Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.33765/thate.16.4.2
Published in: Holistic Approach Environ. 16(2026) 4, pp. 163 – 173
Paper reference number: HAE-2578
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VALORISATION OF INVASIVE WOODY WEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE CHARCOAL PRODUCTION: SPECIES-SPECIFIC PATHWAYS AND APPLICATION POTENTIALS
Egbonyi Etuki Eborty*, Dorn Cklaimz Enamhe**, Fredrick Awhen Opoh***, Remi Modupe Omoogun*, Agnes Edet Offiong*, Miebaka Nabiebu****, Jacob Otu Enya****, Christiana Aloye Ushie*, Augustine Onyi Ushie*, John Edwin Effiom***, Vincent Ita Oyamo*
* University of Calabar, Faculty of Arts and Social Science Education, Department of Environment Education, Nigeria
** University of Calabar, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Works, Nigeria
*** University of Calabar, Faculty of Arts and Social Science Education, Department of Social Studies and Civic Education, Nigeria
**** University of Calabar, Faculty of Law, Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, Nigeria
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ABSTRACT
This study explores the sustainable valorisation and charcoal production potentials of three invasive weed species (IWS): Crotalaria spectabilis (CTS), Hibiscus trionum (HBT), and Sesbania herbacea (SSH) through carbonisation. IWS severely hamper agricultural productivity by outcompeting crops, destroying soil structure and increasing costs of weed control in Nigeria. Carbonisation presents a cost-effective, technologically efficient, and sustainable approach for the valorisation of each IWS into charcoal. Each sample was carbonised and analysed for morphological, mass-based, and energy-related properties after heating at 600 °C for 30 min under a limited oxidising environment using a muffle furnace. The resulting charcoals showed unique characteristics related to their anatomical morphologies and thermal behaviour. The mass yields (MY) ranged from 34.62 % ± 1.30 % to 42.93 % ± 2.63 %, bulk density (BD) from 131.50 kg/m3 ± 0.02 kg/m3 to 203.50 kg/m3 ± 0.01 kg/m3 and higher heating values (HHV) from 25.18 to 25.96 MJ/kg. Further analysis revealed that the specific morphology of IWS is critical for the mass and energy properties of their resulting charcoals’ functionality, which supports policy strategies for IWS carbonisation into value-added products. Overall, the study shows that carbonisation of CTS, HBT, and SSH in charcoal is a practical approach to addressing their environmental impacts. Therefore, future studies could explore hybrid fuel formulations and applications of such charcoals in non-energy and functional materials applications.
Keywords: valorisation, carbonisation, Crotalaria spectabilis, Hibiscus trionum, Sesbania herbacea, invasive plants, weed management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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