Feasibility of Biomass Energy Conversion Technologies For The Wattle Company’s Vumba Sawmill Wood Waste
Kunatsa T1, Musademba D2
1Kunatsa Tawanda, Fuels & Energy Department, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.
2Musademba Downmore, Fuels & Energy Department, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.
Manuscript received on March 23, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on April 10, 2013. | Manuscript published on April 30, 2013. | PP: 541-546 | Volume-2, Issue-4, April 2013. | Retrieval Number: D1531042413/2013©BEIESP
Open Access | Ethics and Policies | Cite
© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: A broad range of conversion technologies is currently available for generating a diverse array of energy products from sawmill wood waste. The choice of conversion technology will depend on cost of capital, the volume of wood waste available, access to energy markets, the prices for each renewable energy product and the cost of the wood waste. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the feasibility of the various options of sawmill wood waste conversion technologies at The Wattle Company’s Vumba Sawmill so as to value add sustainably in an environmentally friendly manner. The outcome favoured Briquetting as the most feasible conversion technology for the wood waste. The plant capacity will be 2.25 tonnes having an annual output of 689.04 tonnes with a target market of 9-10% regional. The Investment required was US$ 65 472.92 with Payback Period of 1 year 3 months and the Net Present Value was US$ 325 429.08. The project’s location is Manicaland Province in the Vumba Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.
Keywords: Bioenergy, Biofuels, Biomass, Renewable Energy, Sawmill wood waste.