QUANTIFICATION AND MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ACCUMULATED RESIDUES AS A BIOFUEL IN MOIST TEMPERATE FORESTS OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Energy security had become a serious global concern after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Russian-Ukraine war has further aggravated this issue by disturbing fuel supplies all over the world. This has created the scarcity of fuels leading to a drastic price hike in the international markets resulting in a critical setback to the economies of the developing countries. Under the current scenario, identification and development of alternate and renewable energy resources are exceedingly essential. Biomass is an important renewable energy resource that is also environmentally friendly. In the present study, material characterization of accumulated residues as a biofuel was conducted in the moist temperate forests of Pakistan. The residues associated with tree species i.e., Abies pindrow (Fir), Cedrus deodara (Deodar) and Pinus wallichiana (Blue Pine) were investigated. The collected residue samples were subjected to proximate, ultimate, and physical analyses according to conventional protocols. These include estimation of calorific value, ash content, volatile matter, carbon and sulfur content, and bulk density. Among three types of forest residues (species), blue pine showed the highest and deodar showed the lowest calorific value. Ash content was highest in the fir residue samples. The residue of the investigated species showed comparatively lower carbon content than that of typical fossil fuels. High volatile matter was observed in the residue of deodar species. It is worth mentioning that sulfur content was not detected in any of the samples analyzed. The absence of sulfur in forest residues hinders production of sulfur oxides (SOx) during burning and ultimately making them environment-friendly fuel. Annual residue accumulation was highest for fir species and lowest for blue pine species.