be implemented to reduce the impacts on the territory. To meet the targeted goals of direct use by operators of the forest energy chain, a document tool has been excerpted from the developed method. It can be provided directly to private managers, as well as to local government decision-makers.