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The Evaluate The Concentration Of Particulate Matter And Gaseous Pollutants Present Within A 2km Radius Of The Charcoal Production Facility
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1.5.2 CHARCOAL AT A GLANCE
Charcoal is produced in slow pyrolysis carbonisation process. The
charcoal yield being dependent on such process parameters as the final
temperature, the biomass particle size, the heating rate and the
reaction atmosphere (Elyounssi et al., 2012). Charcoal contain a large
number of pollutants and known health hazards: particulate matter (PM),
carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxides (mainly from
coal), formaldehyde, and polycyclic organic matter, including
carcinogens such as benzo[a]pyrene and benzene (5-8). Exposure to indoor
air pollution from the combustion of solid fuels has been implicated,
with varying degrees of evidence, as a causal agent of several diseases
in developing countries, including acute respiratory infection (ARI) and
otitis media (middle ear infection), chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), lung cancer (for coal smoke), asthma, nasopharyngeal and
laryngeal cancer, tuberculosis.
In amukpe sapele, charcoal
is traditionally made in small, simple batch-type kilns where the
parameter management and control is very limited. The charcoal
production feed can be a wide range of materials. Different types of
biomass feed lead to the production of different charcoal grades – basic
grade biochar, premium grade biochar and charcoal. The used biomass can
be starting from biodegradable waste from local waste collection
services to hardwood (Schmidt et al., 2012). The use of biodegradable
waste for production of valuable materials and energy is highly
recommendable in order to reach the EU targets for minimization of the
share of landfilled biodegradable waste as well as to avoid resource
scarcity (Pubule et al., 2014). In the early 1940’s the most successful
charcoal production technologies were developed - the Lambiotte and
SIFIC process. This is a continuous carbonization process where the
retort is filled continuously with wood from the top, while downstream
simultaneously carbonisation takes place. The cooled charcoal is removed
from the bottom. The process is energy autonomous gaining the necessary
heat from burning gases attained from pyrolysis. The gases go through a
condenser and afterwards are blown in the bottom of the retort where it
cools the fresh charcoal while preheating the gases (Vertes et al.,
2010). This technology has much higher process control and it offers the
possibility of producing charcoal more efficiently and with higher
increased yields then the traditional batch methods. This leads to the
conclusion that with an increased interest of charcoal production this
kind of technologies have to be evaluated form the environmental
performance aspects.
The drying of the firewood is crucial
for proper functioning of the retort torch, where the excess pyrolysis
gases are burnt before emitting to the atmosphere.
The fresh
wood is received with around 55% moisture content, while the
technological process requires the moisture content of the input fuel to
be below 25%. The drying takes place in four chamber dryers heated
with wood-fuelled water boilers. The retort is operated under
experimental conditions in order to carry out the relevant measurements
that describe the production facilities’ environmental performance
regarding the emissions. The discovered results can be used to evaluate
whether there is place for charcoal production in an economically
developed country where the environmental performance is of high
importance, and it is strictly regulated.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Air quality continues to be among the top environmental concerns in Nigeria. In nigeria, where majority of the rural population uses charcoal, very little is known about the impacts of the life-cycle of the fuel on the livelihoods of the producers, who endure significant health, safety, and environmental risks for marginal gain in a highly lucrative industry. Population increases and deviations from the energy ladder model suggest that charcoal demand for heating and cooking in Sub-Saharan A ... Continue reading---
