The importance of biogenic carbon storage in the greenhouse gas footprint of medium density fiberboard from poplar wood and bagasse

Abstract

Carbon storage in long-lived bio-based products is typically ignored or accounted for in a simplistic way in greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint calculations. We quantified the GHG footprint of medium density fiberboard (MDF) in Iran from poplar wood and bagasse, a by-product from sugarcane production. Inventory data was collected from sugarcane and poplar wood plantations and MDF factories in Iran during 2017–2019 to calculate cradle-to-grave footprints for 1 ​m3 of MDF. We quantify the effect of carbon storage, which depends on the crop rotation time and the economic lifetime of the product, with shorter rotation times and longer storage periods leading to lower footprints.