Potencialidades locacionais para as termoelétricas de base florestal no bioma Amazônia

Abstract

The Amazon region exports a large amount of commercial timber. In the yield process, approximately 50% of the log becomes waste. An alternative would be to use this material to generate renewable electricity – bioenergy. In order to verify the best areas for bioenergy production, this study analyzed the locational potential for forest-based thermoelectric plants in the Amazon biome. In the first article, a bibliometric and systematic review was carried out on the carbon footprint and optimization of forest bioelectricity supply. The ISI Web of Science and Scopus bases were used for the bibliographic survey, 89 studies were analyzed. In the second article, the aboveground biomass and the energy generated based on residues from commercial wood processing were quantified. In the third, the optimal location for installing forest thermoelectric plants was analyzed. The methodology of the second and third article was developed in a GIS environment, in the Arcgis application, version 10.5. The results showed that the publications had Optimization (76.6%) or Environmental Studies (22.5%) as their main theme. They focused, above all, on the potential and/or availability of forest biomass or on assessing environmental impacts. Simulation models and life cycle assessment were the most used methodological tools. Roraima and Amapá had the highest amount of aboveground biomass (397.2 Mg ha-1) and (348.3 Mg ha-1). This can be explained by the conservation of their forests and the fact that they are not close to the arc of deforestation. Amazonas and Pará would generate more electricity than the other states (under sustainable management: 13,023 MW/year; 9,166 MW/year and under full potential: 223,772 MW/year and 157,498 MW/year). Roraima and Amapá presented the most attractive areas for the installation of forest thermoelectric plants, their plants would generate more energy and operate longer. This study provided essential data for expanding the use of bioenergy in the Amazon.