Estimating the amount and heating value of wood waste burned in households based on FICM HWP model output data

A 2009 study published by the Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research (RCEPR) sparked significant debate within the Hungarian forestry and wood industry sectors. The study suggested a substantial shortfall in the balance of solid bioenergy biomass usage and sources, which it attributed to large-scale illegal logging. The Bio Screen CCE Project updated this analysis and quantified a 37.2 PJ (43%) deficit in the solid bioenergy biomass balance for 2019. This study investigates the extent to which household wood waste burning could account for this shortfall. Using the Forest Industry Carbon Model (FICM) HWP submodel, the authors estimate that over 1.2 million m³ of wood waste may be burned annually in households. The heating value of this burned wood waste for 2019 is estimated at 14 PJ, explaining 39% of the shortfall identified in the Bio Screen CCE Project’s 2021 report.