Forest products' eco-efficiency for energy: A multicriteria decision analysis

This article presented an analysis of the eco-efficiency of forest products for energy (FPE) for export, based on multicriteria decision analysis. FPE's are classified as charcoal, wood pellets, wood chips, firewood, briquettes and forest residues available from the Forestry Production and Trade of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its main characteristics were identified, such as selection of forest species, technologies, biomass productivity and energy yield. To evaluate the eco-efficiency of FPE's for export, a multicriteria analysis was used using PROMETHE-ROC, considering technical -environmental criteria such as: calorific value, density, moisture content, ash content and logistics, allowing 120 variations of scenarios, where the FPE's were ordered by net flow (phi). The 120 scenarios reveal that pellets were 75 times superior to the other FPE categories, charcoal was 29 times superior and briquettes 16 times superior to the other FPEs, proving to be eco-efficient in such scenarios. The eco-efficiency assessment was applied to 120 scenarios of FPE alternatives, making it possible to assist in decision -making in several domains: waste management, energy, construction, industries and commerce. It is concluded that multicriteria analysis is a robust tool for guiding public policies and decision -making for the ecoefficiency of FPE for export, demonstrating the best energy performance of goods.