Supawan Petsri. Carbon Budget in Rubber Tree Plantation and Utilization in Thailand. Master's Degree(Energy Technology). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2009.
Carbon Budget in Rubber Tree Plantation and Utilization in Thailand
Abstract:
Thailand is the world's largest producer of natural rubber. Rubber tree plantation
has increased from 1.76 million ha in 1990 to 2.07 million ha in 2007. Rubber tree can be
the potential sources of carbon storage, in its biomass of stem, branch, leaf and root. As the
economic life of the rubber trees is 25-30 years, about 3-4% of the rubber tree growing
area is cut down for replanting annually. This fraction of carbon is used and therefore
conserved in the form of furniture or the other rubber wood products approximately 30
years. Moreover, combustion of rubber wood residues for energy is gaining popularity as
an industrial substitute for fuel oil. This study aims to evaluate the carbon stock and flow
in the rubber tree plantation and utilization in Thailand during 1990-2004. The carbon
stocks in living rubber tree (above- and below-ground) were estimated by using allometric
equation. GIS spatial analysis technique was applied to quantify soil organic carbon. The
carbon emission by rubber tree cultivation and carbon budget in rubber wood products
were estimated from survey data and literature review by using IPCC guideline.
The annual carbon pool under rubber tree plantation area in Thailand during 1990-2004
was 90.55 million tC. In 2004, the soil organic carbon content in rubber tree
plantation at 0-100 cm soil depth was 386.85 million tc. The average accumulations of
carbon through furniture products, particle boards, and MDF boards during 1990-2004
were 23.57 tC yr-1. The carbon stocks in the entire rubber wood products in 2004 were
estimated to be 50.81 million tC. The annual carbon stock in natural rubber products from
rubber tree plantation in Thailand during 1990-2004 was 1.80 million tC yr-1. The annual
GHG emissions from burning area for land preparation, fuel use during land preparation,
gasoline used in harvested area, diesel used in harvested area, and direct synthetic nitrogen
(N) fertilizer application in rubber tree plantation during 1990-2004 were 57,642, 8,116,
70,429, 9,198, and 137,495 tCO2-eq year-1. The annual GHG emissions from transportation
of rubber wood between the harvest area and the sawn-wood factory for 1990-2004 periods
were 242,353 tCO2 year-1, Emission from electricity used in sawn wood and furniture
processing during 1990-2004 was 1,215,761 tCO2-eq yr-1, respectively. The estimating of
bioenergy production from waste of rubber wood during 1990-2004 was approximately
142,178 TJ yr-1. During 1990-2004, the potential of residual fuel oil could be substituted
by waste of rubber wood approximately 3,575,264,697 liter yr-1 which could be emitting
GHG (CO2, CH4 and N2O) about 11,041,910 tCO2-eq yr-1.
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library