Protecting forests and conserving the environment with low-carbon kilns

Trees are being cut down to make charcoal and get firewood leading to deforestation. Forests can be preserved with use of alternative innovations. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

Forest cover is lost due to demand for charcoal and firewood. The low-carbon kiln aims to tackle that

Charcoal and firewood remain the main sources of fuel in Uganda, and this has naturally led to heavy deforestation.

Trees are being cut down at a high rate as people search for fuel for domestic use. But this trend could change if a project that offers alternatives is successfully rolled out.

It is about low-carbon charcoal-conversion kilns that will reduce emissions and tackle deforestation because they use less firewood.

Unlike the conventional methods, in this kiln, almost all firewood is burnt into charcoal since it burns at lower heat degrees.

The kilns were recently launched in Nakaseke, Luweero District, by government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is under a campaign called “Addressing barriers to adoption of improved charcoal production technologies and sustainable land management practices through an integrated approach.”

Reduce emissions
The charcoal-conversion kiln, made from brick and metallic plates, is up to 40 per cent more efficient in converting wood to charcoal.

Elaborating the benefits, Dr Samuel Bagabo, who developed the technology, said it is more efficient at recycling emissions, and also has a 20 per cent profit margin per output unit of charcoal produced.

“It has 35-40 per cent of efficiency. It means that if you are converting 100 kilogrammes of wood into charcoal, you will have a recovery of up to 40 kilogrammes of charcoal.

Ordinarily, using traditional methods, you would get 10 kilogrammes of charcoal out of 100 kilogrammes. With this innovation, you make a saving of 40 per cent. Plus, you would reduce on greenhouse gases emissions,” Dr Bagabo explained during the launch.

Many of the traditional charcoal conversion kilns, usually in form of earth pits or mound kilns, that are currently in use in Uganda are not considered efficient.

One tonne of wood produces an output of 100-150 kilogrammes of charcoal. On the other hand, the new improved retort kilns, produce about 400kg of charcoal from similar tonnage.

Ms Almaz Gebru, UNDP country director, observed that the growing challenges resulting from the high population growth rate and the subsequent demand for cooking energy is taking a high toll on the forest cover. This is because biomass is harvested indiscriminately for wood fuel and charcoal production.

Generate lessons
She, however, commended government for prioritising improved charcoal kilns as a way of increasing efficiency of charcoal production, developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions on institutional cook stoves, charcoal and development of the National Biomass Energy Strategy.

“It is our hope that through this project, Uganda will move closer to achievement of Millennium Development Goal 7--and significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity; reverse the loss of environmental resources and generate lessons relevant to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes”, she said in a speech read by Onesimus Muhwezi, Team Leader, Energy and Environment, UNDP.

James Banaabe Isingoma, commissioner, energy resources at ministry of Energy, said: “This project is coming in to ensure that there is sustainable production of charcoal. Tree planting and sustainable forest management is part of the project to ensure sustainable wood supply”.

Saving trees
Speaking earlier, at the project’s inception workshop, that preceded the launch, Juuko Kasiita, Resident District Commissioner, Nakaseke, applauded the initiative for coming at the right time to save districts in the cattle corridor from environment degradation. These districts include Nakaseke, Kiryandongo, Nakasongola, Kamuli, Kaliro, Sembabule and Lyantonde.

A total of 200 retort kilns and 400 casamance kilns will be deployed for demonstration in four pilot districts, helping to reduce carbon emissions. If successfully adopted, the two kilns will save up to 143,314 metric tonnes of wood from being felled for charcoal in four years.

Furthermore, 60 sustainable charcoal cooperatives will be strengthened (in collaboration with FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, through its Farmer Field Schools) and 2,400 “charcoal champions” secured in the pilot districts.

Sustainable use
The project, which started in May 2014, is funded by the Global Environment Facility to a tune of $3.4m (Shs9.4b) and co-financing of $14.5m (Shs40.2) from a consortium of partners including Government of Uganda, UNDP, FAO, United Nations Capital Development Fund, German Technical Agency and Belgian Technical Agency.

The project aims to bring about multiple environmental benefits by addressing unsustainable utilisation of wood-fuel (including charcoal) and poor land management practices.

This will be through technology transfer, enhancement of the national policy framework and the promotion of sustainable land and forest management practices.

Ministry of Energy is implementing it together with Ministry of Water and Environment, National Forestry Authority and the local governments in Kiryandongo, Nakaseke, Mubende and Kiboga. This is where the project will be piloted.

Charcoal in Uganda
About 2.7 billion people globally depend on traditional fuel sources such as wood, dung, crop waste, coal or charcoal for their daily activities.
Currently 1.1 million tonnes of charcoal is used in Uganda for households and institutions. This amount of charcoal requires 11 million tonnes of wood to produce.

The charcoal industry alone is estimated at Shs900b (nearly $400m) and employs over 220,000 people and benefits more than one million dependents, according to figures from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.