TITLE:
An Assessment of the Potential Use of Forest Residues for the Production of Bio-Oils in the Urban-Rural Interface of Louisiana
AUTHORS:
Yaw A. Twumasi, Zhu H. Ning, John B. Namwamba, Edmund C. Merem, Abena B. Asare-Ansah, Harriet B. Yeboah, Matilda Anokye, Diana B. Frimpong, Priscilla M. Loh, Julia Atayi, Judith Oppong, Cynthia C. Ogbu, Rechael N. D. Armah, Caroline Y. Apraku, Opeyemi I. Oladigbolu, Joyce McClendon-Peralta
KEYWORDS:
Bioenergy Production, Bio-Oils, Polynomial Regression, Bio-Products, Forest Residues, Logging Residues, Wood Wastes, Louisiana
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.12 No.4,
October
20,
2022
ABSTRACT: Louisiana is endowed with forest resources. Forest wastes
generated after thinning, land clearing, and logging operations, such as wood
debris, tree trimmings, barks, sawdust, wood chips, and black liquor, among
others, can serve as potential fuels for energy production in Louisiana. This
paper aims to evaluate the potential annual volumes of forest wastes
established on detailed and existing data on the forest structure in the
rural-urban interface of Louisiana. It also demonstrates the state’s prospects
of utilizing forest wastes to produce bio-oils. The data specific to the study
was deduced from secondary data sources to obtain the annual average total
residue production in Louisiana and estimate the number of logging residues
available for procurement for bioenergy production. The total biomass production
per year was modeled versus years by polynomial regression curve fitting using
Microsoft Excel. Results of the model show that the cumulative annual total
biomass production for 2025 and 2030 in Louisiana is projected to be 80000000 Bone Dry Ton (BDT) and
16000000 (BDT) respectively. The findings of the study depict that Louisiana
has a massive biomass supply from forest wastes for bioenergy production. Thus,
the potential for Louisiana to become an influential player in the production
of bio-based products from forest residues is evident. The author recommends
that future research can use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create
maps displaying the potential locations and utilization centers of forest
wastes for bioenergy production in the state.