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Environmental Impact Assessment of Forest Operations and Pulp Manufacture

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The Management of Industrial Forest Plantations

Part of the book series: Managing Forest Ecosystems ((MAFE,volume 33))

Abstract

Wood based sector is receiving special attention due to the environmental consequences derived from activities involved on it. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a holistic and standardized method to evaluate the environmental impacts during the entire life cycle of a product. This chapter is focused on the identification of the environmental impacts derived throughout the life cycle of a specific wood based product, the dissolving pulp, as well as of the key environmental processes involved in its life cycle. The assessment has been performed from the production of the raw materials to the biorefinery gate. The representativeness of an environmental study depends on the quality of inventory data managed. Real data taken in forest plantations and the biorefinery have been considered. According to the results, forest activities related to the production of the raw material played a minor role in the environmental profile. However, the production of chemicals consumed in the biorefinery activities (specifically in cooking and bleaching stages), the treatment of sludge generated in the wastewater treatment plant and the cogeneration unit were identified as key environmental factors. Specific actions associated to the reuse of wastes and improved gas treatment systems would improve the environmental profile of this production activity.

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Acknowledgments

This study was developed within the framework of the BIORENEW Integrated Project (Project reference: NMP2-CT-2006-026456) and has been partially financed by the Xunta de Galicia (Project Reference: GRC 2010/37). Dr. S. González-García would like to express her gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education for financial support (Grant No. AP2005-2374).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain

    Sara González-García, Gumersindo Feijoo & María Teresa Moreira

  2. The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83, Uppsala, Sweden

    Staffan Berg

  3. Domsjö Fabriker AB, S-891 86, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden

    Roland Agnemo

Authors
  1. Sara González-García
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  2. Gumersindo Feijoo
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  3. María Teresa Moreira
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  4. Staffan Berg
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  5. Roland Agnemo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara González-García .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    José G. Borges

  2. Dept de Economía y Gestión Forestal, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Luis Diaz-Balteiro

  3. Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Marc E. McDill

  4. Department of Forest Sciences, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Luiz C.E. Rodriguez

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González-García, S., Feijoo, G., Moreira, M.T., Berg, S., Agnemo, R. (2014). Environmental Impact Assessment of Forest Operations and Pulp Manufacture. In: Borges, J., Diaz-Balteiro, L., McDill, M., Rodriguez, L. (eds) The Management of Industrial Forest Plantations. Managing Forest Ecosystems, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8899-1_18

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