Proximate analysis of some common charcoal in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Common charcoals from different wood species were collected, identified and prepared for analysis. Proximate analyses were carried out. The study aimed to characterize the identified charcoal and suggest the best charcoal that will give the minimal pollution effect. The result showed that the moisture content of the charcoal ranges between 3.26 and 8.40 wt% with an arithmetic mean of 5.36 ±1.50 wt%, the volatile content ranges between 3.05 and 13.62 wt% with an arithmetic mean of 7.20 ±3.55 wt%, the fixed carbon ranges between 76.83 and 90.57 wt% with an arithmetic mean of 83.54 ±4.60 wt%, and the ash content ranges between 3.09 and 5.18 wt% with an arithmetic mean of 3.87 ±0.70 wt%. The heating value of charcoal of different wood species were determined using Bomb calorimeter. Afzelia bipindensis has the highest ash content while Hevea brasiliensis has the lowest ash content. The heating value ranges 31.82–39.42 kJ/kg with a mean of 35.375 ±2.673 kJ/kg. This shows that Burkea africana could be best for use as a cooking fuel for households and restaurants because it has the best fuel property in terms of moisture content.