EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THREE COMMON TREE SPECIES IN GHANA

Biomass, in the form of firewood and charcoal, continue to dominate energy supply sources in Ghana. Global energy demand projections, and indeed projections in Ghana, have shown that biomass will continue to serve as a principal energy source to many developing countries for the foreseeable future. While several woody crop species may hold potential as sources for firewood and charcoal production, there is limited data on these woody crops in Ghana. This study therefore analysed the energy characteristics and other properties of wood and charcoals produced from three wood species grown in Ghana: Neem (Senna siamea), Cassia (Azadirachta indica), and Teak (Tectona grandis), which have been identified as potential woody biomass species by the Forestry Commission of Ghana. The calorific value, ranged from 4.62 to 4.82 kCal/g for woods and 7.20 to 7.38 kCal/g for charcoals of the three species, with no significant difference. Other properties determined were volatile matter content, fixed carbon content, ash content, and the presence of other elements such as sulphur, nitrogen and oxygen. Overall, the analysis presented in this study, coupled with their fast-growth nature, has shown that woods and charcoals of Neem, Teak and Cassia are good potential woody biomass feedstock.