Developing Operational Capability
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Salvaging trees from the bottom of the Volta Lake is the first industrial scale project of its kind in the world. In order to build the necessary operational capability, extensive research and development efforts have been undertaken since 2006, when the Government of Ghana first granted the concession.
A team of experts from forestry, offshore petroleum, marine engineering and environmental science developed a conceptual design for salvaging equipment, and a phased approach for deploying it in an operating environment.
At the same time, a trial salvage was undertaken to collect valuable information on environmental impact, operational issues, processing and drying of the under-water timber, as well as testing its market acceptability. Equipment has been shipped to Ghana for these operations, including a number of vessels.
Tree Salvage Operations
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Salvaging barge with cutting excavator,
boom winch and log pontoon. |
Startup Phase
The first phase of the salvage operation consists of pulling trees with the use of a barge and an excavator, transitioning to a combination pulling and cutting operation. This initial phase will last about one year.
The company intends to use technology compatible with the wood products industry, which can be assembled and maintained in Ghana with local expertise whenever possible.
Such equipment would include barges, cranes and excavators. CSR Developments will also continue developing its own sonar technology for production planning and for use on the salvaging barges.
Rollout Phase
The subsequent phase is designed to achieve higher volumes and efficiency and will utilize multiple barges for the salvage operations. The vessel operator will locate the trees with sonar scans of the lake bottom. A combination of hydraulic chain saws and remotely operated cutting heads will then be used to cut the trees.
They will be lifted out of the water by a crane or winch, trimmed and loaded onto pontoons (equivalent to log trailers on land). Tree roots and unwanted crowns and branches will be returned to the lake to create fish habitat. When multiple salvaging barges are in operation at a significant distance from the shore, a collection barge will be deployed to gather the trees from the pontoons and tow them to the shore facility.
Timber Processing
Startup Phase: Small Mill
On-shore processing is also implemented in two stages. An initial, small sawmill will be built on the shore of the Afram Arm of the lake near Akosombo. This mill will allow the design team to incorporate what is learned from initial operations at the lake into the design of the larger mill. Through this phased process, best solutions for operational, environmental and other related issues can be effectively implemented.
The logs will be unloaded to shore at the mill site, where they are sawn, sorted to grade specifications and readied for shipment from this lake-side facility.
Processing logs into sawn material creates a considerable amount of non-commercial-grade product and sawdust waste, which can constitute almost two thirds of salvaged timber.
For its disposal, boiler burning may be set up as well. Drying capacity may also be built to produce kiln-dried lumber and to test for optimal methods in kiln-drying wood that has been under water for decades.
Some non-commercial wood is expected to be available to local residents for uses such as charcoal production, construction and carving.
This first sawmill will have an output of 12,000 m3 annually. Capacity may be increased with the addition of a second shift. A second band mill for re-sawing would allow for an additional increase in production in an effort to better utilize the salvaging output.
The mill yard will make a portion of its logs available to the Ghana market. Whatever timber is not processed by the mill will be sold to other companies.
Rollout Phase: Full-scale Mill Processing with Electricity Co-generation
The large sawmill will be a complex operation that will process around 200,000 m3 annually. It will have a re-manufacturing line for value-added products, such as flooring, trim, or window and door parts. A sliced veneer plant will process high-end logs into decorative veneer for furniture, cabinetry and mouldings, adding more capacity. An unloading facility will be the first priority in building this mill. On-site kiln-drying capacity will be installed later to maximize the utilization of the wood inventory.
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| High level mill process flow, to be deployed in phases as needed. |
In order to make good use of the mill’s large volume of sawdust and waste wood, a co-generation plant will be built. This plant will convert waste into heat for the lumber and veneer dryers, and into electricity to power the operations. Once this large facility is completed, most waste products will be utilized internally. Any excess electricity will be made available to the Ghana power grid.
The completed mill is anticipated to have about 300 employees, with an additional close to 100 workers salvaging the logs when the facility is fully operational.
Full Operations
By completion of its facilities, CSR Developments expects to have fully integrated salvaging and processing operations, value-added production and activities for local and worldwide marketing and sales. The fully built-out facility will be one of the largest single hardwood operations in the world.
Key Figures
• Large mill with veneer slicing and co-generation plants
• Direct employment for close to 400 people
• Annual output of around 200,000 m3 of timber
• Potential excess electricity for the Ghana power grid
The development and operational plans will be designed to move from early trial to full functional capacity in a way that optimizes economic, environmental and social interests, as well as safety concerns, throughout the project’s life cycle.
For information on the social and environmental aspects of this project, see their respective sections.
View & download PDFs of the project:
Operations and Marketing: Ghana-ops
Print resloution: Ghana-ops150
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