Caracterização energética da madeira de quatro clones de Eucalyptus plantados em Pernambuco

Abstract

Brazil's main energy matrix is hydroelectric plants, however, not all regions are able to achieve the desired energy supply rates, so the search to diversify the energy matrix using the available resources of each region is on the rise. The Brazilian energy matrix has always used forest biomass to be able to meet part of the demands, with charcoal and firewood as the main use. Thus, the present work aimed to carry out the energetic characterization of the wood of four clones of Eucalyptus, being the hybrids E. urophylla x E. grandis and the (E. camaldulensis x E. grandis) x E. Urophylla, both six years old, collected in the municipality of Paudalho in the Zona da Mata of Pernambuco and two clones of Eucalyptus urophylla with eight years of age, from an experimental plantation located at the Experimental Station of the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco (IPA) in the Araripe plateau, municipality of Araripina – PE. The analyses were conducted at the Wood Technology and Anatomy Laboratory of the Department of Forest Science of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, where the content of volatile materials, ashes, and fixed carbon of the wood was determined according to ASTM standards. Based on the values of the variables obtained, the upper, lower and useful calorific value were estimated. Data were submitted to Tukey's test (p = 5%) to compare means. According to the results obtained, the clones did not show any difference in relation to the analyzed variables, so all of them would be a viable alternative energy matrix for the region. It is recommended to study other properties of the wood, including the energetic ones, as well as the growth variables of the material, seeking to obtain more information to select the best genetic material for the production of biomass for energy in the region.