The potential of available biomass for energy purposes under changing conditions of environment and industry

Wood is a lignocellulosic raw material that is used for a diversity of industrial products. Besides the traditional uses of wood in the construction, pulp- and papermaking and furniture industries, the energy recovery industry based on renewable resources such as wood has been growing strongly during recent years. Like all resources, wood is available only in limited amounts and an increasing demand leads to greater competition among the wood-using industries. By defining a strategic cube it was possible to visualise the impact of the different parameters on the types of wood raw material available. Further, the method supported estimations of the changes inthe mix of wood raw materials when one or more of the parameters was changed. The results show that, in addition to the available land and to the climate conditions, the demands of the different sectors of wood-using industries have a strong impact on the amount of raw material available for energy purposes. Climate change and innovation or trends in the wood- using industries, for example, influence silvicultural management, and this then affects the mix of raw materials. The results challenge the studies estimating that large amounts of raw material available for energy purposes relate only to land.Godkänd; 2015; 20150613 (dicsan)