Energetic potential of Eucalyptus sp. wood cultivated in the Plaster’s Pole of Araripe, PE, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the wood energetically and evaluate the quality of the charcoal produced from different Eucalyptus sp. clones, identifying the most suitable. The basic density of wood and was determined, then, the proximate chemical analysis and the calorific value were determined from charcoal. The annual energy production was estimated by the relationship between the wood production of these Eucalyptus clones and the information obtained in the previous steps. The experiment was conducted following a completely randomized design. The data were submitted to the homogeneity test of Cochran’s variances when they presented significant differences, the means were compared by Tukey (p = 5%). The properties of wood and charcoal were correlated by Pearson’s correlation analysis (p = 0.05). According to the results, the genetic material didn’t influence the chemical composition of charcoal, however, the clones of the E. urophylla × E. terticornis hybrids - C101 and E. urophylla - C39 showed better results concerning the basic density of the wood. In addition, the C101 hybrid showed the greatest wood production, as well as the mass of charcoal to be produced. Due to these characteristics, this hybrid presented a greater potential for annual energy production.