ABSTRACT
The use of wood as a fuel source was known for many centuries around the world before the advent of fossil fuels, when wood was first replaced by coal and then subsequently by natural gas and petroleum products. In the United States and Europe, the shift from wood to fossil fuels as the major source of energy was so dramatic that the use of natural biomass as fuel dropped to a negligible value. This transition got further impetus due to the depletion of forest cover and pressure on wood resources to meet the demands of the pulp and paper industry and the logging industry. The use of wood and other natural biomass as a fuel source, however, continued in developing and undeveloped nations in Asia and Africa. In developing countries such as China and India, the dependency on wood as a fuel source was greater than 70%. In African countries, the use of natural biomass as fuel source was in some cases greater than 90%.
