• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2016

Biomass has been used for energy sources from the prehistoric age. Biomass are converted into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels and are used for heating, electricity generation or for transportation recently. Solid biofuels such as bio-chips or bio-pellet are used for heating or electricity generation. Liquid biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol from sugars or lignocellulosics are well known renewable transportation fuels. biogas produced from organic waste are also used for heating, generation and vehicles. Biomass resources for the production of above mentioned biofuels are classified under following 4 categories, such as forest biomass, agricultural residue biomass, livestock manure and municipal organic wastes. The energy potential of those biomass resources existing in Korea are estimated. The energy potential for dry biomass (forest, agricultural, municipal waste) were estimated from their heating value contained, whereas energy potential of wet biomass (livestock manure, food waste, waste sludge) is calculated from the biological methane potential of them on annual basis. Biomass resources potential of those 4 categories in Korea are estimated to be as follows. Forest biomass 355.602 million TOE, agricultural biomass 4.019 million TOE, livestock manure biomass 1.455 million TOE, and municipal organic waste 1.074 million TOE are available for biofuels production annually.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.16-21
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• 2006

This study aimed to assess biomass energy resources available from waste wood due to forest land conversion. Forest land area of 7,806ha on annul average during 2001-2005 was converted to other land use and the growing stock of $266,551m^3$ was felled annually due to the conversion. Biomass energy potential of waste wood due to forest land conversion was estimated to 102,325 tons of biomass on annual average during 2001-2005 of which 57,945 tons were from coniferous forest and 44,379 tons were from broadleaved forest. Biomass energy Potential Per unit area Per year increased for the same period and was estimated to 13.0 tons of biomass on annual average.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.110-130
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• 2004

This study aims to study the definition and characteristics of forest biomass as an alternative energy and to estimate the energy potential and feasibility of forest biomass utilization in domestic. Especially, significant attention is given to woody biomass such as forest residue, thinning log, etc. due to their renewable, sustainable and abundant properties. The results were summarized as follows. The utilization of these forest biomass could play an important role to activate the forest industry and increase the public benefit functions of forest, but more attention on their utilization is required and how they can be utilize more efficiently is the new task assigned to our forestry for sustainable forest management.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.70-78
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• 2022

To respond to global warming, there is an increasing interest in eco-friendly alternative energy sources. Therefore, unused forest biomass that has been neglected due to a lack of marketability is attracting attention. With the introduction of the "unused forest biomass certification system" in 2019, ways of determining quantity of unused forest biomass have steadily increased. However, there have been reported cases whereby unused forest biomass weighed more than the amount of harvested trees. It was found that it was possible that forest resources that can be used as round wood were mixed with unused forest biomass. In this context, this study aimed to estimate the amount of mixed round wood in the unused forest biomass supply. The relative expression of growing stock/ha versus the amount of final clearing/ha collected was modeled (y=1.490x-94.341, R²=0.861). As a result, it was found that round wood was mixed into the unused forest biomass, contributing to the disparity observed between the weighted forest biomass and the amount of trees harvested. In conclusion, proper declaration and certification procedures should be carried out for the use of forest resources and promoting unused forest biomass usage.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.10-22
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• 2022

Forest biomass energy is based on scientific evidence in response to carbon neutrality and the climate crisis, international consensus, and environmental-geographic characteristics of each nation. In this study, the authors aimed to analyze macroscopic forest biomass energy policies for ten major countries. They categorized them into six detailed categories (Sustainable utilization, Cascading Uutilization, Replacement of fossil fuel/Carbon intensive products, Utilization of forest by-products/residues as the source of energy, Contribution to carbon-neutral/climate change, and Biomass combined with CCS/CCUS ). In addition, the surveyed nations have developed a policy consensus on the active use of forest biomass with sustainable forest management except for the cascading utilization category. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the mid to long-term plans of the Korean government for improvements in the policy and legal aspects. As a result, the authors derived four major directions that South Korea should approach strategically in the future (1) secure financial resources for sustainable forest management and stimulating investment in the timber industry, (2) promote unified policies to establish a bio-economy, (3) enhancement of the forest biomass energy system, and (4) reorganization and promotion of strategy centered on the opinions of field experts in internal and external instability.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

This study analyzed the anticipated supply-and-demand of forest biomass energy (through wood pellets) until 2050, in South Korea. Comparing the utilization rates of forest resources of five countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Japan, and S. Korea), it was found that S. Korea does not nearly utilize its forest resources for energy purposes. The total demand for wood pellets in S. Korea (based on a power generation efficiency of 38%) was predicted to be 3,629 and 4,371 thousand tons in 2034 and 2050, respectively. The anticipated total wood pellet power generation ratio to target power consumption is 1.13% (5,745 GWh), 1.17% (6,336 GWh), and 1.25% (7,631 GWh) in 2020, 2030, and 2050, respectively. Low value-added forest residues left unattended in forests are called "Unused Forest Biomass" in S. Korea. From the analysis, the total annual potential amount of raw material, sustainably collectible amount, and available amount of wood pellet in 2050 were estimated to be 6,877, 4,814, and 3,370 thousand tons, respectively. The rate of contribution to Nationally Determined Contributions was up to 0.64%. Through this study, the authors found that forest biomass energy will contribute to a carbon neutral society in the near future at the national level.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.145-174
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• 2024

Addressing climate change necessitates evidence-based policies grounded in science. The use of forest biomass for energy production is based on a broad scientific consensus at the international level. However, some environmental groups in South Korea are opposing this system of energy production. Through this study, the authors aim to reduce unnecessary confusion and foster an atmosphere conducive to meaningful evidence-based policies. We have classified the issue into eight categories: biological carbon cycle, carbon debt, nature-based solutions, air emissions, cascading principles and sustainability certification, forest environmental impacts, climate change litigation, and the behavior of environmental groups and public perception. Consequently, the following key points were derived: (1) the actions of some environmental groups seem to follow a similar pattern to denialist behavior that denies climate change and climate science; (2) the quality of evidence for campaigns that oppose the use of forest biomass for energy production is low, with a tendency to overgeneralize information, high uncertainty, and difficulty in finding new claims.; (3) most of the public believes that forest biomass energy is necessary, and the governments of major countries are aware of its importance. Significantly, Forest biomass for energy is based on an overwhelming level of scientific consensus recognized internationally.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2013

Nowadays, excessive using of fossil fuel contributes to global warming. Also, this phenomenon increases steadily. Therefore forest biomass from logging residues has received attention. The goal of this study was to determine the sustainability and economic feasibility of forest-biomass energy source. Accordingly, forest biomass resource was calculated, and harvesting and transporting machines which can be used in investing area were chosen, when using forest biomass as energy source. And then through these data, the harvesting cost was decided. The forest biomass resource calculated, thinned trees and logging residues, was 37,330.23 $m^3$ and 14,073.60 ton, respectively. When harvesting timber in each sub-compartment, the average thinned trees yield was 120.73 $m^3$, and tree logging residues was 402.80 ton. The use of tower yarder as harvesting and transporting equipments in study area was 85.4% and 66.7%, respectively, in up hill and down hill yarding. The average harvesting cost of biomass in the possibility area of timber yarding operation was expensive as 81,757 won/$m^3$, 85,434 won/m3 and 50,003 won/ton, respectively, in thinned trees and logging residue. If using data from this research analysis, tree could be felled by choosing sub-compartment.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.131-138
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• 2009

Recently, various efforts for the extended utilization of woody biomass has been attempted due to the fact that global warming, energy and environmental problems are urgent ones to be solved. Development of new energy sources at our national security level is desperately needed as we depend on almost all of energies supplied from other countries, let alone the economic crisis caused by oil price hike. Woody biomass can be converted to energy by means of thermochemical, biological, or direct combustion processes. Many processes are available for producing bioenergy, such as bioethanol, wood pellet, wood chip, combined heat, and power system. Political support and R&D investment should be provided that can boost the utilization of the wood biomass, the eco-environment, and recyclable and alternative energy resources for national power security. In addition, a long-term strategy that can utilize unused and low efficient woody biomass resources, and systematically collect and manage them in a national level should be set up. Even though the possibility in total exchange of fossil oil with woody biomass is quite low, technology developments of woody biomass for the solution to global warming and environmental problem through its commercialization are expected to grow steadily.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2021

This study investigated the reference case in the UK where legality and sustainability were systematically established for forest biomass represented by wood pellets. The UK is the country that best utilizes the trade value of wood pellets based on sustainability, with bioenergy accounting for 31% of total renewable energy production. The UK imported wood pellet, estimated 8,697 thousand tons in 2019. The UK government has continuously improved the renewable generation policy system to ensure the sustainability of wood pellets. The weighted average greenhouse gas emissions of a UK biomass power plant that received a Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) in 2018-19 was 26.71 gCO2e/MJ. These power plants are expected to meet the upper limit of 72.2 gCO2e/MJ by 2025. To issue an ROC, the biomass power plant must demonstrate that 70% of its total biofuel usage is sustainable. The UK uses the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) certification system, which is gradually expanding to other European countries, to prove the sustainability of biomass energy fuels. Global wood pellet production with SBP certification in 2019 was 10.5 Mt. This trend has significant implications for introducing additional sustainability into the wood pellet policy of South Korea.