Salvaging Technology
Retrieving 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.
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| Salvaging barge with cutting excavator, boom winch and log pontoon. |
Technological advances in marine Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) technology for the offshore petroleum industry, along with improving efficiency in land-based equipment, are creating a fertile environment for the development of underwater salvaging technology.
CSR Developments is committed to bring the best technology to all its projects.
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.
The company intends to use technology compatible with the wood products industry that 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.
Processing Technology
On-shore processing may be implemented in two stages. An initial, small sawmill would allow incorporating what was learned from initial operations at the lake into the design of a larger mill. Through this phased process, best solutions for local operational, environmental and related issues can be effectively implemented.
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| High level mill process flow, to be deployed in phases as needed. |
Processing logs creates a considerable amount of non-commercial-grade product and waste. 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 long periods.
Some non-commercial wood can be made available to local residents for uses such as charcoal production, construction and carving. Extra timber would be sold to other companies.
A second phase, high-volume sawmill may process around 200,000m3 annually. It may have a re-manufacturing line for value-added products, such as flooring, trim, or window and door parts. Additionally, a sliced veneer plant could process high-end logs into decorative veneer for furniture, cabinetry and mouldings, adding more capacity. On-site kiln-drying capacity may also be installed to maximize the utilization of the wood inventory.
In order to make good use of this mill’s large volume of waste, a boiler burning co-generation plant may also be built to convert waste into power.
