Fuelwood Value Index Research Articles

Fuel Properties of Slab Wastes from Sengon Sawmills: A Case Study in Sleman and Wonosobo Regencies

Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsen) is a fast-growing and versatile species that has been established in community forests. Many sawmills utilize sengon wood as a raw material which generates wastes in the form of sawdust and slab consisting of a mixture of bark and wood. Those wastes are widely used by communities and home industries as fuel. The objective of this study was to characterize the energy properties of slab wastes from sengon sawmills in Wonosobo dan Sleman Regencies. The results showed that the calorific value and fuelwood value index (FVI) ranges were 4,089 to 4,749 cal/g and 2.71 to 18.74, respectively. The values of density ranged from 0.23 to 0.94 g/cm3. The proximate analysis showed that the values of moisture and ash contents ranged from 13.90 to 20.03% and from 0.30 to 4.59%, respectively, whereas volatile matter and fixed carbon contents ranged from 75.84 to 88.94% and from 10.23 to 20.62%, respectively. In general, the slab samples from Wonosobo gave higher values in fixed carbon content and FVI but smaller values in density, moisture content, volatile matter content, and ash content than those of the samples in Sleman. The bark part showed higher amounts in density, moisture content, fixed carbon content, and ash content but lower in volatile matter content, calorific value, and FVI than the wood part. Based on the wood consumption, sawmill recovery, calorific value, and dry weight biomass value, the potential annual energy from slab wastes in Sleman and Wonosobo reached 1,374 × 1013 cal (equivalent to 1,525,222 L of kerosene) and 1.521 × 1014 cal (equivalent to 16,884,016 L of kerosene), respectively.

Study of Provenance and Site Variability on Calorific Value and Other Fuel Properties of Teak Stem

Currently Perum Perhutani has conducted efforts to improve the productivity of teak forest by provenance trial. However, only a few studies have so far considered the variation of these main fuel properties of wood under the influence of external factors such as location and provenance. On the other side, the huge amount of waste was regularly generated from primary and secondary wood processings. Therefore, in this research, the calorific value and other fuel properties were investigated and related to provenance and growth site. This research used the stem wood and bark of five provenances (1 to 5) of teaks that were planted at three sites of Perhutani stand (Bojonegoro, Ngawi, Ciamis). The fuel characterisctics of bark were only evaluated at Ciamis site. Compared to bark, wood generally had lower values in ash content, volatile matter content, and density, but had higher values in fixed carbon content, calorific value, and Fuelwood Value Index levels. The caloric values of teak wood and bark were 4,191~4,520 cal/g and 3,545~3,939 cal/g, respectively. Provenance and site interaction had significant effect to the ash content, density, and calorific value in wood. The samples from Ciamis site (code Ft) had the highest level in calorific value. However, the relation between calorific value and density is not clear in this experiment. With regard to bark, provenance 3 (Ft) showed the best energy properties.

Fuelwood Characteristics of Five Species Grown in Merauke Forest

Papua has a large area of production forests, such as in Merauke. These forests provide great benefits for the pulp and wooden industries, which generate a large amount of biomass waste. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the proximate analysis, specific gravity, calorific value, and Fuelwood Value Index (FVI) of wood and bark of five species, namely Acacia mangium Willd, Acacia crassicarpa A. Cunn, Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell, Melaleuca viridiflora Sol. Ex Gaertn, and Lophostemon suaveolens Sol. Ex Gaertn. The calorific value ranged from 4,066 to 5,435 cal/g, while the FVI values ranged from 4.04 to 76.41. The highest calorific value was observed in the bark of Melaleuca viridiflora, while the highest fuelwood value index was observed in Eucalyptus pellita wood. Furthermore, the calorific value of wood was higher compared to the bark in all species. There was no significant correlation between specific gravity, calorific or FVI value. It is noticed that a strong correlation (r = -0.92*) was observed between the calorific value and volatile matter in the bark. Based on the proximate analysis results, only the moisture content level was significantly correlated with the calorific value of wood or bark.

SELECTION OF FUELWOOD TREE SPECIES USING FUEL VALUE INDEX IN JHENAIDAH DISTRICT

Four tree species Acacia nilotica, Samanea saman, Leucaena leucocephala, Tamarindus indica were collected from different wood vendors of Jhenidah district in Bangladesh to identify the potential fuelwood tree species through fuelwood properties. The calorific value and density of the wood considered as positive characteristics and high moisture and ash content as negative characteristics that helped develop a fuelwood value index (FVI). A 8×2×2 cmof three wood blocks were collected from each tree species in order to determine the fuelwood properties. The highest calorific value and wood density were found in Acacia nilotica and Tamarindus indica respectively but the ash content was found to be lowest in Leocoena leucocephala (1.09%) and highest in Tamarindus indica (2.21%). Moreover, the lignin content was the highest in the Acacia nilotica. According to FVI, the better quality of fuelwood species in descending order are Acacia nilotica˃ Leucaena leucocephala˃Tamarindus indica ˃Samanea saman. This study also revealed the significant negative correlation between FVI and ash content.

Logging wastes from sustainable forest management as alternative fuels for thermochemical conversion systems in Brazilian Amazon

Logging wastes of tropical species managed sustainably in the Brazilian Amazon are promising for replacing fossil fuels. However, their use in local energy systems is challenging concerning many mixed-species with unknown properties. This study focuses on the energy characterization of the logging wastes from twenty commercial Amazon species harvested in a sustainable management plan and their energy equivalence to fossil fuels. The wood species were grouped by principal component analysis according to their basic density, moisture content, maximum moisture content, heating value, energy density, and chemical composition. Basic density (0.525–0.895 g cm−3), energy density (9.4–16.8 GJ m−3), ash (0.3–2.5%), and total extractives (1.8–17.9%) showed wide interspecific variations. On the other hand, the carbon content (49.2–52.4%), total lignin (30.2–38.1%), fixed carbon (16.5–22.0%), volatile matter (76.7–82.8%), and higher heating value (19.1–20.9 MJ kg−1) varied less among species. D. excelsa, M. elata, P. altissium, and G. glabra wastes surpassed conventional planted species for bioenergy applications. The logging wastes formed four groups with similar properties aiming at energy systems. The fuelwood value index ranked wastes of D. excelsa wood as the most promising for bioenergy. Finally, D. excelsa wood wastes presented the largest mass of CO2eq fixed in 1 m3 of logging wastes (1,687 kg), meaning that the use of 1 m3 of these wastes would mitigate the emission of 1,687 kg of CO2eq.

Fuelwood energy characteristics and biomass equations of the dominant species of northern Patagonian shrublands (Argentina)

Although shrublands can be highly abundant, their bioenergy potential has barely been addressed. This is the case in northern Patagonian shrublands, where there is a lack of knowledge regarding biomass quantity and quality. The objective of this study was to develop biomass equations for young shoots (resprouts) of five of the main woody species growing in northern Patagonian shrublands; quantify energy properties of their woods and, ultimately, estimate biomass and bioenergy stocks in resprouts for three contrasting shrublands. Resprouts were harvested in the field, and size (diameter and height) and dry weight were measured in the laboratory. Fuelwood energy parameters (moisture, density, calorific value, ash content) were determined to obtain energy density and fuelwood value index. We found biomass equations with good statistical fitness for all the studied species. Energy parameters of the analysed woods were comparable or even better (in terms of energy density) than those observed in other woody species commonly used as fuels. Embothrium coccineum showed the best fuelwood value index due to low ash content (0.2%). Shrublands under 50% of harvesting intensity produced 0.08 t ha–1 and 1.33 GJ ha–1 in a low productivity site, 0.34 t ha–1 and 5.66 GJ ha–1 in a medium productivity site, and 1.07 t ha–1 and 17.96 GJ ha–1 in a high productivity site from resprouts after approximately four years. This study suggests that some northern Patagonian shrublands have good potential to produce high quality biomass, therefore, sustainable management plans oriented to bioenergy should be developed in the region.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of some firewood trees and shrubs of Eastern India

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of 31 indigenous firewood tree/shrub species of Eastern India was carried out to identify the species with potential for firewood production based on firewood properties. The highest calorific value (20.24 kJ/g dry wt) was exhibited by Adina cordifolia. The emission factors of CO2, CO, and hydrocarbon (HC) of wood species was recorded 356–1814, 5.2–110.5, and 0.71–2.28 g/kg, respectively. Among various firewood species, Holarrhena antidysenterica Wallich ex A. DC and Dillenia pentagyna L. emitted less CO2 (356.0 ± 20) and CO (5.2 ± 0.2), whereas A. cordifolia (Roxb.) Hook. f. ex Brandis (0.71 ± 0.04), Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Persoon (0.71 ± 0.01), and Semecarpus anacardium L. f. (0.71 ± 0.03) showed efficient in terms of low HC‐emitting species. The results showed that A. cordifolia followed by Terminalia tomentosa, L. speciosa, Anogeissus latifolius, H. antidysenterica, D. pentagyna, and S. anacardium are suitable fuelwood species on account of fuelwood value index and EF. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019

Evaluation of the Physical, Chemical and Thermal Properties of Portuguese Maritime Pine Biomass

A characterisation of Pinus pinaster Aiton. (Maritime Pine) woody biomass and ashes is presented in this study. Physical, thermal and chemical analysis, including density, moisture content, calorific value, proximate and ultimate analysis, were carried out. The fuel Energy Density (Ed) and the Fuelwood Value Index (FVI) were assessed by ranking the fuelwood quality. Furthermore, the determination of the ash metal elementals was performed. The results from this study indicated, for Pinus pinaster biomass tree components, carbon content ranging from 46.5 to 49.3%, nitrogen content from 0.13 to 1.18%, sulphur content from 0.056 to 0.148% and hydrogen content around 6–7%. The ash content in the tree components ranged from 0.22 to 1.92%. The average higher heating value (HHV) was higher for pine needles (21.61 MJ·kg−1). The Ed of 8.9 GJ·m−3 confirm the good potential of Pinus pinaster biomass tree components as fuel. The FVI ranked the wood stem (4658) and top (2861.8) as a better fuelwood and pine needles (394.2) as inferior quality. The chemical composition of the ashes revealed that the elemental contents are below the national and most European countries legislation guidelines for the employment of ash as a fertiliser.

Characterization and ranking of subtropical trees in a rural plantation forest of Uttar Pradesh, India, as fuel wood using fuel wood value index (FVI)

The present study investigate fuel wood characteristics on the basis of fuel wood value index (FVI), a proximate and ultimate analysis of 12 subtropical tree species of rural areas of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, to sort out the tree species commonly used by the rural communities and examine their energy properties. The FVI was determined on the basis of calorific value (CV), bulk density (BD), and ash content (AC). The highest CV (22.56 MJ/kg) and BD (0.80 g/cm3) were found in Prosopis juliflora, and the lowest CV (17.32 MJ/kg) and BD (0.32 g/cm3) were found in Streblus asper. The AC was found maximum in Pithecellobium dulce (2.81%) and minimum in S. asper (0.83%). Moisture content was ranged between 38.70 and 58.67%. Investigation of elemental composition in fuel wood revealed that carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen (CHN), and sulfur value ranged from 40 to 46% C, 4.80 to 6.80% H, 0.03 to 1.40% N, and sulfur was defected only in some species and its maximum value (0.012) was found in species of Tectona grandis, T. arjuna, and Ficus benghalensis. This study revealed that only the single basic parameter is not sufficient for identifying the suitable tree species for fuel wood. On the basis of FVI and other fuel wood properties species, P. juliflora, T. grandis, F. benghalensis, Alstonia scholaris, and Holopetelea integrifolia are the most preferred fuel wood species among the 12 trees studied. To enable choice of plant species for future energy plantation program may help the local people to take maximum benefit to be used as bioenergy if electricity and alternative energy sources are not available in such remote areas.

Construction of Fuel Wood Value Index (FVI) for Common Fuel Wood Species and Compare the Performance with Rarely Use Invasive Prosopis juliflora

Sustainable Energy Authority of Sri Lanka has recently introduced several fuel wood species for the country’s energy fulfillment as a solution for nation’s over dependency on imported fossil fuels. Though country has identified some common fuel wood species there is no proper mechanism to evaluate and compare overall performances to identify species with optimal performance. Countries like India and Kenya have developed an index known as Fuel wood Value Index (FVI) to evaluate overall performance of fuel wood species. Prosopis juliflora has been identified as a major Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Bundala national park in southern dry zone, Sri Lanka. Though it is an uncommon fuel wood species in Sri Lanka it is widely used as a dry matter fuel wood in certain countries. The study was designed with the primary objective of constructing FVI for invasive P. juliflora and other widely use fuel wood species. Secondary objective of the study was to estimate the amount of fossil fuel that can be replaced by 1 kg of each fuel wood species. Part of the Bundala national park where P. juliflora is abundant was selected as the study site according to a reconnaissance survey. Fourty individuals were randomly selected and moisture content (oven dry method), density (Archimedes principle), ash content (loss on ignition method) and calorific value (ASTM D 5865) were obtained. Energy characteristics of other commonly used fuel wood species for FVI construction were obtained from secondary sources. Constructed FVI for P. juliflorawas 3276±274 respectively. FVI values obtained for other fuel wood species were Leucaena leucocephala 3336±389 Gliricidea sepium 1,686, Acacia auriculiformis 902, Casurina equiseriflora 3,552 and Pterocarpus indicus 2,733. Study findings revealed that 0.50 L of diesel and 0.45 L of furnace oil could be replaced by 1 kg of P. juliflora wood. 1kg of G. sepium, L. leucocephala, A. auriculiformis and C. equiseriflora wood could replace 0.54 L, 0.48 L, 0.53 L, 0.55 L, of diesel and 0.49 L, 0.43 L, 0.49 L 0.50 L of furnace oil, respectively. Keywords: FVI, Rnewable energy, Fuel wood, Fossil fuel, IAS

Fuelwood characteristics of some important trees and shrubs and emission of carbon dioxide in different states of Eastern India

ABSTRACTThis paper analyzes 14 indigenous tree/shrub species of Eastern India for fuelwood production. A fuelwood value index (FVI) was the criteria for screening of the species. Fuelwood consumption, on a decreasing trend, was high in the state of Uttar Pradesh (19.06 m/t), followed by West Bengal (14.16 m/t), Bihar (11.48 m/t), Assam (11.42 m/t), Odisha (8.89 m/t), Jharkhand (4.84 m/t), and Chhattisgarh (4.37 m/t). Similar trends were shown by the states in case of the emission of carbon dioxide. For instance, CO2 emission was higher in Uttar Pradesh (31.4 t CO2) and lowest in Chhattisgarh (7.19 t CO2).

Fuelwood characteristics of important trees and shrubs of Eastern Himalaya

ABSTRACTQuantitative analysis of 24 indigenous firewood tree/shrub species of Eastern Himalayan was carried out to identify those species with potential for firewood production. A fuelwood value index (FVI) was the criterion for screening of the species and is defined as the calorific value X density/ash content. The results showed that Camellia kissi Wall., Styrax serrulatum Roxb., Litsea lancifolia Roxb., Leea indica (Burm. F) Merr, and Maesa indica (Roxb.) Wall are suitable fuelwood species.

Utilization pattern of fuelwood plants by the Halam community of Tripura, Northeast India

ABSTRACTThe present study was undertaken to identify the fuelwood plant species and their utilization pattern by the Halam community of Tripura. The main objective of this study was to assess the species preference as fuelwood, the total value index, and the fuelwood value index (FVI) of 22 species. The majority of the households use the plant resources for domestic purpose. Although the community’s mostly preferred fuelwood species were Tectona grandis L.f, Shorea robusta C. F. Gaertn, and Gmelina arborea Roxb, a total of 22 species were reported from the study site. Trewia nudiflora L., Albizia procera Benth., Dysoxylum procerum Hierm., and Cassia siamea Lam. were also reported as fuelwood species with good wood quality (FVI). Thus awareness on the use of these species as fuelwood can be increased in the community to reduce stress on the preferred species and the surrounding forest.

Assessment of fuelwood based on community preference and wood constituent properties of tree species in Mizoram, north-east India

This paper analyses the community choice of fuelwood species among 30 selected tree species in Mizoram state, north-east India. The analysis was based on 12 community selected criteria, including availability of the species and 11 fuelwood quality criteria. The wood constituent properties, including the fuelwood value index (FVI), were also assessed for the 30 tree species. The most preferred species were Quercus spp. Due to its low availability in the area, Mesua ferrea, which was ranked 12th by the community, although it showed the highest wood density (0.58 g/cm2). Similarly, Anogeissus acuminata ranked only 15th, although it had the highest FVI. Quercus pachyphylla, Quercus polystachya, Quercus xylocarpa, Quercus helferiana, Quercus serrata, Vitex peduncularis and M. ferrea were found to be highly desirable fuelwood species based on their high FVI. These species should therefore be considered as good candidates for a domestication and plantation programme in order to relieve pressure on natural forests.

The Characterization of Wood Species from Mozambique as a Fuel

The efficient utilization of fuelwood as a source of energy is strongly dependent on the properties of the biomass. This study characterizes common hardwood species from Mozambique and evaluates their quality as a fuel. Disc samples, taken at breast height, from Afzelia quanzensis Welwn, Millettia stuhlmannii Taub, Pterocarpus angolensis DC, Sterculia appendiculata K. Schum, Pericopsis angolensis Meeuwen, Acacia nigrescens Oliv., Pseudolachostylis maprounaefolia Pax, and Icuria dunensis Wieringa, were collected from three provinces in Mozambique. Chemical and physical properties were analyzed. The raking of the species as fuel was performed using fuelwood value index. The higher heating value varied between 19.38 and 21.50 MJ/kg dry weight. The concentration of lignin ranged from 21.96 up to 36.69% weight dry basis (wt% d.b.), and ash free. All studied species showed very low concentrations of Si, S, and Cl. Ash content varied between 0.76–3.71 wt% (d.b.), while the basic density ranged from 536 to 1,111 k gm−3. Heavy metals were also determined and their concentrations were below the values reported in the literature. The species Acacia nigrescens had the highest fuelwood value index and it was closely followed by Icuria dunensis and Millettia stuhlmannii. The worst ranked was Sterculia appendiculata.

Características de combustibilidad de diez especies de plantaciones de rápido crecimiento en Costa Rica

<p>El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar las características de combustibilidad (poder calórico e índice de combustibilidad) de diez especies de plantaciones de rápido crecimiento en Costa Rica. También fue evaluada la influencia de los componentes químicos (celulosa, lignina, cenizas, cantidad de carbono y nitrógeno) y algunas propiedades físicas (contenido de humedad, densidad verde y peso específico) sobre estas características de combustibilidad. Los resultados mostraron que el poder calórico máximo varió de 16500 a 20594 kJ/kg para la albura y de 16258 a 20119 kJ/kg para el duramen. No fue posible determinar cuál tipo de madera (albura o duramen) que presenta el mayor valor de poder calórico. En el caso del índice de combustibilidad, se presentaron grandes variaciones, con valores entre 337 y 6390. Al evaluar los efectos de la humedad se encontró un efecto lineal sobre el poder calórico (modelo Y = β0*X + β1) y muestra que el efecto de la humedad en el poder calórico es diferente para cada especie o tipo de madera (duramen o albura). La única conífera evaluada (Cupressus lusitanica) fue la especie con mayor potencial energético debido a sus altos valores de índice de combustibilidad, poder calórico y su bajo contenido de cenizas. Las otras especies de plantación, a pesar de que no presentan los valores energéticos de C. lusitanica, poseen un potencial importante debido a los altos volúmenes de desechos o residuos que se obtienen en las distintas industrias.</p>

An evaluation of fuelwood properties of some Aravally mountain tree and shrub species of Western India

Abstract The study analyses the fuelwood characteristics of 26 trees including shrub species from the dry deciduous forest in Aravally region, Rajasthan, Western India was carried out to explore trees with potential for fuelwood production. Fuelwood value index (FVI) based on the properties of calorific value, wood density and ash. Calorific value was ranged between 18.54 ± 0.04 and 27.44 ± 0.09 KJ g−1 in Jatropha curcus and Wrightia tinctoria respectively. Wood density varied from 0.538 ± 0.01 to 0.966 ± 0.07 g/cm3 in J. curcus and Acacia nilotica. Same way ash and moisture content was highest in J. curcus (3.38 ± 0.19%) and Sterculia urens (70.28 ± 7.52%) and lowest in Miliusa tomentosa (0.85 ± 0.06%) and Azadirachta indica (30.7 ± 10.02%) respectively. On the basis, of the 26 species analyzed, M. tomentosa has the highest FVI, followed by Lannea coromandelica, Acacia leucophloea, Madhuca indica, A. nilotica, W. tinctoria, Butea monosperma, Zizyphus nummularia, S. urens, Boswellia serrata, A. indica, Grewia tenax, Syzygium cuminii, Tectona grandis and Dalbergia sissoo were shown to have promising fuelwood production.

Fuelwood Characteristics of Some Firewood Trees and Shrubs of Eastern Himalaya, India

Quantitative analysis of 19 indigenous fuelwood species of Eastern Himalaya, India was carried out to identify trees with potential for firewood production. A fuelwood value index was the criteria for screening of the species and defined as the calorific value X density/ash content. Over-all rank sum index of the major firewood species was also assessed on the basis of firewood characteristics, fuelwood production, and availability in the region. The results showed that Castanopsis indica, Phoebe attenuata, Macropanax undulatum, Ixonanthes khasiana, Morus laevigata, Caryota urens, Lithocarpus elegans, and Litsea laeta are the most preferred firewood species.

Species Selection for Afforestation of Sub-Standard Soil Sites with Particular Reference to Biomass Production and Soil Rehabilitation

Performance of three, evenaged leguminous tree species (Acacia nilotica, A. auriculiformis and Pithecellobium duke) was evaluated on sodic soil sites (pH 9.6) at Biomass Research Centre, Banthra, Lucknow (north India). Species differed significantly in respect to plant survival, growth and productivity since beginning of its growth as observed at the age of five, 10 and, 15 years. Acacia nilotica had highest average girth at breast height (60.5 cm) and stand biomass (161 Mg ha-1) in spite of its lowest plants survival after 15 years of growth. A. auriculiformis ranked next to it with 131 Mg ha-1 productivity. Basal area ranged from 12.8 to 23 m2 ha-1 in different species. P. duke performed poorly as it had only 71 Mg ha-1 of biomass. Average leaf area per hectare in different species ranged from4,129 m2 ha-1 to 16,090 m2 ha-1 after 15 years of growth. A. nilotica also showed superiority in respect to energy content in woody biomass (2,467 GJ ha-1) and fuel wood value index (1694) as compared to the other two species. At the age of 15 years, litter accumulation over the soil surface resulted in marked reductions in soil pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density and sodium content, and increase in soil porosity, organic carbon and nitrogen content, particularly in the uppermost layer of the mineral soil (0-5 cm). A. nilotica exhibited greater efficiency in terms of soil amelioration followed by A. auriculiformis. The relative ranking of three species was A. nilotica > A. auriculiformis > P. duke, respectively. This indicated greater promise of A. nilotica for biomass production, energy harvest, and soil amelioration on degraded soil sites. Matching tree species to soil conditions needs serious considerations in order to expand site specific afforestation programs and to ameliorate vast tracts of degraded soil sites.

Characteristics of some firewood trees and shrubs of the North Eastern Himalayan region, India

An evaluation of the characteristics of 25 indigenous trees and shrubs of the North Eastern Himalayan (NEH) region was carried out to identify trees with potential for firewood production. A fuelwood value index (FVI) was defined as the calorific value×density/ash content. The results showed that Gaultheria fragrantissima, Litsea citrata, Myrica esculenta, Aesculus assamica, Daphniphyllum himalense, Mesua ferrea, and Wendlandia tinctoria had the most promising firewood properties.