Abstract
Recently, woody biomass power generation in Japan has been increasing under a feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme in Japan. Knowing the amount of woody biomass ash generated during power generation is increasing in importance, considering both proper waste treatment and effective resource use. In this study, the amount of woody biomass ash was estimated through a literature survey of 6 kinds of woody biomass fuels and various information on 191 power generation facilities burning woody biomass and palm kernel shell (PKS) that are registered under the FIT scheme. By this estimation, 26 million to 30 million tons of woody biomass will be burned to produce 35 million MWh of electricity, and 170 thousand to 810 thousand tons of woody biomass ash will be generated in fiscal 2023. 63% of the ash will be from PKS. The maximum estimated amount is almost 20% of that of municipal solid waste incineration residue. Therefore, the establishment of effective recycling and proper treatment methods for woody biomass ash is needed as soon as possible.
