Avaliação das características mercadológicas e qualidade energética do carvão vegetal comercializado para fins domésticos no centro do município de Patos - PB.

Abstract

The use of charcoal in households is usually for cooking food. Given the importance of this use, the aim of this study was to analyze the quality of charcoal sold in the municipality of Patos-PB, destined for domestic consumption. Charcoal was obtained through a random sampling process in commercial establishments, divided into the following three categories: supermarket (S), refrigerator and / or meat house (F), and minibox (C). The market characteristics were evaluated, as well as the physical and energetic characteristics of charcoal. Regarding the amount of charcoal present in the packages of 05 and 03 kg evaluated, it was observed that all had a mass of charcoal higher than that exposed in the package, probably due to the absorption of moisture at the marketing site.It was observed that the R2 a greater variation in the price (28.33%) commercialized among the evaluated establishments, not including in the packaging the authorization of the production by the environmental inspection agencies. The average moisture content of charcoal was less than 5%, in relation to the value indicated for the domestic consumption of charcoal. The calorific value of charcoal with the highest value was found at brand R1 (8160.45 kcal kg-1) and there was a high variation between the brands within the commercial establishments themselves, indicating a great heterogeneity of the evaluated material.