Life cycle analysis (LCA) of the production of wood waste briquettes from Pinus spp.: Case study San Francisco Pichátaro, México.

Abstract

This study shows a life cycle analysis (LCA) of the production of briquettes from wood residues of Pinus spp. in an indigenous community in Mexico. The analysis was carried out considering one Mega Joule (1MJ) of heat as a functional unit, including mainly environmental sustainability indicators, through the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and generating environmental impact scenarios for the functional unit by: a) comparing the carbon footprint using solar drying and firewood drying in the production of briquettes and (b) comparing the carbon footprint of the heat obtained by the briquettes from both previous systems with heat obtained from liquefied petroleum gas (LP gas) and firewood. The results show that solar-dried briquettes have the lowest carbon footprint, and more than 80% of the emissions are biogenic, making it an excellent choice as a clean and renewable energy source. In addition, the methane emissions from LP gas is much higher than emissions from briquettes, but the carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions are lower. This methodology applied to the production process will help decision-making in the creation of a micro-enterprise for the generation of solid biofuels in rural communities in Mexico.