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Enhancing wood to charcoal conversion efficiencies from smallholder plantation charcoal production systems: Implications for carbon emissions and sustainable livelihood benefits in North Western Ethiopia

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Abstract

Charcoal production stemming from small-scale Eucalyptus camaldulensis plantations has brought about significant socio-economic benefits and improved livelihoods in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the current practice involves the use of traditional earth mound kilns, leading to inefficiencies, reduced charcoal income, and environmental pollution. This research aims to assess charcoal conversion efficiency, perform a cost–benefit analysis, and measure gas emissions from improved charcoal-making kilns sourced from Eucalyptus camaldulensis small-scale plantations in comparison to traditional earth mound kilns in northwestern Ethiopia. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was executed, with a significance level set at 0.05. The study results indicate a significant (P < 0.001) disparity in charcoal conversion efficiency across the various tested kilns, with the ranking as follows: Green mad retort kiln (33.7%) > Casamance kiln (32.09%) > MRV steel kiln (28.25%) > traditional earth mound kilns (23.55%). The improved charcoal-making kilns enhanced wood-to-charcoal conversion efficiency by 20–43% compared to traditional earth mound kilns. In terms of financial viability, Casamance improved kilns generated the highest equivalent annual charcoal income (117,126.9 ETB/year), followed by Green Mad Retort (82,893.8 ETB/year) and MRV steel kilns (58,495.9 ETB/year). As anticipated, traditional earth mound kilns yielded the lowest net present value (47,304.3 ETB/year). Traditional earth mound kilns also exhibited significantly longer carbonization times (P < 0.001), taking 3.6 times longer than the Mark V kiln and 2 times longer than the Casamance kiln. Furthermore, the statistical analysis demonstrated that improved charcoal-making technology reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 36.1–50.7%, carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by 39.2–54.3%, and methane (CH4) emissions by 29.6–47%. In conclusion, the use of improved charcoal-making kilns has demonstrated significant enhancements in charcoal conversion efficiency, charcoal income, and environmental sustainability. Given these positive outcomes, we strongly recommend a decisive transition from traditional to cleaner, sustainable, and less emissions-intensive charcoal making kilns.

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Fig. 1

Source: Amhara Region Investment Bureau

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Data availability

The datasets produced and analyzed in this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon a reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Notes

  1. Alternative Technologies for Improved Access to Modern Rural Energy Technologies.

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Acknowledgements

This work is the outcome of the first author's contributions as part of their Ph.D. research. The authors extend their appreciation to numerous senior experts from various government and non-government organizations. Special thanks are owed to local charcoal producer Tewodros Berihun (Regional Manager, Energy Programme Ethiopia, GIZ), Tefera Adugna (Senior Energy Advisor, Energy Programme Ethiopia, GIZ), Mr. Getahun Zelalem (EFCCC), Miss Samrawit Dereje (AECCA), and Dr. Getachew Eshete (Hawassa University and freelance consultancy) for their invaluable support and collaborative efforts in this specific study.

Funding

This research received financial support from different sources, including the Plankton Eco-engineering for Environmental and Economic Transformation (PLANE3T) project funded by MEXT, Japan, and the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) with Grant Number JPMJSA2005, specifically the Eco-engineering for Agricultural Revitalization Towards Improvement of Human Nutrition (EARTH) initiative funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Additionally, partial support for this study was provided by GIZ and UNDP in Ethiopia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

    Ewunetu Tazebew & Asmamaw Alemu

  2. College of Agriculture, Food and Climate Sciences, Injibara University, Injibara, Ethiopia

    Ewunetu Tazebew & Berhanu Belay

  3. College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Solomon Addisu

  4. School of Applied Natural Sciences, Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia

    Eshetu Bekele

  5. Faculty of Science and Engineering, Soka University, Tokyo, Japan

    Shinjiro Sato

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  1. Ewunetu Tazebew
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  2. Solomon Addisu
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Contributions

Ewunetu Tazebew, a Ph.D. candidate specializing in forest and livelihood at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia, made significant contributions to the research, which included conceiving and designing the experiments, conducting hands-on experimentation, analyzing data, and providing interpretations, as well as writing the paper. Professor Shinjiro Sato from Soka University in Japan played a pivotal role in shaping the research by contributing to the conceptualization and experiment design, conducting in-depth data analysis and interpretation, and actively participating in the paper-writing process. Solomon Addisu, an associate professor at Bahirdar University, made invaluable contributions to concept development, experiment design, data analysis, interpretation, and paper writing. Eshetu Bekele, an Associate Professor at Adama Science and Technology University, contributed to concept development, experiment design, data analysis, and paper writing. Associate Professor Asmamaw Alemu from the University of Gondar was also highly valuable in the conceptualization, experiment design, data analysis, interpretation, and paper writing. Professor Berhanu Belay from Injibara University, Ethiopia, similarly contributed significantly to concept development, experiment design, evaluation, and paper writing.

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Correspondence to Ewunetu Tazebew.

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Tazebew, E., Addisu, S., Bekele, E. et al. Enhancing wood to charcoal conversion efficiencies from smallholder plantation charcoal production systems: Implications for carbon emissions and sustainable livelihood benefits in North Western Ethiopia. Environ Monit Assess 196, 162 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12354-2

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