PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CHARCOAL SAMPLES FROM DIFFERENT WOOD SPECIES IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Adepo S. Olusegun^a and Ijagbemi Christiana .O.^b

^aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria.

^bDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.

E-mail: adeposegun@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT: The performance evaluation of charcoal samples produced from wood offcuts of some selected tropical wood species (Iroko, Obeche, Oak, Afara, and Mahogany) was carried out. The woods offcuts were collected from different saw-mills in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria, and were converted into charcoal using a portable steel kiln. In evaluating the performance of different tropical charcoal samples, three test conditions were considered: water boiling, burn rate of charcoal in cook stove and cooking duration tests. Values obtained as burn rates and water boiling durations were 0.51 kg/hr and 28minutes for Iroko specie, 0.58 kg/hr and 24 minutes for Obeche specie, 0.55 kg/hr and 26 minutes for Oak specie, 0.60 kg/hr and 22 minutes for Afara specie and 0.54 kg/hr and 28minutes for Mahogany specie. In a Comparative cooking test conducted with the different charcoal samples using beans as food item, the fastest cook time was recorded with Afara charcoal samples in cook stove; it spent 45 minutes to cook beans. Time spent using other charcoal samples in cook stove varied: Obeche specie spent 48 minutes to cook, Oak specie spent 52 minutes to cook and Mahogany specie spent 55 minutes to cook while Iroko charcoal sample took the longest time of 58 minutes to cook beans.