How much CO2 is produced from burning one ton of wood?

Answer 1

Well, it depends on the water content of the wood. But assuming the wood contains about 10% water (within the normal range of air-dried wood), a ton of wood, if burned, would produce approximately 1.5 tons Carbon Dioxide, or about 0.4 ton "carbon equivalent", which just means the weight of the carbon that is contained in the carbon dioxide.

Answer 2

Measuring the energy content of woody biomass is somewhat inexact due to the amount of moisture contained in the biomass. A 20% moisture content would contain approx. 6,400 Btu/lb. Bone dry biomass (0% moisture content) has a Btu value of 9,400 Btu/lb. Moisture content greater than 20% reduces the Btu value considerably. If your biomass has the equivalent of 7000 Btu (somewhere between "bone dry" and 20% moisture content), one pound of that material with a 100% conversion rate would produce just over 2kwh of electricity. 100% conversion is unlikely so assume a 50% conversion rate (which is excellent) and the result would be 1 pound of relatively dry biomass would produce 1kwh of electricity. The typical American home consumes about 1000kwh/month. So, powering a typical American home with biomass for one would require 1000lbs. of wood chips per month. The current price of woody biomass varies but $30/ton is a safe estimate. Even if the conversion factor were only 25%, one ton of woody biomass could power your home for a month for $30. How much is your electric bill from the power company? Of course there needs to be a device that converts the woody biomass to electricity.

Answer 3

Burning one ton of wood can release approximately 1.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This estimate can vary based on the type of wood, moisture content, and combustion efficiency.

Answer 4

Biomass energy produces 3% of the worlds energy