INTERNATIONALTROPICALTIMBERORGANIZATION …...2.1.1.1 The history of the briquette industry in Ghana There was a single briquette plant in Ghana, Chaowus Ltd at Akim Oda. The plant

INTERNATIONALTROPICALTIMBERORGANIZATION(ITTO)

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EXECUTINGAGl!:NCY:

FINALTECHNICALREPORTN02:

FORESTRYRESEARCHINSTITUTEOF

GHANA(FORTG)

TITLEOFPRE-PROJECT: DEVELOPMENTOFENERGYALTERNATIVESFORTHEEFFICIENTUTILIZATION OF WOOD PROCESSINGRESIDUE: CO-GENERATIONAND

BRIQUETTEPRODUCTION.

SERIALNUMBER: ITTOPROJECTPP053/021Rev. I(I)

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COMMERCIAL OPTIONSFOREFFICIENT UTILIZATION OFWOOD RESIDUE.

PLACE OFISSIJE:

DATE OF IsSITE:

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KUMASl, GHANA

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FEBRUARY 2005

TABLEOFCONTENT

ABSTRACT. ....... .................. ........................................................................,. ,

I. INTRODUCTION. ................................................................................ I

2. MILL RESIDUEUTILIZATION2.1 . Woodfuel. ..................................................................................... I

2.1. I. Briquette. .............................................................................. 22.1.1.1. The history of the briquette industry in Ghana. ............................ 32.1.1.2. The attitude of fuel consumers to briquette. ................................ 32.1. 1.3. Current and potential local demand for briquette. ......................... 3

2.1.1.3. I. The bakery market. ..................................................... 42.1.1.3.2. Demand by the brick and tile industry. .............................. 42.1.1.3.3. Briquette asdomestic fuel. ............................................ 42.1.1.3.4. Potential demand. ....................................................... 5

2.1 .2. Fuelwood .............................................................................. 5

2.1 .3. Charcoal ............................................................................... 5

2.1.4. Policy considerations on woodfuel use in Ghana. ............................... 62.2 . Pulp and paper ................................................................................ 62.3. Suitable technologies. ....................................................................... 7

2.3. I. Wood-based panels. ................................................................. 72.3 .2. Sawnwood ............................................................................. 72.3.3. Wafer boards. ......................................................................... 7

2.3.4. Strand board. ....................................................................------82.3.5. Particle board. ........................................................................ 8

2.3.6. Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF).............................................. 82.3.7. Secondary processing. .............................................................. 8

2.4. Problems to be encountered in wood residue utilization. .............................. 9

3. SIZEOFMARKET3.1 . Introduction .............................--------.........~~~~~~~""""""""""""""" '

3.2. Market products ..................................................................------------93.2. I. Methodology. ......................,................................................. I O

3.2. 1.1. Location/site of data collection. ............................................. 10

3.2.1.2. Sample size for the communities. .......................................... I I3.2.1.3 . Analysis ...............................-----------..............""""""""' I I

3.2.1.3. I. Consumers'.............................................................. 11

3.2 .1.3 .2. Retailers .................................................................. I 23.2.1.3.3. Remarks. ................................................................. 12

3.2.1.4. Institutions. ..................................................................... 13

3.2.1.4. I. Statistical services department. ....................................... 133.2.1.4.2. Resource Management Support Centre ........................... 133.2.1.4.3. Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD)... Of FC. ..... 133.2 .1.4.4. Remarks .................................................................. I 4

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4. ENVIRONMENTALFACTORSAFFECTINGWOODRESIDUEGENERATIONANDUTILIZATION

144.1. Introduction. ..................

4.2. Methodology ................................................................................. I 54.2. I. Findings. .............................................................................. I 54.2.2. Suggestions to curtail the pollution problem. .................................... 16

5. SOCIALFACTORSINFLUENCINGTHEUTILIZATIONOF WOODRESIDUE5.1. Gender and health. ........................................................................... 175.2. Education/information. ..................................................................... 185.3. Location of the wood industries. ........................................................... 185.4. Income levels ................................................................................ I '

6. CONCLUSION. ................................................................................... I ,

7. RECO^, I^^IENDATIONS. ...................................................................... 19

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 2 I

Gn IX ...........................................-----.----------

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ABSTRACT

In Ghana, for every tree that is felled 50% of the tree volume is left in the forest in the fonn

of branch wood, crown wood and stumps. Of the wood transported to the processing mills to

be processed 12%, 20%, 17%, 21%, 23%, and 16% are generated in the forrn of sawdust,

off-cuts ,slabs and edgings, rotary veneer residues, deftsctive veneers and off-cuts from rotary

plywood production respectively . Some of the residues are used to produce flooring

parquet, packaging materials, laminated products, finger -jointed products and wood fuel.

Other potential uses include medium density, fibreboard, particleboard and briquettes. The

study has revealed that little is know aboutthe amount of residue generated by the mills and

how much can be used and has been used for various products. Currently, there is one

briquette factory in Ghana. The possibility of establishing another plant will depend on: i)

The attitude of the consuming public to the product. ii) The current and potential local

demand (market size) in)Increase raw material base for large scale production.

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Potential market or uses for briquette include:

. Brickand Tileproduction

. Commercial bakeries

. Domestickitchens

. Institutional kitchensand' chopbars'

. Small scale enterprise example: soap inariufa. cmring, palm oil processing, fish

smoking, local distilleries etc.

. Mineral oreprocessing

. Processing heat(woodprocessing)

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Firewood and charcoal are the sole woodfuels known and used by the communities.

Charcoal is however much more expensive and firewood is becoming increasingly

unavailable whilst piles of sawdust remain unutilized. Direct burning of sawdustis very

inconvenient and also requires specialsawduststoves. Briquettes however can be used with

the conventional firewood stoves and is relatively cleaner than firewood. The product

however is not known to the consuming public .The scope therefore exists for introducing

briquette as domestic fuel. Accessto this fuel made from otherwise waste material would

also help conserve the wood resources and contribute to environmental sanity.

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Therefore, to realize economic, political and social development all people need to have

access to affordable modem energy services and anthe services they can provide while at the

same time protecting the environment and providing security.

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COMMERCIAL OPTIONS FOR EFFICIENT UTILIZATIONOF

WOODRESIDIJE

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IINTRODUCTION

Ghana' s timber industry has the capacity to produce lumber, veneer, plywood,

particleboard and a wide variety of mouldings and profileboards (Playdell G, 1994). In the

process of producing these products a large amount of wood residue is generated in the fonn

of peeler core, bark veneer clippings, wood shavings, off-cuts, sawdust, slicerboard, slabs and

edgings. Some of these residues are currently used directly to produce flooring parquet,

broomsticks, packaging material, laminated products, finger. jointed products and woodfuel.

Other current uses include fencing, boiler fuel, poultry bed and furniture. The potential uses

of mill residues are the reconstituted wood products, such as wood cement board, oriented

strand board (OSB), fibreboard, flakeboard, medium density fibreboard (MDF) and

hardboard. Other potential uses include filler for glue, briquette, carving and charcoal .

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2 MILLERSmtIE UTILIZATION.

The commercial options available for using wood residues are discussed below.

2.1 Woodfuel

Woodfuelis one of the main products of the forest. Approximately 48.1% of the world's total

wood removals from the forest and outside the forest are used for energy purposes. The

developed countries use only 30 percent of wood produced for energy while the developing

countries consume 80 percent for the same purpose (Energy Commission, Ghana, 2002). In

1999 total world wood harvest was estimated as 3,591 million in , of which 48.1% was

classified as woodfuel(FAO). For most of the last decade, woodfuel accounted for more than

50% of the world wood harvest(Solberg, 1996). Only in the lasttwo years of the 20'' centuryhas woodfuel production fallen to less than 50% of the total harvest (FAO, 2002). Projection

of future woodfuel consumption in most models (FAO, 1995; Apsey and Reed, 1995) are

essentially based on a continuation of trends recorded in historical data estimated and

reported by FAO. However, the actual consumption may be considerably higher than that

reported by agencies such as FAO. Sharma at a1(1992) suggest higher consumption level

than the official figures, whiles Nilsson (1996) reports a number of different sources that

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suggest a significant portion of woodfuelconsumption may go unreported. The complexity of

the systems, actors, dynamics and relationships between forest and energy sectors, is outlined

in some detailed by Trossero et a1. , (1998).

For developing countries, woodfuels are a vitalIy important component of primary energy

supply (ECkholm et a1, 1984), principalIy for cooking and home space heating, and also

cottage industries.

Woodfuel exists in three main forms, namely, fuelwood, charcoal and briquette. In Ghana

gross national woodfuel consumption is estimated at 18 million tonnes per annum ( Energy

Coinmissiom 2002 ). Also the bulk of the energy supply is from firewood and charcoal.

Woodfuels account for about 71+I percent of total primary energy demand. 90% of the

woodfuel supply in Ghana is obtained directly from the natural forest while logging and

processing residues constitute 10 percent. In 2000, the annual production of wood in Ghana

was about 30 million tonnes of which 18 million tonnes were available and accessible for

woodfuel. If this trend of consumption continues, Ghana is likely to consume more than 25

million tonnes offuel wood by the year 2020 (Energy Commission, Ghana, 2002).I~ ~

In Ghana woodfuels (fuelwood and charcoal) accounted for about 66% of the country's total

annual energy consumption with imported petroleum and electricity making up the balance

for 20% and 14% respectively (Hagan B. E, 1988). Notwithstanding the significance of

woodfuels in the energy sector of Ghana, the information on the level and patterns of

woodfuels demand of households, which is the highest consumers of woodfuels is not up to

date. A reliable estimation of the future demand of woodfuels is crucial for the planning of

interventions which are geared towards the sustainability of the resource.

2.1. I Briquette

Briquette bum almost without smoke. It has a much higher calorific value of 22

megt!joules/kg (dry wood has only 20 megt^joules/ICg and that for charcoal is 25MJ/ICg)

(Nketiah, 1980). Briquettes are more compact and uniform than firewood, making it easier to

transport or store (Resh, 1982). It has lower moisture content and good burning

characteristics. It gives cleaner burning (less smoke and ash). It is therefore the preferred fuel

by bakers and brick and the tile factories (Nketiah, 1988).

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2.1.1.1 The history of the briquette industry in Ghana

There was a single briquette plant in Ghana, Chaowus Ltd at Akim Oda. The plant was in

production in 1985. The installed capacity of the Choawus briquette machine operating on 3

shifts was only 2052 tonnes. It produced about 1100 tonnes/year briquette. The totalsawdust

demand including the amount combusted to heat the sawdust was approximately 2800m

(solid wood equivalent) which was obtained at no charge from the Akim Oda area. This

quantity was about 60% of the sawdust processed in the area and only 3% of the nation-wide

sawdust production. The plant is no longer in operation due primarily to management and

financing problems. Currently there is no briquette plant in the country (Nketiah, 1980).

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The possibility of establishing another plant will depend on an assessment offactors such as:

I. The attitude of the consuming public to the product.

2. The current and potential local demand (market size).

3. Possible raw material base for large scale production and expansion of the industry.

i. - 2.1.1.2 The attitude offuel consumers to briquette

The introduction of briquette on the well established woodfuel market, as can be expected

was characterized by suspicion, lack of confidence and unfair comparison with fuelwood in

price and with charcoal in quality. A vigorous publicity campaign will therefore be necessary

initially (Cosgrove-Davies, 2002)

Briquette used to be popular among bakers and brick & tile factories in the AGCra-Terna

Metropolitan area. Reasons fortheir preference included the following:

I. They are clean and of appropriate size, needing no further splitting (unlike wood) to it

is easy to handle and use.

2. Compared with firewood, briquette has higher heat value.

3. It has a consistent and longer burning time without frequent stoking and attention.

4. Briquette gives outlittle or no smoke.

5. It produces good quality charcoal after burning.

2.1.1.3 Current and potential local demand for briquette

Interviews and discussions with bakeries, brick & tile factories and other small scale

industries using charcoal indicate that they are interested in briquette. Unfortunately the

product is not on the market. In the northern part of the country, most of the people are not

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familiar with the product. Hence there is a need to establish a pilot plant to demonstrate to the

people the usefulness of briquette.

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2.1.1.3. I The bakery Market.

The market among bakers wasjust a small part of a bigger market in the late 1980s. Out of

the 56 bakery zones in the AGCra-Terna area, only 15 were reached with briquette and even

then coverage within these zones was about 45%.

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2.1.1.3.2 Demand by the brick and tile industry.

It is estimated that one tonne of fuelwood is required for 1000 pieces of bricks, tiles and

roofing ridges. For an annual production of6 million pieces, (ie for medium roofing tiles) and

300,000 roofing ridges, 6000 tonnes fuelwood is required. With the respective average

calorific values of 3.4 kcaVkg and 7.8kcak/kg for fuelwood and briquette, this fuelwood

requirement will be equivalent of 2,615 metric tonnes (Nketiah at a1, 1988).

There are four such brick & tile factories with capacities of 2052 tonnes at Afienya, Ankaful,

GIHOC and Prampram factories. There are five others with about half this capacity. Thus

annual briquette requirement for only these factories will be 17000 tonnes. To satisfy the

demand of the brick and tile industry alone would require four (4) briquette factories with

similar capacity.

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2.1.1.3.3 Briquette as anomestic fuel

The use of briquette is possible in the household sector mainly as a substitute for fuelwood,

compared with which briquette has superior burning characteristics even though its flameless

combustion may be seen as disadvantageous.

Fuelwood as a household fuelis used mostly in the rural areas where most people obtain it

very cheaply, ifnot free. Moreover, the rural sector is the most conservative so that briquette

must be reasonably priced ifit is to replace fuelwood. Charcoal users may also be reluctant to

use briquettes due to its tendency to give smoke. With significant price advantage however

the switch from charcoal to briquette can happen.

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2.1.1.3.4 Potential demand

The potential demand for briquette from the bakers and brick manufacturers alone, located

only in the main urban areas, is estimated to be 45000 tonnes per year (Nketia, 1988)

Allowing for possible switch from fuel wood to briquette by fish smokers, 'chop bar' and

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institutional kitchens could raise the potential market for briquettes close to three quarter of a

million tonnes per year (Nketia ,1988)

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2.1.2 Fuelwood

This is the cheapest of the 3 and is used mostly in the rural and pen-urban areas.

It is bulky to transport over long distance which makes delivery cost very high. It is not very

convenient to use due to the smoke and sparks. It is used in homes of low income earners for

cooking. It is also used for commercial activities such as bakery and brick making etc. in the

urban and rural settings. Due to increasing supply distance (to the cities) and the concomitant

costs involved, wood processing residues, particularly log ends, bark and slabs offer

attractive commercial options for smallto medium scale infonnal commercial activities.

2.1.3 Charcoal

Carbonization or making of charcoal concentrates the carbon in wood. The basic process has

been carried out for hundreds of years and involves the slow burning of wood in low oxygen

environment. The process reduces the weight and volume and concentrates the energy into

easily transportable and storable fonn (Satoriaka, 1982).

Most charcoal is made from wood although there are other less abundant materials such as

coconut shell and bone which provide very important and valuable charcoals for specialized

use. Nonnally wood processing residues are converted to charcoal in the vicinity of the mills,

particularly those that are in the rural areas. Most of the charcoal producers use earth kiln.The residues that are used include offcuts, slabs, edgings, trimmings and decayed logs. Log

Grids are also used.

Charcoal is easy to transport over long distances and is the most popular of all domestic fuels.

It is used mostly for domestic purposes in the urban and wood deficit areas as well as in

boarding institutions, hospitals, restaurants and chop bars. In the urban areas, charcoal

consumption may exceed firewood consumption by nearly 10 to I on a gross energy-basis. Inthe small scale industrial sector, some charcoal is also used in forges by blacksmiths, gold-

and silversmiths and fortraditional casting of aluminium pots.

The consumption of charcoal is projected to grow at a fastrate of6% per annum compared to

all other sources of energy as a result of increased urbanization with the attendant shift from

fuelwood to charcoal.

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Portable kilns can handle millresidues well and to a less extent bark. Sawmillresidues often

contain a high proportion of bark, but apart from giving rise to a slightly more dusty and

friable productthe quality is generally suitable for non-specialised use.

Sawdust is not suitable for carbonizing in the nonnaltypes of kiln or retort but can be

carbonized satisfactorily in a Herreschofffumace (Earl, 1974)

2.1.4 Policy considerations on woodf"elmse in Ghana

To address the high and growing demand for woodfuels the Government (Ministry of

Energy) is examining the following policy considerations ( Energy Coinmissiom Ghana,

2002)

I. Support for the forestry sector to ensure sustainable management of the country's

natural forests and woodlands;

2. Ensure the design and implementation of a regulatory framework for commercial

transportation and marketing of woodfiiel.

3. Regulate charcoal exports to ensure that only charcoal from wood waste and planted

forest are exported.

4. Establish the needed institutional framework to enhance and co-ordinate woodfuel

related activities as an integral part of national energy development.

5. Promote improved technologies and higher levels of efficiency in the production ofcharcoal and use of woodfuels.

6. Support the development, promotion and introduction of alternative fuels for thesubstitution of woodfuels.

This pre-project is a response to issues 5 and 6 and to some extent issue number 3. The

findings so far reveal very interesting possibilities.

2.2 Pulpandpaper

In Ghana pulp and paper mills are non-existent. There are some conversion factories though.

The use of wood residue to produce fibre however, can not be undertaken immediately

because of the huge initial capital required.

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2.3 Suitable Technologies

Some suitable current and potential technologies that could be promoted for processing

wood residues include: sawnwood, wafer boards, strand board, particleboard, medium

density fibreboard (MDF) and secondary processing. So far only the reprocessing of bigger

residues like peeler cores and slicer planks into lumber for furniture is done to any

appreciable degree. There is still a huge scope in reprocessing for wood-based panel

production.

2.3. I Wood-based panels

Wood based panels consist of wood particles of various sizes, geometry and orientationcombined with resin or other binders.

Particles may vary from complete sheets of veneer, through relatively large wafers, small

flakes or other wood particles - shavings, sawdust, etc. and strands of fibrous woody

material, down to individual wood fibres as produced from paper pulp. Except in the case of

plywood and veneers, the quality of raw material that is used is unsuited for sawnwood to be

utilized including lower quality wood species, branches, roots and millresidues.

2.3.2 Sawnwood

Defective logs are sawn primarily forthe local markets. Such logs when sawn, generate large

volumes of residue. Such residues are normally converted to charcoal for domestic use.

2.3.3 Wafer board

Wafers are typically large flakes e. g. loomm x 30mm x Imm or 0.5mm, may be tapered to

reduce voids and may be cut from lower cost materials, such as lower density species.

Strength properties are superior to particle board. Stability under moisture change is inferior

to that of plywood but superiorto particle board.

The wafer board is a completely new product on the Ghanaian market. It is imperative to

study the end-use of waferboard and then introduce it to the Ghanaian timber merchants.

However, it will require extensive advertising to show the people the uses of waferboard. It is

importantto study the market strategy to be adopted forthis technology. Detailed investment

cost ought to be known.

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2.3.4 Strandboard

Strand boards have similar potential applications to waferboards. The technology is not well

developed and accepted in the developed world. Ghana should not at the moment getinvolved.

2.3.5 Particleboard

A wide range of particles, chips, flakes, shavings, sawdust and various combinations of these

are used. Boards are generally for interior use and have properties inferior to plywood,waferboard and strand board. Since sawdust, shavings, flakes are abundant, this technology

should be explored. Siting of the industry should be near to an area where raw material will

not be a problem. Thus, Kumasi where most of the plymills and sawmills are located will be

an ideal place for locating such a mill. With sufficient promotion the people may adopt the

products of the technology.

Structural grades using waterproof resins (e. g. FF) have been introduced for flooring andsimilar uses. There are whole range of(interior) uses.

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2.3.6 Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF)

Composed of fibres bonded with resin, these boards have relatively high strength and goodmachining properties which make them particularly suitable forthe industry.

A wide range of fibres may be used including wood fibres and various vegetable fibres aswell as agricultural wastes. The technology is similar to but more sophisticated than that ofparticle board manufacture; the availability of cheap raw materials may increase theirsuitability for production in Ghana and other developing countries. It should target the localmarket and the subregional markets.

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2.3.7 Secondary processing

Some rejects of primary processing can be reprocessed into housing components such aswindow frames, door jambs, panels, furniture parts and other wood products. These

conversions may involve both high and low technology processes.

The lack of standardizations of housing dimensions and components makes large scale export

based production difficult and most of the products are designed to meetlocalneeds.Residues for such products must be kiln-dried, and in some cases preservative treatment is

also required for external use although many timber species have natural resistance tobiological degradation and attack.

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2.4 Problems to be encountered in wood residue utilization

Residue is not utilized in the production of products like particleboard, medium density

fibreboard, etc. because of the following problems:-

. Lack of development of domestic and regional markets

. Lack of capital for high technology processing plants

. Lack of information on appropriate plants for the resources, their planning, design,

location and integration leading to purchase of inappropriate, obsolete and poorly

located and unintegrated plants

. Lack of management and maintenance skills, made worse by urban drift in the caseof remote locations

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. Lack of standardization of productrequirements for housing

. Lack of training and knowledge of design and construction of house using timber

products

. Lack of information and techniques on preservation and protection of the timber forthese uses.

3 SIZEOFlvlARKET

3.1 Introduction:

Marketing might be defined as the process of planning and managing sales in order to marry

supply and demand to the best advantage of the manufacturing enterprise.Markets exit only where there is a demand forthe product concerned, and demand depends

upon the opportunity available for utilizing the available product. Markets can be created byadequate knowledge of the utilization possibilities of the production concerned accompaniedby promotion.

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3.2 Marketing products

The products which need to be marketed include:-Charcoal(i)

(ii) Briquette

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(iii)

(iv)

(v)

(vi)

Particle board

Medium density fibreboard

Secondary products

Waferboards

For these products to succeed in gaining the maximum benefit from the market, it is

necessary for the potential consumer to be aware that the products are available in sufficient

quantities at a guaranteed quality and at a reasonable and stable price.Since wood residue is being considered, the emphasis should not only be on processing

residue but also forest residue.

Of on at a1(1993) in ITTO Project 74190 established that for every tree that is felled in Ghana,

50% of the tree volume is left in the forest in the fomi of branchwood, crown wood and

stumps. These logging residues can however be utilized into sawn products to increase thetotal volume of the tree that is obtained per unit area of forest. Thus a lot of residue will be

sawn into lumber, which the community can access to satisfy their wood supply for uses like

housing and furniture. Sawdust will also be converted into briquettes.

3.2. I Methodology for the productswhich need to be marketted

For data collection, inforrnal discussions and structured questionnaires were used to gather

inforrnation from consumers of the products. This survey was concentrated on the

consumption as a first stage forthe products' data assessment. The supply or production datawill be collected in the near future. In carrying this out, the following steps were adopted:-

(i) Review of background material and published infonnation on the products data

(ii) Selectlocations fordatacollection

(in) Determinethe samplesize

(iv) Collate alldata gathered, analyse and presentreport.

(v) Fielddata collection

3.2.1.1 Location Isite of Data collection

Three communities were selected in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The Communities were

selected based on the standard of living of the residents. The communities were:

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. Ahodwo a suburb ofKumasiDistrictwhere most of the rich people reside.

. Ayigya, a mixed community where lower and middle income earnerslive

. Kwamo ITikrom a rural community in the Ejisu Iuaben District.

. Institutions

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3.2.1.2 Sample Sizes for the communities

In all hundred and twenty households of consumers were considered. The distribution was as

follows;

Location/ site

Ahodwo

Ayigya

Kwamo/Tikrom

In addition 25 charcoal retailers were also interviewed.

Household

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40

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3.2.1.3 Analysis:-

Tablel: Percentage of respondents to questionnaire in 3 communities using charcoal,

gas and firewood.

3.2.1.3. I

community

consumers

Ahodwo

Using gas

with

charcoal as

supplement

Ayigya

Tikrom/kwamo

Using gas

only

85

Percentage of respondents

7

Using

charcoal

only

10

Using

charcoal with

firewood as

supplement

5

85

91

Using charcoal

with gas as

supplement

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5

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3.2.1.3.2 Retailers

In alltwenty five (25) charcoal sellers were interviewed.

Ayigya and Kwamo/Tikrom had the highest number of sellers of 10 each while Ahodwo had5 sellers. The sellers were mainly women.

3.2.1.3.3 Remarks

The price of a maxi bag of charcoal was relatively high depending on the people of the

community. Ahodwo, where there was low patronage of charcoal showed the highest price

for a maxi bag of charcoal, which was around 30,000.00-34,000.00 ($3.32-4.00).

Ayigya showed the next highest price of a maxi bag of charcoal, which was 28,000.00-

30,000 ($3.00- 3-32).

For Kwamo/Tikrom showed the lowest price of the maxi bag of charcoal, which was

24,000.00-28,000.00 ($2.56-3.00).

Charcoal prices vary greatly from one urban centre to another depending on the supplydistance, demand situation and the general cost of living.

In allthe communities it was reported that supply of charcoal was adequate and regular.

Table2: Price of maxi bag of charcoal in three communities studied (2004 )

Community

Ahodwo

Ayigya

Tikrom/Kwamo

Weight of maxibag of charcoal varies from (49-54)kg

The transport cost incurred on a bag of charcoal ranges from 1,000.00 - 5,000.00 ($ 0,125 -0,625) depending on the source of supply.

Cost price of maxibag of charcoal

Cadis (^)

30,000-34,000

28,000-30,000

24,000-28,000

Us Dollar($)

3.32-4.00

3.00-3.32

2.56-3.00

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The profit made by the sellers on a maxibag of charcoal ranges from 5,000.00 - 10,000.00

($ 0,625 - 1.25).

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Allthe people interviewed, had no knowledge of the other commercial options, such as:

. Waferboard

. Particleboard

. Mediumdensityfireboard

. Briquette

There appears to be complete lack of knowledge of briquette in anthe 3 localities. Butthey

all showed a high interest in the use of briquette on trial basis (availability, cost,

environmental friendliness).

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3.2.1.4 Institutions

The following institutions were interviewed

I. Statistical ServiceDepartment

2. Resources Management Support Centre (RMSC), Forestry Commission

3. Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), Forestry Commission

3.2.1.4. I Statistical Services Department:

Available records indicated there was no statistics on the importation of the products

mentioned previously. Similarly there was no statistics on update of charcoal consumption in

Ghana.

Resource Management Support Centre3.2.1.4.2

Here too, there were no available records on the importation of the commercial product

mentioned previously.

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Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD)3.2.1.4.3

The TIDD when contacted stated that, it has some records with respect to export of wood

products from the country but has no infonnation in connection with the importation of the

selected products.

It was further indicated that infomiation on export of solid wood materials such as

mouldings, parquet/floorings, profile boards and broomsticks is available and could be

accessed ifnecessary..I

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3.2.1.4.4 Remarks

On the whole, in Ghana there appears to be a problem with infonmation availability and

update.

4 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTmGWOOD RESIDUE GENERATION

AuntlTILIZATION

4.1 Introduction

Wood residue includes sawdust, shavings, trimings, slabs and edgings and bark that remain

after raw logs are harvested and processed into lumber, plywood and veneer. Wood residue

production varies with the harvest and is about 50% of the volume of logs cut. The residue

can also be used to produce energy and other products. (Crisp, 1999; Ministry of Water, Land

and Air Protection, Skeena Region). The environmental aspects of wood energy use are

diverse. They range from local land use to global climate change and from application in

smoky kitchens to electricity generation in large-scale power. Cutting wood for fuelwood and

charcoal has often been cited as a manor cause of deforestation. This idea was largely based

on the ''fuelwood gap theory" formulated in the seventies, that assumed that all woodfuels

came from forest resources and that woodfuelconsumption would increase at the same rate as

population. It ignored the substantial supply of wood from non-forest areas and responses of

woodfuels users to scarcities, such as fuel switching, changing cooking habits and developing

alternative supply sources(FAO-RWEDP).

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Now it is widely accepted that the me!jor cause of deforestation is the conversion of forest

land into agricultural land and urban areas, due to the increasing population and increasingdemand for food.

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Wood emits CO2 while burning or decomposing naturally, but trees absorb carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Natural decomposition also emits methane,

which does not occur when the wood is burned completely, so from an environmental point

of view burning wood residues from logging and processing is beneficial. In addition,

woodfueldoes not emit So2, unlike coaland oil(Overend, 1985), FAO-RWEDP, 2003.

Therefore, wood energy can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to energy

use, by replacing fossil fuels. Forthis reason, modern wood energy applications are becoming

more and more competitive with conventional applications. Other benefits of modem wood

energy are employment generation, saving on foreign eXchange due to reduced oilimport,

and the upgrading of barren and deforested areas by energy plantations.

Most woodfuels are used by households which mostly use traditional stoves. These stoves

have low efficiencies and often burn wood incompletely, leading to the emission of pollutants

such as carbon monoxide, methane and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants can have serious

health impacts and they also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. This doesn't mean that

wood is a dirty fuel and should be replaced but that traditional technologies are inadequate

and need improvements. In addition to focusing on fuel conservation, improved cookstove

programmes should also focus on aspects of health and convenience for users,

4.2 Methodology

The methodologies used included interviews from production managers of some selected

sawmills, Government officials concerned with environmental matters and desk studies

which included literature search of previous studies.

4.2. I Findings

Wood residue as Pollutants:

. Processing mills generate large quantities of wood residues which are nomially burnt

in the open airreleasing clouds of smoke into the atmosphere.

15

. When the residues are not burnt they are left at the mercy of the weather within the

environs of the mills. These undergo decay, producing bad smell within the

environment of the mills.

. Residues from mills and wood working centre close to streams are sometimes dumped

into the streams

. Residues are also used in landfill sites causing pollution of the environment

particularly during the rainy season.

. Heaps of sawdust are found in the vicinity of sawmills. Whenever there is a strong

wind, the fine particles of wood are blown into the atmosphere affecting substantially

the quality of air in the environment.

. Incineration or boilers also pollute the environment with ash, and smoke

4.2.2 Suggestions to curtailthe pollution problem.

. The project has identified that utilization of sawdust, shavings etc. to generate

electricity, will help reduce the pollution due to accumulation of the residue. Also, it

is necessary to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in the areas of charcoal, briquette

and particle board production.

. There is the need for the ministry of Environment and Science to come out with

regulation to protect human health from the effects of boilers or incinerator smoke.

. Landfills is not an acceptable alternative to incineration because landfills produced

16achates that harm aquatic systems

. The Government should help producers of wood residue to develop new facilities to

generate energy from wood.

. The feasibility of generating electricity from wood residue depends on the price of

wood residue, the costs and benefits of energy production and the existing

environmental and energy policies.

. There is also the need to maximize the pollution - prevention capacity of boiler

operations

. There must be a capacity to divert wood residue to allow the boiler to shutdown for up

to five consecutive normal production days for air-quality management purposes in

response to air quality conditions.

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. Mills must be encouraged to separate the various wood residue types as much as is

practical. This is to facilitate better utilization of wood in value-added applications. There must be the desire to see wood residue put to value- added use, particularly

cogeneration.

. There is a need for stricter environmental regulation to create a marketin which wood

residue will be positively priced. This is so because there is a substantial surplus of

wood residue and current disposal methods are cheap.

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5 SOCIAL FACTORS INFLl. I^NCmG Tan UTILIZATION OF THE WOOD

RESIDUE

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5.1 Gender and Health

Such social aspects as gender and health are strongly related to the utilization of wood

residue especially with the traditional use of fuelwood and charcoal in the rural areas of

developing countries.

The collection of fuelwood, charcoal and other wood products for household consumption

usually is a task for women and children, and since the sawmills are most often located far

from the people, collection of the residue becomes a burden for the women and that theyresort to the use of most easily obtained fuel.

The direct burning of sawdust and other wood residues as fuel in poor-quality cooking stoves

can result in incomplete combustion emitting pollutants such as carbon monoxide, methane

and particulates in the Kitchen.

Since women are responsible for cooking and for that matter spending many hours in the

kitchen they are more exposed to these pollutantsthen men.

In addition, the daily hauling of the wood residue imposes a huge physical strain on the

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women.

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5.2 Education 11nformatiom

Saw millers and the public in general do not have fair knowledge about the wood they

process and the residues generated in the cause of the production. Little is known abouttheamount of residue generated by the mills and how much can be used and has been used for

various products.

In the wood industries, since their aim is to produce lumber for export antheir emphasis is

solely on the production of the lumber. But apart from the production of the lumber the

residue so generated can be used in the production of other things like particle board.

It can also be used in the generation of energy which is done in the form of steam, which can

be used by the mills for some of their energy needs.

Therefore the wood industries and the general public need to be educated on the use of some

of these residues and their products.

^--

5.3 Location of the Wood Industries

The wood industries are scattered and most far removed from residential areas. This makes

the use of the residue generated unattractive, since one has to walk long distances before

they getto the mills. Sometimes they use vehicles which make it more expensive even thoughthe residue itselfis for free.

Due to the scattered nature of the mills or industries people are not even aware of the type of

residue generated and the operations of the industries.

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5.4 Income Level

In most developing countries, like Ghana, the usage of wood residue for products like

charcoal, sawdust stove and the others are associated with people of low income.

Therefore as the income levels of the people increase the utilization of the residue for energy

decreases.

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6 CONCLUSION

Wood energy has the potential to supply a significant proportion of the energy needs of

Ghana and other developing countries. The energy from wood would be in the form of

woodfuel, that is, charcoal, briquette and fuelwood. Small scale enterprises should be

encouraged to accept briquette as a source of energy fortheir operations because it gives off

little or no smoke and provides low energy cost. The people should be encouraged to use

briquette and charcoal instead of fuelwood which is nounally harvested without concern for

sustainable forest management. Since charcoal consumption is growing in both urban and

rural areas, it is necessary to adopt an efficient production technique for its manufacture. It is

therefore important for the government to put in place suitable policy to favour the

production and efficient utilization of charcoal and briquette.

Processing mills should be encouraged to adopt new technologies for conversion of wood

residue into other useful products such as flooring parquet, flooring strips, triangular

mouldings, particle board, medium density fibreboard and briquette. They should be

encouraged to adopt cogeneration which is a simultaneous production of heat and electricity

from a primary source to wood residues.

Efficient stoves to convert woodfuels to energy for domestic use should be developed to

reduce the pollution caused by incomplete combustion and its resultant health problems to

women and children who normally handle these in kitchen.

There is a need for stricter environmental regulation to create a market in which wood residue

will be positively priced. This is so because there is a substantial surplus of wood residue and

current disposal methods are cheap.

Proper use of wood residue will create employment forthe rural and pen-urban dwellers.

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7 RECOMMENDATION

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Suggested areas where further work could usefulIy focus include:. Studies to assess the social, economic and environmental implications of traditional

uses of woodfuels.

. Studies to assess the use of wood fuels in the smallscale enterprise and other large

scale industrial/ commercial uses.

. Assessment of the impact of charcoal production and fuel wood utilization on the

forest.

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.. Pilot studies in relation to briquette production and use to :

o Assess marketacceptance and develop the market

o Assess marketing and distribution issues

o Carry out financial and economic analysis

o To determineprofitability

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8 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

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Crisp Andrew. 1999( wood residue as an energy source forthe forest products industry

ANU Forestry . 1999. thttp: 11sres. anu. edu. au/ associated Ifpt/ nwfp Iwoodres/

woodres. him1.1

I.

Cosgrove -Davies Mac: Understanding Briquetting . Volunteers in Technical Assistance

(VITA). Technical paper No. 31 1985 @ imp: lidh. vita. org/ pubs/docs Iurbrool. html

Earl. D. E "Charcoal-An Andr6 Mayer Fellowship Report" FAO, Rome ,1974.

Energy Commission-Renewable EnergyDivision "Wood Fueluse in Ghana: An outlook forthe future" Ministry, ACcra , Ghana 2002

FAO:

FAO:

Economic Analysis of Wood Energy systems, Rome , 61P , 2002.

Data Base @ WWW. fao. org.

Wood Energy andEnvironment; RWEDP Home Publications

Newsletters, wood energy issues @ http://WWW. Rwedp. org/i-

environment. html.

FAO-RWEDP:

Geoffrey PIGydell:

HaganBenE:

The Tropical Timbers Of Ghana ;Timber ExportDevelopmentBoard,Takoradi, Ghana 1994.

Nketia K. S , Hagan E. B and Addo S. T:

Forecasting Wood fuels Demand in Ghana the process model

approach, BERl, KumasiGhana 1988.

Nketia K. S: Feasibility Report on the production, marketing and use of sawdust

Briquette. FomG . Kumasi, Ghana 1980.

The Charcoal cycle in Ghana - a baseline study .

U. N. D. PINationalEnergy Board . Ghana. 1988

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Overend R:

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Solberg B. (ed):

Biomass gasification :the enabling technology . Renewable Energy

I.

world . James & James . 2000 @ http://WWW. 'x'. coin/msand'/rew/2000-051biomass- asification. html

Ministry Of Water, Land andAirProtection , SkeenaRegion: Airquality-particulate

matter. http://WWW. ov. bc. calske/sekeanr/ in-case. html.

Long Trends and Prospects for wood and implications for sustainable

Forest Management, European Forest Institute Research , Report 6,

Joensuu, Finland , 1996, 150p.

,-

FAO:

World Forest inShanna .N, Rowe. R , OpenshawankK . andJacobson . N :

Perspective .In N. Sharma [Ed] Managing The World's Forests.

Keridal Hunt Publishing , Dubuque , lowa , pp 17-31, 1992 .

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Forest statistics Today for Tommorow , 1945-1993; 2010 Rome, 1995.

Apsey. MandREED. L:

Nilsson . S. :

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World Timber Resources outlook, current perceptions: a

discussion paper Council of Forest Industries , Vancouver, BC.

Canada . 206p 1995

Trossero M. A, Hota-Nogueira L. A, EtheringtonT . I: Wood Energy Situation and

Trends . A Paper prepared forthe World Energy Council'sstudy on

Energy in Developing Countries, Forest Department, FAO, Rome

,Italy , 30p ,1988.

Do we have enough forest? International Institute for Applied

systems Analysis .Laxenburg , Austria ,71p ,1996.

Fuelwood the energyECkholm .E. , Foley. G ., Barnard .G. and Timberlake L:

crisisthat won't go away. Earthscan, London. 107p 1984.

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Of on. I, Of OSU Asiedu .A. and AdamsA. R. : Better Utilization of Tropical Timber

and Resources in order to improve sustainability and reduce negative

ecological inputs . Trio Project PD 74190 Forestry Research

Institute of Ghana ( FORIG) and Federal Centre of Forestry and Forest

Products in Hamburg, Gennany , 1993.

Resch, D. 0 :

r~ Satoriaka S:

Densified Wood and Bark Fuels, In : Smith, R. W. (ed) Energy from

Forest Biomass, XVll IUFRO World Congress Energy Group

Proceedings . Academic Press. New York PP 109 -128 , 1982.

Carbonization and Gasification of Wood , In: Smith , R. W (ed)

Energy from Forest Biomass, XVlllUFRO World Congress Energy

Group Proceedings , Academic Press , New York , ( p 155-170).

23

Project Technical and Scientific staffs:

Project Coordinator :

DrDanielSekyere, FORIG, Box 63 ,KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

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Email:dsek ere fori. or

Dr. P. Y. Okyere:

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi,Ghana.

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Dr. N. A. Darkwah .

Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, KNUST , Kumasi, Ghana.

Mr. K. S. Nketiah

Up 982, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.

Email: ksnketiah ahoo. coin

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APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAER. E

Whattype of wood residue do you dealin?

(a) Charcoal(b) Briquette(c) Others

What quantity of the product are you able to sell daily/weekly

(a) Below 5 bags/pieces/board(by 5 - 10(c) Above 10

Howmuch do you buy abag of charcoal/briquette

(a) Below ^30,000(by ^30,000(c) Above ^30,000

How much transport cost do you incur on abag?

(a) ^2,000(b) ^2,000 - 5,000(c) Above ^5,000

Where do you getyoursupply from?

(a) Charcoal burners(b) Wholes6116rs(c) Others

How much profit are you able to make on each bag:

(a) Below ^5,000(by ^5,000 - ^10,000(c) Above ^10,000

Do you know of any other wood residue apart from charcoal?

(a) Waferboard(b) Particle density(c) Medium density(d) Briquette

Ifyes - what are its uses?

How often do you getyoursupply?

I.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6

7.

8.

9.

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(a) Daily(by Weekly(c) Monthly

How do you envisagethe patronage of other woodresidues interms of demand

(a) High(by Low(c) Average

10.

11. Give reasons for your choice.

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