There is evidence that bamboo charcoal burns cleaner than wood charcoal and with comparable heating and energy values. Charcoal production is another way for families to diversify their livelihoods and earn some additional income, and the relatively limited investments required for the simple charcoal-making process make it an income source that is accessible to many.
Renewables
NEWS: Fuel briquettes from groundnut shells
(Via HEDON) “In Gambia, Anthony Tabbal has established a business making fuel briquettes from groundnut shells. He was inspired to do this by his concern over deforestation in the country, with many trees being felled for firewood and charcoal making.”
NEWS: Clean cookstoves & better charcoal kilns: the new tools in the fight against Climate Change
A growing desire to explore non-CO2, GHG-emission-busting options opens the door for delivering efficient technologies and renewable fuels to fast growing parts of Africa and the world that are hungry for energy.
This should be sweet music to the ears of The Charcoal Project supporters who believe wood energy can be compatible with environmental conservation, GHG emissions reduction, and a source of renewable energy for low-carbon economic growth.
NEWS: Brazil to sell wood pellets to European utilities for power generation
“…Europe is seeking to generate 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources in 2020, and converting Brazilian wood into easily transportable pellets may help the region reach it’s goal,…
“Demand in Europe for biomass is very big. Many old coal-fired thermoelectric plants are making the decision to co-fire with biomass to extend their lives, principally in England.”
So, why can’t African nations do the same?
Wood Energy in Africa: the next gold rush?
Recent news out of Uganda about the displacement of tens of thousands of people from their land to make way for a large-scale biofuel plantations raises question about governmental oversight and corporate social responsibility on the part of of foreign investors.
It is all the more urgent that African nations, with the help of appropriate international agencies, begin putting place the regulatory framework that will lead to the responsible and sustainable exploitation of wood energy resources in the context of low-carbon economic growth and high-value export generation.