Pine needles, which pose a significant fire hazard in India’s sub-Himalayan belt, have the potential to be transformed into a valuable source of renewable energy, according to researchers from India’s Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering.
Their study explored how charring and briquetting pine needles could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
By converting pine needles through a process called pyrolysis, they can be turned into bio-oil with high energy value.
Additionally, briquettes made from pine needles can be used as fuel in various applications, such as brick kilns, boilers, and domestic cooking.
Furthermore, the process produces biochar, a material that aids in soil carbon sequestration and helps mitigate climate change. Exploiting this abundant and otherwise hazardous biomass could contribute to a sustainable energy solution while addressing the issue of forest fires.
Forest Fires and Pine Needle Accumulation Pine needles, unlike other plant biomass, accumulate on forest floors and are not easily decomposed by microbes.
In the sub-Himalayan region, pine forests are particularly susceptible to forest fires due to the accumulation of dry pine needles. Each hectare of pine forest receives an estimated 6.3 tons of pine needles during the Indian summer season.
Northern Himachal Pradesh state in India, which has significant pine forests, experiences around 2,000 forest fires annually, causing severe damage to biodiversity, the environment, and the local economy.
Furthermore, the dense layer of pine needles prevents the growth of grass and impedes villagers’ ability to graze their cattle.
Recognizing the potential of pine needles as a renewable energy source and their role in causing forest fires, researchers and institutions in India are exploring ways to utilize this biomass effectively. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi has initiated a program aimed at converting pine needles into renewable fuel.
The program focuses on collecting pine needles and transporting them to processing centers, where they are chopped up, compressed, and transformed into clean and dense briquettes. These briquettes can be used as a sustainable fuel source for various applications.
Pyrolysis is a key process used to convert pine needles into bio-oil. This involves heating the organic matter in the absence of oxygen. The study found that pine needles can be converted into bio-oil with a calorific value of 28.52 megajoules per kilogram.
Although the calorific value of bio-oil is lower than diesel, it can still be used as a blended fuel for internal combustion engines or as furnace oil. The researchers also noted that the flash point, fire point, and pour point values of bio-oil were higher than those of high-speed diesel, making it suitable for widely used compression injection engines.
Clean and Affordable Fuel Another method of utilizing pine needles is by converting them into briquettes. Briquetting involves compressing dry plant matter into blocks with high calorific value. Pine needle briquettes can be used as fuel in brick kilns, boilers that generate electricity, and for domestic cooking.
These briquettes provide a clean and affordable alternative to traditional fuels, contributing to a sustainable energy solution and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Biochar and Soil Carbon Sequestration Apart from bio-oil and briquettes, the pyrolysis process also produces biochar. Biochar is a valuable material that can be used to sequester carbon in the soil. By incorporating biochar into agricultural practices, it can enhance soil fertility, improve water retention, and contribute to climate change mitigation.
Transforming pine needles, which are a significant fire risk, into renewable fuel offers a promising solution to the forest fire problem in India’s sub-Himalayan belt. The utilization of pine needles through processes like pyrolysis and briquetting provides clean and high-energy value alternatives for various applications.
Furthermore, the production of biochar contributes to soil carbon sequestration and mitigates climate change. By harnessing this abundant biomass, India can take a significant step toward sustainable energy production while addressing environmental challenges in the region.
