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The Inorganic Composition of Tachigali vulgaris Wood: Implications for Bioenergy and Nutrient Balances of Planted Forests in the Amazonia

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Abstract

Scientific information on the ash quality of Tachigalis vulgaris wood may reveal nutrient export mechanisms in energy forests and also insights into the wood quality for thermochemical conversions. This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient export and technological implications of ashes in the combustion of T. vulgaris grown in different planting spacings (4.5 m2;6.0 m2; 7.5 m2; 9 m2; 10.5 m2; 12.0 m2). The levels of inorganic elements were determined for 7-year-old trees cultivated in experimental plantations across the eastern Amazonia region. The element contents were used to obtain the export of nutrients and to calculate the fouling index (FI), basic to acidic compound ratio (B/A), sintering index (SI), slag viscosity index (SR), bed agglomeration index (BAI), and alkali index (AI). The most exported nutrients were Ca (18.7 kg/ha), P (13.9 kg/ha), and K (6.6 kg/ha). The FI, B/A, SI, and SR indices suggested deposition problems in the boilers for all planting spacings. However, BAI and AI indicated a low propensity to form fouling and slag. The spacing significantly influenced the P export. Planting spacing of 12 m2 demands increased P fertilization to maintain plantation productivity. The low ratio between alkaline earth and alkaline elements and high P2O5 values in the ash of T. vulgaris are disadvantageous. However, the high Al2O3 level and low ash content may contribute to the increase in the melting temperature of the ash. The study revealed that Tachigali vulgaris is a suitable species for wood production in energy forests.

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Data Availability

Datasets that support the conclusions are included in the manuscript. In addition, the datasets analyzed in this research are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the support of the Laboratory for Technology of Forest Products of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA, Brazil), the Multiuser Laboratory of Biomaterials and Biomass Energy of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA, Brazil), the Jari Cellulose Group, the Embrapa Eastern Amazon and Dr. Patrícia de Oliveira Nunes (Applied Analytical Spectrometry Group /Federal University of Pará) for supporting the analysis of the inorganic chemistry of the wood of T. vulgaris, and to the researchers Marilene Olga dos Santos Silva and Isael Costa for supporting in collecting the wood samples.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq—process no. 306793/2019–9) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES—finance code 001 and Edital Procad Amazônia 2018—process no. 88881.199859/2018–01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Science, Federal University of Lavras – UFLA, Lavras, Minas Gerais, 37200-900, Brazil

    Elvis Vieira dos Santos & Paulo Ricardo Gherardi Hein

  2. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of Amazonia – UFRA, Belém, Pará, 66077-901, Brazil

    Michael Douglas Roque Lima & Lina Bufalino

  3. College of Chemistry, Institute of Exact and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Pará – UFPA, Belém, Pará, 66075-110, Brazil

    Kelly das Graças Fernandes Dantas

  4. Federal Rural University of Amazonia – UFRA, Parauapebas, Pará, 68515-000, Brazil

    Fábio Israel Martins Carvalho & Thiago de Paula Protásio

  5. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation/Eastern Amazonia Embrapa, Belém, Pará, 66095-903, Brazil

    Delman de Almeida Gonçalves & Arystides Resende Silva

  6. Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, 311400, China

    Honggang Sun

  7. Department of Forest Sciences, Federal University of Amazonas – UFAM, Manaus, Amazonas, 69080-900, Brazil

    Marciel José Ferreira

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  1. Elvis Vieira dos Santos
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Highlights

• Tachigali vulgaris wood contained high levels and a wide variation of aluminum.

• The high wood dry mass of T. vulgaris in Amazonian soils confirms its adaptation.

• T. vulgaris planted at 12 m2 spacing requires P fertilization for better productivity.

• The most exported nutrients by T. vulgaris wood were Ca, P, and K.

• T. vulgaris wood has a low propensity to form sintering.

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dos Santos, E.V., Lima, M.D.R., Dantas, K.d. et al. The Inorganic Composition of Tachigali vulgaris Wood: Implications for Bioenergy and Nutrient Balances of Planted Forests in the Amazonia. Bioenerg. Res. 17, 114–128 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10679-3

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