탄소중립 전환을 위한 바이오매스 혼합연소 전략의 환경 영향 분석

Coal-fired power generation has been criticized for its massive emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, and biomass co-combustion has been discussed as an alternative. This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the environmental impacts, including the global warming potential (GWP), of biomass co-combustion at a 1GWe pulverized coal-fired power plant to compare and analyze the environmental feasibility based on the supply chain. Unit process analysis utilized the Ecoinvent database, and the IPCC 2021 and ReCiPe 2016 methodologies were applied to calculate the environmental impacts per 1 kWh of electricity produced within a co-combustion rate range of 0–30%. The average operating rate of eight domestic 1GWe-class power plants constructed prior to 2021 was 75%, which was applied in this study. Biomass pellets were used for co-combustion, and the supply chain was limited to domestic (S1) and overseas (S2). Coal was set at a maximum of 18,683,096 tons per year, and biomass at 8,308,184 tons per year, depending on the co-combustion rate. Transportation was calculated based on annual volume using a single distance, with the transportation distance determined by selecting one of the eight plants as the reference point. In the S1 scenario, GWP decreased at co-combustion rates of 20% or lower, resulting in a maximum reduction of 131,208 tons per year. In the S2 scenario, the maximum reduction was 85,527 tons in the range exceeding 20%. Therefore, to achieve substantial carbon emissions reductions, domestic supply chains must maintain a co-combustion rate of 20% or below, while overseas supply chains require optimization of high co-combustion rate operations exceeding 20% and supply chain optimization.