Publication: Energy Characteristics of Five Indigenous Tree Species at Kitulangalo Forest Reserve in Morogoro, Tanzania
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2014-11-29
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH
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Abstract
This study presents the investigation of material composition and energy characteristics of B. spiciformis, B. boehmii, C. molle, P. maprouneifolia, and S. birrea indigenous tree species at kitulangalo forest reserve in Tanzania. Energy content of each species mostly depends on its chemical content (C, H and O) and it is reduced by inorganic elements and moisture. Biomass chemical composition was done by proximate and ultimate analyses. Regarding the elemental composition, P. maprouneifolia and C. molle had high energy content of 18.62 and 18.30 MJ/Kg, respectively because of their higher H:C ratio and relatively low O:C ratio. Carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen were found to be highest in P. maprouneifolia with 46.71, 41.96, and 5.7%, respectively. In contrast, P. maprouneifolia had the lowest N:C ratio of 0.014, implying good efficiency for nitrogen use to fix carbon. On the other hand, ash, moisture, and volatiles were highest at 4, 55, and 85% for S. birrea, B. spiciformis, and S. birrea, correspondingly. The ratio of macronutrients to carbon for each species was also calculated. Results show that all species have high demand for nitrogen followed by potassium and calcium, in that order. Finally, heating values have been shown to decrease with increasing moisture content. These experimental results were used for ranking these biomass materials for energy generation. They also furnish vital biomass information for equipments and process designers.
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Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology