Charcoal of logging wastes from sustainable forest management for industrial and domestic uses in the Brazilian Amazonia

Abstract

There is a gap in the literature regarding the quality and suitability of charcoals produced from the abundant logging wastes from sustainable forest management in the Brazilian Amazonia. Our study aimed to characterize and group charcoals produced from the wastes of 20 logged native species in an Amazonia Forest Management Area according to their physical, chemical, and energy properties. Moreover, we analyzed the carbonization mass balance and oil equivalent energy fraction of charcoal. We verified significant variations for charcoal bulk density (0.423–0.620 g cm−3), gravimetric yield in charcoal (34.4–45.5%) and in non-condensable gases (15.2–25.0%), ash content (0.5–9.6%), yield in fixed carbon (24.4–33.2%), energy density (12.3–18.4 GJ m−3), energy yield (53.8–70.9%), and retained carbon (54.1–71.0%). Our study revealed that the total extractives overcame the effect of lignin on the carbonization mass balance, yields, and charcoal quality from logging wastes. These biofuels present suitable equivalences with fossil fuels; however, their use must consider quality. Principal component analysis segregated charcoal into five groups with similar characteristics for carbonization in brick kilns to supply the local steel industry and domestic systems in the Amazonia.