Firewood and charcoal supply

Bags, bundles and head-loads of wood and charcoal, especially in rural areas.

Transport · Solid and nuclear fuels · No. 62

• Transport
• Form: Solid fuel

Tanzania burns about 1 million tonnes of charcoal a year, made in about 160,000 smouldering earth kilns.

Chart: Illustration: Firewood and charcoal supply

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Wood is stacked, covered with soil and burned slowly with little air for about a week. What remains is mostly carbon, lighter to carry, but the kiln wastes most of the energy.

Three things to know

1. Most energy is lost in the kiln, not on the road: a traditional earth mound keeps only about 18% of the wood's energy.
2. A wholesale bag in Dar es Salaam cost about six times the village price at the kiln in 2016.
3. Head-loads of firewood weigh about 50-60 kg and are often carried from forest 1-4 km away, mostly by women.

The journey

1. 1 WoodlandTrees felled or dead wood gathered
2. 2 Earth kilnSlow smouldering for about a week
3. 3 BaggingSacks of about 72-75 kg
4. 4 RoadsideBicycles, motorbikes and ox carts
5. 5 CityLorries to depots, then small retail bags

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