Flavio Jose Simioni
Santa Catarina State University, Brazil
Title: Use of firewood as a source of renewable energy in Brazil
Biography
Biography: Flavio Jose Simioni
Abstract
The use of renewable energy sources is expressive in Brazil. The main categories are hydropower, biomass from sugarcane, firewood and charcoal. Firewood and charcoal are produced from eucalyptus forestry and represent 8.0% of gross domestic supply. The production of forest biomass has a great potential to increase in Brazil, due to land availability and high productivity of forest. However, there are still many challenges to the advance of forest biomass use for energy purposes. Therefore, the aim to present this study was to characterize three production systems of eucalyptus most typically used in Brazil, focusing on an analysis of the potential and the challenges for energy use. In two cases, this study analyzed the production chain of firewood, both for agricultural and industrial use. In the third case, the forest production for charcoal produce was considered. The research strategy involved data collection through visits and interviews with different agents that represent the productive chain. The results present that the chain segments characterization: inputs, forestry production, harvest and transport of firewood, and consumers. Costs and financial viability indicators for eucalyptus cultivation for firewood production are considered. Based on the results, potential and challenges are discussed.