On-site energy consumption and selected emissions at softwood sawmills in the southwestern United States

Abstract

Presently there is a lack of information describing US southwestern energy consumption and emissions generated from the sawmilling industry. This article uses a mail survey of softwood sawmills in the states of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico to develop a profile of on-site energy consumption and selected emissions for the industry. Energy consumption is categorized by fuel type on a production basis for both renewable and nonrenewable sources for production year 2012. Selected emissions from on-site energy consumption were also estimated for respondent sawmills. Survey respondents represented 35 percent of total softwood lumber production of 169.2 million board feet. Total annual on-site sawmill energy required was 64.8 billion British thermal units. Sixty-one percent was derived from diesel fuel, primarily for on-site rolling stock; 35 percent was from electricity; 3 percent was from gasoline used for on-site rolling stock; and the remainder was from propane and wood. Energy produced from nonrenewable sources accounted for 94 percent of total on-site energy consumption. Off-site electricity generation for consumption at sawmills comprise the majority of all emissions in this analysis: 62 percent of CO2, 99 percent of CH4, 94 percent of NOX, 99 percent of SOX, and 99 percent of particulate matter _ 10 lm (PM10). Diesel fuel, which supplies the majority of on-site energy, comprises 36 percent CO2, 0 percent CH4, 5 percent NOX, 0.4 percent SOX, and 1.1 percent of PM10.

Citation

Loeffler, Dan; Anderson, Nathaniel; Morgan, Todd A.; Sorenson, Colin B. 2016. On-site energy consumption and selected emissions at softwood sawmills in the southwestern United States. Forest Products Journal. 66(5/6): 326-337.