Avaliação das propriedades energéticas da madeira e do carvão vegetal da espécie invasora (prosopis juliflora)

Abstract

Prosopis juliflora is an introduced invasive species, easy to adapt in semi-arid regions and has a very high regeneration density in relation to native species, which makes it easy to propagate. This study aims to evaluate the energetic properties of wood and charcoal of the species P. juliflora, from the Chókwè district in Gaza province in order to promote the use of the species for energy purposes and thus controlling its propagation. Six thick discs with 6 cm thickness were removed at 0,30 and 1,30 m from 5 trees of the species and transformed into wedges, two of which were used to determine the basic density and ash content of the wood and the remaining two converted into 2x2x2 cm cubes for carbonization and proximate analysis of charcoal. The results indicate that the basic density of P. juliflora at bottom and at the diameter at breast height were 0,7368 and 0,6929 g/cm3 respectively and the ash content was 0,66 and 0,57 % for the same positions respectively. The charcoal yield was 43,32% at bottom diameter and 42,73 at the diameter at breast height. In the proximate analysis of charcoal, the volatile matter content was 23,70 and 24,43%, the ash content was 2,18 and 2,20%, and the fixed carbon was 74,12 and 73,37%. For the positions bottom and diameter at breast height position. For all evaluated parameters, no statistically significant differences were found between the evaluated positions. The study concluded that Prosopis juliflora from Chókwè has a good quality for energy