Processing and energy use
V1.0
Last updated
V1.0
Last updated
Riverse SAS
This is a Transformation Module and covers the processing stages and related energy use. This module is part of the Riverse BiCRS methodology, which allows Project Developers to choose the relevant modules for their project, and shall be used with the necessary accompanying modules.
See more details on how modules are organized in the BiCRS home page.
This module covers all processing stages and non-transport energy inputs related to BiCRS projects. It is intended to cover all eligibility criteria and GHG quantification for all processes that are not included in the other BiCRS modules: feedstock production, transport, infrastructure/machinery, and carbon storage. Specific processes vary by project, and may include but are not limited to:
drying, mixing, shredding and grinding of biomass feedstock
operation of pyrolysis/gasification machinery
purification, liquefication, and other post-processing of products
use of electricity, gas, heat, water, or other material inputs
waste treatment and management of non-valuable co-products
The eligibility criteria requirements specific to this module are detailed in the sections below. Other eligibility criteria requirements shall be taken from the accompanying modules and methodologies:
Project Developers shall prove that the project does not contribute to substantial environmental and social harms.
Projects must follow all European, national, and local environmental regulations related to, for example, syngas combustion national emission regulations.
Pyrolysis gases produced during the process must be either recovered or burned cleanly. Waste heat and energy coproducts should be used onsite, and fossil fuel based energy should be minimized.
Feedstock sustainability risks shall be taken from the Biomass feedstock module.
Project Developers shall fill in the Riverse Processing and energy use risk evaluation, to evaluate the identified environmental and social risks of projects. The identified risks include:
Pests and pathogen growth from biomass feedstock storage
Leachate and runoff from biomass feedstock storage
Gaseous emissions from pyrolysis/gasification/combustion
Improper disposal of waste by-products (ash, tar, residue...) causing soil and water contamination
Inefficient use of waste heat
Worker exposure to particulate matter or other gaseous pollutants from pyrolysis
Worker exposure to dust from biomass shredding/grinding, respiratory risks
The processes covered in this module are highly dependent on the project type, so not all risks may be relevant to a given project. Project Developers may explain how a risk is not applicable to their project.
The GHG reduction quantification instructions from all other modules used by the project must be used in conjunction with the present module in order to obtain full life-cycle GHG reduction quantifications.
The system boundary of this quantification section includes the production and use of any energy or other materials from processing and transformation throughout the project life cycle. It is a catch-all module that includes all relevant processes that are not included in other modules.
Monitoring and quantification may be done per Production Batch, or per calendar year. Verification shall be done annually by summing the GHG reduction quantifications for each production batch produced in the calendar year.
GHG emissions covered in this module may include but are not limited to:
Electricity and fuel production
Fuel combustion
Direct emissions of offgas/flue gas
Water use
Waste treatment
According to the Riverse Standard Rules, processes with the lowest contributions to impacts, which each account for less than 1% of total impacts, may be excluded from the GHG quantification. These processes shall be transparently identified and justified.
For example, if a screening simulation shows that tap water use for wetting feedstock contributes to less than 1% of project GHGs, then tap water may be excluded from the calculations.
The required primary data for GHG reduction calculations from projects are presented in Table 1. These data shall be provided for each production batch and made publicly available.
Table 1 Summary of primary data needed from projects and their source for initial project certification and validation. Asterisks (*) indicate which data are required to be updated annually during verification (see Monitoring Plan section).
The version 3.10 (hereafter referred to as ecoinvent) shall be the main source of emission factors unless otherwise specified. Ecoinvent is preferred because it is traceable, reliable, and well-recognized. The ecoinvent processes selected are detailed in Appendix.
If the available emission factors do not accurately represent the project, a different emission factor may be submitted by the Project Developer, and approved by the Riverse Certification team and the VVB. Any emission factor must meet the data requirements outlined in the Riverse Standard Rules, and come from traceable, transparent, unbiased, and reputable sources.
No other secondary data sources are used in this module.
If the project undergoes ex-ante validation, estimations and calculations may be accepted instead of measured primary data. These shall be replaced by measured primary data upon verification. Any estimates and calculations should be justified with:
process engineering documents
technical specifications for machinery
measured data from previous projects or from the scientific literature
statistics or databases
Note that conservative estimates and calculations shall always be made to avoid overestimating provisional credits.
Because energy is expected to be the most important input in this module, additional details are provided regarding how to model energy.
Projects may only count renewable electricity if its production is directly linked to the project site, and can prove that there is a physical link. Renewable energy certificates (REC), which imply an economic link, are currently not accepted under this module, and any electricity with an REC shall be counted as grid electricity.
Electricity grid emission factors shall be taken for the national grid (at the maximum granularity), and if possible, regional mixes shall be used.
GHG emissions from fuel use shall include both the upstream extraction and processing of fuel, plus the direct emissions from combustion.
The rules outlined at the methodology-level in the BiCRS methodology document shall be applied for allocating GHG emissions between co-products.
Based on the project's detailed process diagram, activities and inputs shall be selected for inclusion in the module and listed.
Project Developers shall choose a type of input/emission used among the options in Appendix 1. If the relevant input is not listed, it may be added/considered on a case by case basis, and approved by the Riverse Certification team and the VVB.
For each input, Project Developers shall provide the amount used and units per Production Batch and/or per calendar year.
The table below provides an example of the type of data Project Developers may provide to use this module.
See general instructions for uncertainty assessment in the Riverse Standard Rules. The outcome of the assessment shall be used to determine the percent of avoided emissions to eliminate with the .
Uncertainty may come from project data, but this is estimated to be negligible, since it is required to come from a direct measurement.
This translates to no minimum expected discount factor based on this module.
Monitoring Plans for this module shall include, but are not limited to, tracking of the following information for each Production Batch and/or each calendar year:
Amount and type of any input/emission that makes up more than 30% of project life-cycle GHG emissions
Amount and type of any input/emission that makes up between 10-30% of project life-cycle GHG emissions and is expected to vary by more than 30% between Production Batches
The Project Developer is the party responsible for adhering to the Monitoring Plan.
The table below presents a non-exhaustive selection of Ecoinvent activities that may be used in the GHG reduction calculations for this module. Additional activities may be used for any project, if the following selection does not cover all relevant activities.
Table A1 List of ecoinvent 3.10 processes used in the GHG reduction quantification model, all processes are from the cutoff database
Parameter | Unit | Source |
---|---|---|
Input/emission | Amount | Units | Description | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
represents the total emissions from this module
represents the amount of the input/emission of type , in the same units as the emission factor described below
represents the emission factor for the input/emission of type in kgCOeq per given unit from ecoinvent
Input | Ecoinvent activity name |
---|---|
Download the template here
Detailed process diagram with included/excluded processes
Flow chart
Internal process documents
Type of input/emission*
Text description
Internal process documents
Amount of input/emission*
kg, liter, kWh, MWh, GWh, m
Meter readings, bills, internal tracking documents, invoices, contracts, calculated using conversions from other primary project data
Grid electricity
8
GWh
All electricity used onsite annually
Electricity bills
Diesel
5
liter
Shredding machine. 1 liter diesel per Production Batch, x5 Production Batches per year, calculated using machine fuel efficiency and number of hours used
Technical specifications (liter/hour), record of number of hours used
Methane emissions
20
kg
Emissions calculated from incomplete combustion of syngas
Equipment technical specifications (e.g. 99% efficiency guaranteed), records of amount of syngas produced
Bottom ash waste
50
kg
Management of ash residue from 1 year, landfilled
Invoice from waste management company
grid electricity
market for electricity, low voltage
market for electricity, medium voltage
onsite solar electricity
electricity production, photovoltaic, 570kWp open ground installation, multi-Si
diesel fuel material
market for diesel, low-sulfur
market for diesel
diesel burning
diesel, burned in agricultural machinery
diesel, burned in diesel-electric generating set, 18.5kW
natural gas burning
natural gas, burned in gas turbine
heat, from steam
market for heat, from steam, in chemical industry
heat, from munipal incineration
heat, from municipal waste incineration to generic market for heat district or industrial, other than natural gas
heat, from biomethane burning
market for heat, central or small-scale, biomethane
heat, from straw burning in a furnace
heat production, straw, at furnace 300kW
heat, from natural gas
market for heat, district or industrial, natural gas
market for heat, central or small-scale, natural gas
water
market for tap water
market for water, decarbonised
market for water, deionised
non-hazardous landfill
market for process-specific burdens, slag landfill
market for process-specific burdens, sanitary landfill
market for process-specific burdens, inert material landfill
hazardous waste treatment
market for hazardous waste, for incineration
market for hazardous waste, for underground deposit
Module name
Processing and energy use
Module category
Transformation
Methodology name
Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS)
Version
1.0
Methodology ID
RIV-BICRS-T-P&ENG-V1.0
Release date
September 12th, 2024
Status
Public consultation
Project Developers shall assign a likelihood and severity score of each risk, and provide an explanation of their choices. The VVB and Riverse’s Certification team shall evaluate the assessment and may recommend changes to the assigned scores.
All risks with a high or very high risk score are subject to a Risk Mitigation Plan, which outlines how Project Developers will mitigate, monitor, report, and if necessary, compensate for any environmental and/or social harms.
Additional proof may be required for certain high risk environmental and social problems.
The Project Developer, the Riverse Certification team, or the VVB may suggest additional risks to be considered for a specific project.
Note that the life-cycle GHG reduction calculations account for the climate change impacts of most environmental risks. Nonetheless, Project Developers shall transparently describe any identified GHG emission risks in the risk evaluation template.
All risk assessments must also address the Minimum ESDNH risks defined in the Riverse Standard Rules.