Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences ______________________________ ____ ISSN 2320 - 6063 Vol. 1 ( 6 ), 8 - 11 , July (201 3 ) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci. International Science Congress Association 8 Evaluation of Fuel Wood Properties of Melia dubia at Different Age Gradation Saravanan V. * , Parthiban K.T., Kumar P., Anbu P.V. and Ganesh Pandian P. Dept . of Tree Breeding, Forest College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Mettup alayam 641301, TN, INDIA Available online at: www.isca.in Received 10 th June 201 3 , revised 21 st June 201 3 , accepted 5 th July 201 3 Abstract Study was carried out at Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu, India using different age gradation viz., one , two, three, four and five year of Melia dubia wood samples collected from the plantations raised at Kollegal, Samraj Nagar District, Karnataka to evaluate the fuel wood properties . Among the differ ent age gradation of Melia dubia 5 - year age old wood recorded high calorific value (3820.00 Kcal Kg - 1 ) and high Fuel wood Value Index (4125.60). The proximate analysis of 5 - year age old Melia dubia recorded lowest value for moisture content (8.00 %); volat ile matter (66.50 %) and ash content (0.50 %) and highest fixed carbon content (25.00 %). In a holistic perspective, the study identified that the 5 - year age - old Melia dubia wood exhibited superiority in all energy properties that lend support to its amen ability for energy utility. Keywords: Fuel wood , c alorific value , f uel wood v alue i ndex , a sh f usion t emperature , f ixed carbon content. Introduction The uses of wood as fuel is traditional one and continue as the most important universal fuel for rural areas of developing countries and the demand will increase enormously in the future, as the underground fuels become expensive 1 . Wood is renewable and its production can be sustained which is the most accessible and cheapest source of energy for most of t he rural people 2 . The consumption of fuel wood is one of the most significant reasons for forest loss in many countries, and the estimates indicate that fuel wood accounts for over 54% of the total global harvest per annum 3 . The fuel wood demand in the cou ntry ranges from 96 to 157 million tonnes annually, including a rural demand of 80 – 128 million tonnes , thus raising the consumption level to 148 – 242 kg per capita 4 . Acute shortage of fuel wood and the resultant higher price leads to the burning of more tha n 80 to 100 million tonnes of dry cow - dung cakes annually, representing 400 to 500 million tonnes of wet dung, which could increase our agricultural production substantially. The annual fuel wood consumption of the country is 216.42 million tonnes out of w hich 58.75m tones come from forests. Of the total population using fuel wood , 23 per cent population is obtaining fuel wood from the forests 5 . About half the world’s population cook with biomass fuels which provide around 35 per cent of energy supplies in the developing countries. Natural resource management depends on fuel wood collection and consumption pattern 6 . There is a two - way relationship between fuel wood collection and deforestation. Forest degradation, on the other hand, leads to a situation of fuel wood scarcity. In addition, there are a number of other adverse consequences of forest degradation, including loss of biodiversity, deterioration of watershed management functions, release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and soil erosion. Alter nate source of rural domestic energy such as crop residues, animal dung, wood from energy plantations on the farmlands and biogas do not cause forest degradation. These alternative fuel wood sources can reduce pressure on natural forests by introducing fas t growing short rotation indigenous species. Various fast growing tree species amenable for energy plantations are very well documented 7 . Recently many biomass companies are promoting Melia dubia (Malabar neem ) as an efficient source of energy without char acterizing their energy properties 8 . Taxonomically this species belongs to the order Meliales; family: Meliaceae; sub - family: Meliodeae. It is a large, handsome deciduous and fast growing tree up to 20 - 25 m height and 1.2 - 1.5 m in girth, with straight cyli ndrical bole of about 9 - 12 m. The tree is leafless for a short period from December to February and the new leaves appear in February to March. The flower appears in April and soon after replaced by bunches of ovoid drupes, which ripens in the cold season from October to February. It believed that Melia dubia originated in India. However, the exact origin is uncertain. Outside India, it found in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Java, China and Australia. Due to its wide distribution, the tree is capable of withstanding wide range of climatic conditions. The tree is cultivated in the arid and semi - arid region, also in the semi - moist areas. The energy value and energy characterization of this species are not available for industrial use and this warrants adequate researc h in this species in order to characterize the energy value of this species at various age gradation against this backdrop, the current study evaluated the fuel wood properties of Melia dubia from 1 - year to 5 - year age - old plantations. Material and Methods Sample collection: Randomly selected wood samples of Melia dubia was collected from the plantations raised at different age Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences ___ ______________________________ ______________ ISSN 2320 - 6063 Vol. 1 ( 6 ), 8 - 11 , July (201 3 ) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci. International Science Congress Association 9 gradation viz., one , two, three, four and five year age old located at Kollegal, Samraj Nagar District, Karnataka at 12˚04’N latitu de and 77˚09’E longitude during September, 2010. These divided into four replicates of 10 cm length. Samples were air dried and made into powder and used for various analyses. Wood Density: The basic density of each wood sample was finding out by using th e displacement method 9 and the density were calculated using the formula. Where, E 2 - Green weight (after soaking in water for 48 hours) , F – Oven dry weight , G – Deflection of the needle in cm due to water displacement . Chemical Analysis: The moisture content plays an important role in determining the energy properties of any wood. Moisture content was determined by weighing the sample before and after drying in electrical hot air oven at 103  5 0 C for one hour 10 . The difference in weight before and aft er drying indicated the moisture content of each sample. The moisture content is determined as follows. The percentage of volatile matter was determined based on ASTM Standard E711 - 87 11 . For percentage of volatile matter, one gram of biomass sample was placed in a crucible of known weight and oven dried to constant weight after which it was heated in the furnace at temperature of 600 0 C for 10 minutes. The per cent of ash content followed the same procedure with volatile matter except the same sample wa s heated in the furnace for 3 hours 12 . The fixed carbon content was found out by subtracting the sum of percentage of ash content and percentage of volatile matter from 100. The fixed carbon calculated according to C = 100 (V + A), where as C – Percentage of fixed carbon, V – percentage of volatile matter and A – percentage of ash. Thermal Properties : Calorific Value: The calorific value of dried powdered wood samples was determined with a bomb calorimeter, in which about 0.5 g of oven - dried wood was complete ly combusted under a pressure of 425 psi with pure oxygen, and the rise in temperature of the cylinder allows the calculation of the calorific value when the exact weight of the sample known. The bomb calorimeter calibrated against benzoic acid standards b efore the analysis of samples 13 . Ash Deformation Temperature and Ash Fusion Temperature: The deformation and fusion temperature of ash was checked using muffle furnace. In the present study, the ash of Melia dubia at different age gradation was used to ch eck their deformation and fusion temperature. The ash was made to cone and kept in muffle furnace and fusion temperature was checked 14 . Fuel wood value index (FVI): Fuel wood value index is calculated based on the properties of calorific value, wood densi ty and ash content 15 . Results and Discussion Wood density : The physical characteristics, bulk and basic density played an important role in biomass energy. In the current study highest w ood density was observed in 5 - year age old Melia dubia (500.20 kg m - 3 ) and lowest in 1 - year age old (418.30 kg m - 3 ). While 5 - year age old was significantly higher than the general mean (463.26 kg m - 3 ), all other age gradation recorded non - significant lower values depicted in t able 1. The current study showed that wood dens ity of Melia dubia increases with the age, which in turn increases the fuel wood value index (FVI). An ideal fuel wood species should have high calorific value coupled with high wood density and low ash content 5 . Chemical Analysis : Proximate analysis incl udes moisture content, volatile matter content, ash content and the fixed carbon content. Among the different age gradation, 5 - year age - old wood had the lower moisture content of 8.00 per cent and 1 - year age - old wood sample had higher moisture content of 1 1.75 per cent. Moisture content differed significantly among different age gradation. The current study established that the moisture content of wood decreases with increase in age of the tree. Thus decrease in moisture content increases the fuel value of the wood. Moisture in wood generally decreases its caloric value, which established by a number of investigators 16 . The heartwood moisture content is lower than sapwood, as moisture content falls during the transformation of sapwood to heartwood 17 . Volati le matter content of the different age gradation of Melia dubia ranged between 69.00 per cent ( 1 - year ) and 66.50 per cent ( 5 - year ). The volatile matter was not significant between different age gradation. The present study found that the volatile matter of Melia dubia wood decreases with increase in tree age. The value of ash content of the different age gradation ranged from 1.00 to 0.50 per cent. The maximum ash content value of 1.00 per cent reported for 1 - year age - old wood and it is significantly highe r than the general does mean (0.75 per cent). This result showed that ash content of Melia dubia wood decreases with increase in tree age. Tree age had apparent influence on ash content. High wood ash content is less desirable for fuel, as it is noncombust ible, and reduces the heat of combustion. The current study was in concurrence with Goel and Behl 18 , for ash content in Acacia auriculiformis , Acacia nilotica , Prosopis juliflora and Terminalia arjuna at different age gradation. Species like Litsea assamic a , Chuckrasia. tabularis , Cinnamomom tamala , Cinnamomom caudatum , Indigofera tinctoria and these species also considered as good fuel wood on account of comparatively low ash content 19 . Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences ___ ______________________________ ______________ ISSN 2320 - 6063 Vol. 1 ( 6 ), 8 - 11 , July (201 3 ) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci. International Science Congress Association 10 Table - 1 Physical, chemical and thermal characteristics of Melia dubia at different age gradation Age in Years Basic density (OD basis) (kg /m 3 ) Moisture Content (%) Volatile Matter (%) Ash Content (%) Fixed Carbon (%) Calorific Value (Kcal/Kg) Fuel Value Index Ash Deformation Temperature ( C ) Ash fusion Temperature ( C ) 1 418.30 11.75 69.00 1.00 18.25 3461.00 1540.15 1023.33 1083.33 2 443.50 11.00 68.50 0.87 19.63 3516.00 1859.03 1066.67 1136.67 3 468.70 9.25 68.25 0.75 21.75 3612.67 2288.02 1120.00 1170.00 4 485.60 8.65 67.35 0.63 23.37 3716.67 2949.74 1153.33 1200.00 5 500.20 8.00 66.50 0.50 25.00 3820.00 4125.60 1200.00 1250.00 Mean 463.26 9.73 67.92 0.75 21.60 3625.27 2552.51 1112.67 1168.00 SEd 10.74 0.24 0.88 0.06 0.56 62.16 59.04 17.51 25.99 CD(0.05) 23.92 0.53 NS 0.14 1.25 138.49 131.55 39.02 57.91 The val ue of fixed carbon content at different age gradation varied between 18.25 per cent ( 1 - year age old ) and 25.00 per cent ( 5 - year age - old ) presented in t able 1. The result registered that the fixed carbon content increases with increase in the age of the tre e. Goel and Bhel 18 reported similar trend for total carbon content in Acacia auriculiformis , Acacia nilotica , Prosopis juliflora and Terminalia arjuna at different age gradation which lend support to the current findings in Melia dubia. Thermal Characteri stics : The quality of fuel wood depends on qualitative and quantitative properties of wood. Quantitative properties include calorific value, density, moisture content, ash, silica content, drying rate and chemical composition. The higher the moisture conte nt, the less efficient is the wood as a fuel since the net calorific value reduced. Moreover, it recorded that the moisture content of wood varies with the dimensions of branches, season of the year and so on. Thus, water content cannot be considered as pa rt of the intrinsic value of a species as a fuel since it can vary. The selection of ideal fuel wood species based on its FVI, calculated using calorific value, wood density and ash content 13 . Calorific Value: In general, an ideal fuel wood species should have high calorific value, high density, and low ash content. Earlier researchers have reported that tropical species had comparatively higher ash and water content than temperate species. The calorific values of Melia dubia wood increased with the increa se in the age of the tree. The highest was 3820.00 Kcal/Kg for 5 - year age - old wood sample and the lowest value was 3461.00 Kcal/Kg for 1 - year age - old wood. Similar result recorded by Goel and Behl 18 in Acacia auriculiformis , Acacia nilotica , Prosopis julif lora and Terminalia arjuna at 5, 10 and 15 year age old wood samples indicating that calorific value increases with the age of the tree. The present findings are in agreement with those reported by earlier workers 10,13,15 . Fuel wood Value Index (FVI): The fuel wood value index of Melia dubia ranged from 1540.15 (1 - year age old) to 4125.60 (5 - year age old). The results showed that 5 - year age old wood sample recorded significantly higher (FVI) compared to the average value followed by 4 - year age old wood sam ple presented in t able 1. The result registered that fuel wood value index increases with increase in age of the tree which was due to increase in calorific value and wood density along with tree age and also due the decrease in ash content with increase i n tree age. A combination of three factors: calorific value, density, and ash content, will be most appropriate in determining the suitability of a wood as fuel. On this basis, of the 26 species analyzed, B. nitida has the highest FVI, followed by Machilus bombycina , Itea macrophylla , Cryptomeria japonica , G. arborea , S. populnea , M. denticulata and S. wallichii 19 . The FVI is an important characteristic for screening desirable fuel wood species 15, 20 and hence higher FVI value recorded in 5 - year age - old woo d sample in the current study indicated its amenability towards various energy purposes. Ash Fusion and Deformation Temperature: Ash fusion and ash deformation temperature are difficult to determine exactly, hence it expressed in the range. Ash deformatio n temperature was less than ash fusion temperature. The difference of temperature in between these two is up to a maximum of 50C.The temperature in the oxidation zone can vary between 1200 and 1400 C and hence most of the wood residue ash can fuse in this zone. In the present study on Melia dubia wood, ash deformation temperature ranged from 1023.33 C to 1200.00C shown in t able 1. This result showed that ash deformation temperature increases with the increase in age of the tree which showed that the fuel wood quality of this species improves with the age of tree. The ash fusion temperature for different age gradation of Melia dubia was minimum in 1 - year old wood sample (1083.33C) and maximum in 5 - year age old wood sample (1250.00C) ( t able 1). The 5 - year age old wood ash fusion temperature was significantly different from 3, 2 and 1 - year age old wood sample values. The present study established that ash fusion temperature of Melia dubia wood increases with the increase in age of the tree. The high ash fusi on temperature reduces the maintenance of industrial boilers. This showed that Melia dubia had higher ash fusion temperature than other biomass fuels so it is highly suitable for biomass based Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences ___ ______________________________ ______________ ISSN 2320 - 6063 Vol. 1 ( 6 ), 8 - 11 , July (201 3 ) Res. J. Agriculture and Forestry Sci. International Science Congress Association 11 industries. Similarly the ash fusion temperature was in the ran ge of 1100 - 1200 C and the ash deformation temperature found less than ash fusion temperature by 50 - 100 C for briquettes made of combination of cotton plus soybean stalks 21 . Conclusion In a holistic perspective, the result of the current study apparently indicates that M. dubia is amenable for biomass based power generation industries due to their ideal energy value. The analysis of M. dubia wood at five different ages indicated that 5 - year age is amenable to utilize as fuel wood due to their superiority i n physical, chemical and thermal properties and recommends 5 - year rotation for energy purpose . The productivity also indicated that M. dubia is fast growing tree with the growth rate of 41.54 m 3 /ha/yr coupled with multifarious utility which extended greate r scope of its utility for various wood based industry. Acknowledgement The authors profoundly thank the world bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) on A Value Chain on Industrial Agroforestry in Tamil Nadu wherein the current stud y formed a part of objective of the scheme. We thank Mr Gautham, promising farmer from Kollegal, Karnataka, India for having permitted the research team for wood sample collection. References 1. Shanavas A. and Mohankumar B. , Fuelwood characteristics of tree species in home gardens of Kerala, India, Agroforestry Systems , 58 , 11 - 24 (2003) 2. Deka D., Saikia P. and Konwer D. , Ranking of fuelwood species by fuel value index , Energy Sources , 29 , 1499 - 506 (2007) 3. Osei W . Y. , Woodfuel and deforestation - answers for a sui table environment , Journal of Environmental Management , 37 , 51 – 62 (1993) 4. Bhattacharya B. and Nanda S.K. Building fuelwood demand supply scenario , Journal of Rural Development , 11(6) , 773 – 787 (1992) 5. Kumar N.J.I., Patel K., Rita N.K. and Rohit K.B. , An evalu ation of fuelwood properties of some aravally mountain tree and shrub species of western India , Biomass and Bioenergy , 35 , 411 - 414 (2011) 6. Heltberg R., Arndt T.C. and Sekhar N.U. , Fuelwood Consumption and Forest Degradation: A Household Model for Domestic Energy Substitution in Rural India , Land Economics , 76(2) , 213 - 232 (2000) 7. Luna R.K. , Plantation Forestry in India , International Book Distrib utors, Dehra Dun, India , 320 - 338 ( 2006) 8. Kumaravelu G. , The Hindu science and technology – agriculture” Co - 4 grass, Melia dubia , can generate substantial power for Tamil Nadu, 134 , (2012) 9. Haygreen G.J. and Bowger J.L. , Forest products and wood science – An introduction , IOWA State University Press, Ames, U.S.A (1982) 10. Bhatt B.P. and Badoni A.K. , Fuelwood characteristics of some mountain fuelwood shrubs and trees , Energy, 15 , 1069 - 70 (1990) 11. ASTM (American society for testing and materials standards) , Standard E711 - 87 (2004) 12. TAPPI test methods , Atlanta (USA): Technical Association for Paper and Pulp Industries (TAPPI) Publications (1992) 13. Bhatt B.P. and Todaria N.P. , Fuelwood characteristics of some Indian mountain tree species , Forest Ecology and Management, 47 , 363 - 366 (1992) 14. Kumar M., Patel S.K. and Mishra S. , Studies on Characteristics of Some Shrubaceous Non - woody Biomass Species and Their Electricity Generation Potentials , Energy Sources , 32 , 786 – 795 (2010) 15. Purohit A.N. and Nautiyal A.R. , Fuelwood value ind ex of Indian mountain tree species , The International Tree Crops Journal , 4 , 177 - 82 (1987) 16. Murphy W.K. and Cutter B.E. , Gross heat of combustion of five hardwood species of different moisture content , Forest Products Journal , 24 , 44 - 45 (1974) 17. Sekhar A.C. , Physical properties of Indian timbers , In: Hand book of Indian woods and wood panels: Solid woods [Ranganathan V., B.K. Bakshi, A. Purshotham, A. Krishnamoorthy and A.C. Sekkar (Eds.)] , Oxford University Press, Delhi, India, 70 - 83 (1988) 18. Goel V.L. and Behl H.M. , Fuelwood quality of promising species for alkaline soil sites in relation to tree age , Biomass and Bioenergy , 10(1) , 57 - 61 (1996) 19. Bhatt B.P. and Tomar J.M.S. , Firewood properties of some Indian mountain tree and shrub species , Biomass and Bioenergy , 23 , 257 - 260 (2002) 20. Jain R.K. , Fuelwood characteristics of medium tree and shrub species of India , Bioresource Technology , 47 , 81 - 84 (1994) 21. Bhagwanrao S.V., Development and optimization of crop residue based briquettes exclusively for gasification, M.Tech. Thesis in Bio - energy, Agricultural Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (2010)