EUBCE 2026 - Emily NISHIKAWA - Estimating Agricultural and Forestry Residue Availability in Western Canada for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Estimating Agricultural and Forestry Residue Availability in Western Canada for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage

Short Introductive summary

Canada has substantial agricultural and forestry biomass resources crucial for achieving net-zero emissions. This study focuses on the potential biomass availability for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), using agricultural and forestry residues in Western Canada. Preliminary findings show that Western Canada produces 47 million tons of wheat straw annually, with 16 to 22 million tons available for BECCS after accounting for competing uses and other physical constraints. Additionally, logging residues contribute 12 million tons yearly. These values are substantially reduced when constraints on current or near-term CCS infrastructure (i.e., CO2 pipelines and injection sites) are included. For example, the wheat straw available near CCS infrastructure ranges from 2 to 5 Mt/year (considerably reduced from the 16 to 22 Mt/year available). The study highlights that varying assumptions can lead to different estimates of BECCS potential, emphasizing the need for collaboration between researchers to provide a better understanding of Canada’s capabilities in this area.

E. Nishikawa, University of Toronto, CANADA
D.L.Z Peña, University of Toronto, CANADA
S. McCoy, University of Calgary, CANADA
B. Saville, University of Toronto, CANADA
H. MacLean, University of Toronto, CANADA