Wood and briquette density under the effect of fertilizers and water regimes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of potassium and sodium fertilization (control: 4.5kmol.ha-1 of KCl and 4.5kmol.ha-1 of NaCl), and water regimes (100% and 63% rainfall with artificial exclusion) on wood and briquette density in Eucalyptus grandis trees at 5 years, and the application of X-ray densitometry on the quality of briquettes. Tree trunk samples were obtained to determine wood density, production and briquette density by X-ray densitometry and stereometric. The artificial exclusion of rainwater promoted an increase in wood density, and the fertilization treatments versus water availability did not affect the density of briquettes. The method used to determine the briquette density influenced the average values, with an increase of 12% in the X-ray densitometry to the stereometric.