Musule, R.(a), Acuña, E.(b), Romero-Hermoso Osorio, L.S.(c), Domínguez, Z.(d), Bárcenas-Pazos, G.M.(e), Pineda-López, M.R.(a), Teixeira Mendonça, R.(b)(f), González, M.E.(g), Sánchez-Velásquez, L.R.(a)
(a) Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana. Campus para la Cultura, las Artes y el Deporte, Av. de las Culturas Veracruzanas No. 101, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, Xalapa, Ver, Mexico
(b) Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Victoria 631, Casilla 160-C, Correo 3, Concepción, Chile
(c) Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar, Temuco, 01145, Chile
(d) Unidad de Servicios de Apoyo en Resolución Analítica, Universidad Veracruzana, Apartado Postal 575, Xalapa, Ver, Mexico
(e) Instituto de Ecología, AC Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa, Ver 91070, Mexico
BIOENERGY RESEARCH
Volumen: 11 Páginas: 209-218
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-017-9889-5
Fecha de publicación: 01 de marzo de 2018
Abstract
Wood is considered an important renewable energy resource with a variable elemental chemical composition, which may changeaccording to environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, altitude). In this study, we evaluated how heating value (HV), elemental chemical composition, and main thermoenergetic parameters of Abies religiosa wood change along an altitudinal gradient. To evaluate these parameters, wood samples were collected from six independent trees in an altitudinal gradient (3000–3500 masl) every 100 m of altitude (36 trees) and their respective HV (higher and low), thermogravimetric and immediate analysis, specific carbon energy (SCE), and fuel value index (FVI) were determined. We found that the higher and lower heating values, elemental chemical composition and the majority of the studied parameters were significantly different (p < 0.05) between altitudes. Our results suggest that A. religiosa wood from 3300 masl has more energy content than wood from 3200 and 3500 masl. Additionally, FVI showed that wood from 3500 masl is the best feedstock in order to use as a solid biofuel. Finally, the results suggest that the altitude atwhich A. religiosa is grown significantly affects the energetic content of their wood and throughput as a solid biofuel. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.