Wood Consumption Research Articles

Fuelwood use and carbon emission reduction of improved biomass cookstoves: evidence from kitchen performance tests in Tigray, Ethiopia

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, biomass contributes to about 92% of the household fuel consumption. As a result, deforestation rate has alarmingly increased associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land degradation. The concerned government agencies have been widely making concerted efforts to reverse the situation by of promotion of improved cookstoves (ICS). However, the performance of these technologies in terms of saving fuelwood and their contribution to CO2 emission reduction in a real kitchen was not studied systematically. Thus, this research was initiated to address the knowledge gap.MethodsThe study was conducted in Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The study households were selected following cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs. A kitchen performance test (KPT) was carried out based on 3 days of repeated fuelwood use measurements to compare the wood-saving performance of ICS in comparison with the traditional cookstove (TCS). The emission reduction potential of both ICS and TCS was calculated based on the Clean Development Mechanism and United Nation’s Framework of Convention on Climate Change and presented in CO2 equivalent (CO2e).ResultsThe result suggests significant differences in total and per capita wood consumption (p < 0.05) between improved and TCS. The use of Mirt and Tikikil compared to the traditional stove has reduced the household wood consumption by 35% and 18%, respectively. Furthermore, ICS stoves also reduced CO2e emission per stove per year by 0.65 and 0.27 tons, respectively.ConclusionThe study deals with the significant contribution that the shift from TCS to the ICS brought in terms of reducing the amount of fuelwood used at household level and the carbon emission per capita. It addresses the crucial roles of such technologies in reducing forest degradation and the associated ecosystem loss. Therefore, policy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries at household level should at least start via promotions of ICS.

A practical methodology for predicting electricity consumption of urban residential buildings

AbstractIt is a challenging task for determining the emissions and energy‐saving options for counties and countries. In order to overcome this issue, two new concepts are introduced in this study. These are residential base electricity consumption and residential base natural gas consumption. A new model that estimates the total energy consumption of urban residential buildings from the available electricity consumption data is developed. The model employs heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD) parameters to predict the energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes. A month with zero or almost zero values of both HDD and CDD is considered as “base month.” These months when there is neither heating nor cooling, plays a key role in this study.The proposed model is applied to a county with a population of over 62,000 located in Southern Turkey, and the total electricity consumption is calculated with 1.24% accuracy. The validity and accuracy of the model are tested by theoretical electricity calculations, coal, and wood consumption. Accordingly, while annual electrical heating is equal to 2618 kWh/year for an average house of 96 m2, for the coal and wood burning households, the annual energy consumption values are 2190 and 2616 kWh/year, respectively.

Toxicological, Behavioral, and Horizontal Transfer Effects of Cycloxaprid Against Formosan Subterranean Termites (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae).

Cycloxaprid, 9-((6-chloropyrid-3-yl)methyl)-4-nitro-8-oxa-10,11-dihydroimidazo-[2,3-a]-bicyclo-[3,2,1]-oct-3-ene, is a cis-configuration neonicotinoid insecticide. In the present study, the lethal and sublethal effect of cycloxaprid against Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), was evaluated and compared with fipronil. Toxicity bioassays showed that cycloxaprid had slightly lower toxicity than fipronil. The minimum cycloxaprid concentration in sand and soil that causes 100% termite mortality was 100 ppm. Similar to fipronil, cycloxaprid significantly reduced wood consumption and tunneling activities of termites. In the tunneling-choice tests, termite tunneling activity measured in both length and area was significantly lower in sand treated with cycloxaprid (10 or 100 ppm) than that in untreated sand. In the aggregation-choice tests, cycloxaprid exhibited inhibition to termite aggregation starting from 100 ppm. In addition, cycloxaprid exhibited significant horizontal transfer effect at 10 ppm. In conclusion, our study showed that cycloxaprid is slightly less toxic than fipronil and more repellent to C. formosanus than fipronil. Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of cycloxaprid against subterranean termites in the field.

Effects of localized environment on the eucalypt clones quality aiming kraft pulp production

Abstract Wood is the most expensive fraction in the pulp production costs. Therefore, strategies for increasing wood quality such as faster growth, higher wood basic density and lower lignin content are drivers to pulp mills. The cultivation site as well as the eucalypt clones influence the wood quality, which, in turn, affects the pulp production performance. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the effect of the site on the wood quality for the pulp production. Three eucalypt clones from five different sites in Brazil were used in this study. These samples were selected aiming to represent a gradient of environmental stress. It was possible to observe a reduction in the content of extractives and lignin and an increase in the content of glucans in the sites with less environmental stress, reflecting in the production of pulp with less effective alkali demanded (reduction of 13.5 %) and an increase of 10.5 % in the kraft pulp screened yield. MAIP values of 22.7 ton/ha/year were obtained in the sites with less environmental stress, presenting a lower specific wood consumption. Through the production indicators, it was observed that the C1 clone is more adaptable to the regions of greater environmental stress than the other clones analyzed.

Ecological factors affecting the abundance of worker–soldier proportions, and wood consumption of Coptotermes gestroi (Wassman) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) in a tropical urban environment

Ecological factors affecting the abundance of worker–soldier proportions, and wood consumption of Coptotermes gestroi (Wassman) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) in a tropical urban environment

Fuel wood and fodder consumption in van panchayat forests of district Nainital in western Himalaya

Survey was conducted in two villages of Nainital district at an elevation of 1480m to 1565m, to evaluate the socioeconomic condition as well as existing pressure in van panchayat forest during the year 2013. To get the requisite information of the work, data were obtained by formal interview using a structured questionnaire, focusing the details about the socio-economic development and related issues of forests. Total area ranged from 13.49ha to 48.47ha in van panchayat forests. The total annual fuel wood consumption and fodder consumption ranged from 102.75to 1536.55tyr-1 and 299.97 to 3733.02tyr-1, respectively.

Lateral forces determine dimensional accuracy of the narrow-kerf sawing of wood

The shrinking global forest area limits the supply of industrially usable raw resources. This, in combination with the ever-increasing consumption of timber due to population growth can lead to the lack of a positive balance between the annual volumetric growth and consumption of wood. An important innovation toward increasing environmental and economic sustainability of timber production is to reduce the volume of wood residues by minimizing the sawing kerf. It results in higher material yield but may impact the dimensional accuracy of derived products. Therefore, the cutting tool geometry as well as the sawing process as a whole must be carefully optimized to assure optimal use of resources. The goal of this study is to better understand the causes of machining errors that occur when sawing wood with saws of varying thickness of kerf, with a special focus on re-sawing thin lamellae performed on the gang saw. Numerical simulations were tested against experimental results, considering influence of diverse components of cutting forces, in addition to the initial and operating stiffness coefficients of the saw blade. It has been demonstrated that asymmetric loads from the cutting process for the scraper saw blade can cause sawing inaccuracies. The simulation methodology developed in this research can be straightforwardly extended towards determination of optimal geometry of other cutting tools, particularly with the reduced sawing kerf. This may lead to more sustainable use of natural resources as well as an increase in economic gain for the wood processing industries.

How the growth of natural forests meets Indonesia’s demand for wood for construction and household furniture?

Timber forest products are the main source of wood in meeting community needs such as house construction and furniture. However, in the regulation of timber forest products, the use of wood has not been considered. This has an impact on the value of wood, the value of the forest, and the availability of raw materials. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to increase the volume of natural forests that can be cut down to meet national household wood needs. The method used is a stochastic modeling method over the growth of each diameter class. The phenomenon of growth transfer includes ingrowth, upgrowth, and mortality. The results of the model simulation are the number of trees in each diameter class. Stand volume in the diameter class 40 cm up is a reference in the comparison of wood production and use of wood products. The data on the use of wood products is based on an analysis of wood consumption per FAO and Indonesian household wood consumption. The benefit of the research is to provide information on the application of an appropriate silvicultural system for forest management so that sustainable forest management can be realized.

AVALIAÇÃO COMPARATIVA DO DESEMPENHO INDUSTRIAL PARA PRODUÇÃO DE POLPA CELULÓSICA ENTRE EUCALIPTO E HÍBRIDOS DE Corymbia

ABSTRACT The search for novel biomasses for uses as alternative fiber sources, similar to Eucalyptus spp. biomass, holds great value and potential for commercial-scale application. This study aims to present the hybrid clones of Corymbia spp. developed by Aperam BioEnergia as potential substitutes for Eucalyptus wood in the market pulp industry. By performing modified kraft pulping and chemical characterization analyses, it was possible to compare the biomass of Eucalyptus spp. with that of Corymbia spp. Comparisons were made by analyzing their respective pulp average growth rate (PAGR) and specific wood consumption (SWC), estimated using a kappa number of 19 ± 1. The results showed that one of the hybrid clones (Corymbia citriodora × Corymbia torelliana - ID 4) had highest PAGR#k19, and lowest SWC than other samples. Clone ID 4 showed lowest value of SWC since, simultaneously presented a higher value of wood basic density and screened yield. Consequently, in agreement with its best results, clone ID 4 had the highest-ranking score, calculated as the PAGR/SWC ratio. This genetic material also showed one of the lowest total lignin content, consequently the highest screening yield. Besides Clone ID 4 showed significantly highest xylan content, among wood samples assessed in this work. For that reason, the ID 4 was the highest-ranked, proving to be an excellent high-performance alternative for forest-industry interface parameters.

Thermal Performance Assessment of a Box-type Solar Cooker with an Inclined Collecting Surface and Kapok Wool Insulation

The present work reports the thermal performance of a box-type solar cooker insulated with kapok wool, a local plant with a low thermal conductivity. The experimental results obtained indicate that the absorber plate reached a maximum temperature of 155.2 °C. Moreover, the maximum power of the cooker was 87.5 W with an efficiency of 35.45 %. The first and second figure of merit parameters performed are 0.15 and 0.298 respectively. The cooking test carried out on eggs and rice was conclusive. And it appears that this solar cooker can cook an average of 464 meals per year thanks to the solar energy available in Burkina Faso corresponding to a reduction of 67.62 % in household fuel wood consumption.

Consommation du bois-énergie et vulgarisation des foyers améliorés dans le quartier Kivu à Kinshasa/Masina

Energy needs are one of the sources of wood consumption in the world in general and in the least developed countries in particular, where cooking has remained essentially traditional in villages and on the outskirts of major centres. In urban areas, wood-consuming households remain the most numerous insofar as the electric current is very unstable or unavailable. This is the finding that a survey carried out in the Kivu district, in the heart of the popular commune of Masina, has just confirmed. However, the socio-economic, health and environmental benefits of improved cookstoves no longer need to be demonstrated. Hence the interest in strengthening their popularization in the hope of changing the behavior of households because improved stoves constitute an appropriate technology and a real alternative to the

The importance of termites and fire to dead wood consumption in the longleaf pine ecosystem

Microbes, insects, and fire are the primary drivers of wood loss from most ecosystems, but interactions among these factors remain poorly understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that termites and fire have a synergistic effect on wood loss from the fire-adapted longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystem in the southeastern United States. We predicted that the extensive galleries created by termites would promote the ignition and consumption of logs by fire. We exposed logs from which termites had or had not been excluded to prescribed fire after 2.5 years in the field. We found little support for our hypothesis as there was no significant interactive effect of termites and fire on wood mass loss. Moreover, there was no significant difference in mass loss between burned and unburned logs. Termites were responsible for about 13.3% of observed mass loss in unprotected logs, a significant effect, while microbial activity accounted for most of the remaining mass loss. We conclude that fire has little effect on wood loss from the longleaf pine ecosystem and that termite activity does not strongly promote wood combustion. However, longer term research involving multiple burn cycles, later stages of decay, and differing fire intensities will be needed to fully address this question.

The Use of Marketing Monitoring Web System Application to Estimate Cempaka Wood Product Consumption Level in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Cempaka or Magnolia spp. is categorised into primary local wood mostly used by the people in North Sulawesi. Efforts to cultivate cempaka and supply of raw materials continue to be carried out. However, there is no measurement of consumption of cempaka wood at the industrial and household levels. This will threaten the existence of cempaka or cempaka cultivation is not attractive to the Minahasa community. The objective of this study was to obtain the information of consumption ratio of cempaka wood in North Sulawesi in household scale. This study was carried out for approximately eight months in Minahasa, South Minahasa, and North Minahasa. There are 13 industries of cempaka wood in household scale, and 99 respondents are gathered successfully. The study findings indicated that cempaka wood products identified were not only wooden houses construction but also furniture. Average consumption of cempaka wood products in North Sulawesi reached 0.17 m3/capita/annual. If the total population of North Sulawesi reached 2,5 million, the total consumption of cempaka timber was estimated to reach 435,000 m3 annually. With enormous demands for cempaka wood in North Sulawesi compared to its inefficient availability, it is recommended to promote more intensive cempaka plantation development in the region.

Wood characterization of Tectona grandis L. F. cultivated in Brazil: a review of the last 30 years

Worldwide, Tectona grandis (teak) is recognized for its productivity and the quality of its wood. The Brazilian market is already seen as a great potential for consumption and production of teak wood. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize the teak wood grown in Brazil through a bibliographic survey of the results already available. In general, it was found that the teak wood planted in Brazil has a certain variability in its technological properties, and these variations are due to the origin, genetic material, age, planting location and the cycle used in the management of the forest. In a way, we still do not have much research on the quality of teak wood, and it would be important to implement research programs and experiments that consider the different genetic materials, growing environments, planting spacing, silvicultural tracts and ages of cutting, to allow greater knowledge about the growth and the factors that can influence the quality of the wood to be produced.

Energy from planted forest and its residues characterization in Brazil

An overview of planted forest and its use for energy generation in Brazil is presented. Historical and current data on planted area, productivity and consumption of planted wood is presented. Planted wood was responsible for 7.8% of primary energy consumed in Brazil during 2016, mainly as charcoal for steel industry. Eucalyptus and pine are the main planted species in Brazil. Favourable climate and soil quality enhance productivity of planted forest in Brazil, reaching 30–36 m3 ha−1 y−1 thus representing the world's highest productivity, with better managed forests producing up to 70 m3 ha−1. Forest residues reach 20% for eucalyptus and 40% for pine as compared to the amount of wood produced. Residues of a particular eucalyptus planted forest were collected directly on the field, considered for fuel and analyzed determining composition, heat value, ash content and thermogravimetric analysis. It is estimated a yearly generation of 20 × 106 t of forest residues and 15 × 106 t of wood industry residues.

Micro-Level Study of Deforestation in the Capital Terrotory of Pakistan

Wood products are better than artificial material, products when evaluating with environmental concerns, but our World's forests cannot be compromised for these products. As the increasing demand for wood product leads to deforestation, more rapid tree cutting even without permits and cause threat to human health and wildlife. The current study estimates the percentage of wood cutting and gives a comparison of green cover for a period (2009-2016) in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), Islamabad. Scale and after math of wood harvesting is a major area of concern. The wood consumption by villagers of MHNP, the role of authorities and communities to safeguard MHNP and its effects are also studied by incorporating villagers and forest guards' point of view through questionnaire and interviews, respectively. The forest cover of MHNP is reduced at high percentage due to deforestation and different land use pattern. It needs to be monitored and taken as the responsibility of the government and the public to protect forests.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Inward- versus outward-focused bioeconomy strategies for British Columbia\u2019s forest products industry: a harvested wood products carbon storage and emission perspective

BackgroundBritish Columbia’s (BC) extensive forest resources provide climate change mitigation opportunities that are available to few other jurisdictions. However, as a consequence of the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak and large-scale wildfires, BC is anticipating reduced roundwood harvest for the next decades. Progress towards more climatically efficient utilization of forest resources is needed. This research quantitatively compared the greenhouse gas emission consequences of nine harvested wood products trade and consumption strategies. Inward-focused strategies use wood products within Canada to achieve emission reduction objectives, while outward-focused strategies encourage exports of wood products.ResultsIn the business-as-usual baseline scenario, average emissions arising from BC-originated harvested wood products between 2016 and 2050 were 40 MtCO2e yr−1. The estimated theoretical boundaries were 11 MtCO2e yr−1 and 54 MtCO2e yr−1, under the scenarios of using all harvests for either construction purposes or biofuel production, respectively. Due to the constrained domestic market size, inward-focused scenarios that were based on population and market capacity achieved 0.3–10% emission reductions compared to the baseline. The international markets were larger, however the emissions varied substantially between 68% reduction and 25% increase depending on wood products’ end uses.ConclusionsFuture bioeconomy strategies can have a substantial impact on emissions. This analysis revealed that from a carbon storage and emission perspective, it was better to consume BC’s harvests within Canada and only export those products that would be used for long-lived construction applications, provided that construction market access beyond the US was available. However, restricting export of wood products destined for short-lived uses such as pulp and wood pellets would have significant economic and social impacts. On the other hand, inward-focused strategies had a small but politically and environmentally meaningful contribution to BC’s climate action plan. This study also revealed the conflicts between a demand-driven bioeconomy and targeted environmental outcomes. A hierarchical incentive system that could co-exist with other market drivers may help achieve emission reduction goals, but this would require a better quantitative understanding of wood products’ substitution effects. While the analyses were conducted for BC, other regions that are net exporters of wood products may face similar issues.

Technological evaluation of Pinus maximinoi wood for industrial use in kraft pulp production

This study characterized Pinus maximinoi wood and evaluated its performance for pulp production. Samples of Pinus taeda wood were used as reference material. For both species, wood chips from 14-year-old trees were used for the technological characterization, pulping, bleaching process analysis, and pulp properties. A modified kraft pulping process was carried out targeting kappa number 28±5% on brownstock pulp. The bleaching sequence was applied for bleached pulp with final brightness of 87±1 % ISO. Refinability and resistance properties were measured in the bleached pulps. Compared to P. taeda wood, P. maximinoi showed slightly higher basic density (0.399 g/cm³) and higher holocellulose (64.5%), lignin (31.1%), and extractives content (4.5%), along with lower ash content (0.16%). P. maximinoi tracheids showed greater wall thickness (6.4 µm) when compared to P. taeda tracheids. For the same kappa number, P. maximinoi and P. taeda resulted in similar screened yield, with an advantage observed for P. maximinoi, which resulted in lower specific wood consumption (5.281 m³/o.d. metric ton), and lower black liquor solids (1.613 metric tons/o.d. metric ton). After oxygen delignification, P. maximinoi pulp showed higher efficiency on kappa reduction (67.2%) and similar bleaching chemical demand as P. taeda pulp. Compared to P. taeda pulps, the refined P. maximinoi pulps had similar results and the bulk property was 10% higher. Results showed that P. maximinoi is an interesting alternative raw material for softwood pulp production in Brazil.

Timber construction as a multiple valuable sustainable alternative: main characteristics, challenge remarks and affirmative actions

Versatile, wood has been used by mankind in furniture, instruments, utensils and construction. About timber buildings, this critical review discusses their valuable and sustainable features that label their multiple options. Numerous contributions were compiled from the author’s collection and prospection in relevant databases. Construction techniques were featured, vocations were identified and production systems were remarked to detail wood-based resources and residues. Discussions and suggestions were raised as promoting strategies. Secular buildings prove the convenience of wood materials in construction, since they have decent levels in sustainability, durability, stability, value added, aesthetics, strength and weight. Timber construction enables artisanal to industrial productions and traditional to contemporary techniques with different materials, sizes and architectural styles. Global barriers are marked by obscurities about logging and illegal deforestation, and deficiencies in the regulations of native species. The utilization of sustainably sourced wood, sylviculture as a viable social-economic driving force and several advantages of timber construction are positive reasons. Actions were proposed to drive policy and multiply timber buildings, since they form a promising segment for emerging bioeconomies of innovative nations. Changes in wood consumption to enhance sylviculture combined with the waste reutilization should intensify the sustainability of timber construction and establish industrial synergies.

Effect of Improved Stoves on Wood Consumption, Particulate Matter and Carbon Monoxide Production in Central America

Biomass is the primary source of energy for cooking in rural Central America. The intensity of labour required to collect wood, levels of pollution resulting from incomplete burning, health problems linked to smoke inhalation, and pressure on forests are among the problems commonly associated with cooking with traditional stoves utilized in the region. Since the 1980s, improved stoves programs have been implemented in the region, but exogenous-developed models have had low adoption rates due to a lack of know-how for construction and repairments, expensive materials, and lack of understanding of local culinary traditions and culture. Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), a non-profit organization, has successfully developed two local improved stoves: the Damak model in Panama and the Mani model in Honduras. In both cases, anecdotal evidence of high rates of long-term adoption has been noted by SHI. Nonetheless, before this study, there has been no systematic evaluation of the efficiency of these two models in respect to 1) daily household wood consumption (kg); 2) particulate matter (PM2.5 ug/m3) concentration in the kitchen, and 3) carbon monoxide (CO ppm) concentration in the kitchen when compared to the traditional stoves used in rural households of both countries. The results presented herein were generated from a study using a random representative sample of 174 stoves and a portable Indoor Air Pollutant Meter manufactured by Aprovecho Research Center (ARC). An analysis of variance processed the data under the general and mixed model frameworks. The results showed that there was a statistically significant average decrease in wood consumption per day per stove for the improved models, as well as a statistically significant average decrease in personal exposure to particulate matter and carbon monoxide for the improved models when compared to those self-same measurements generated by traditional stoves.