It is important to research the vegetal coal production chain in order to find gaps and
suggest initiatives that aim increasing the operational efficiency. The aim of this research
was to describe, through diagnosis analysis, the vegetal coal production chain in Brazil,
originated from planted forest, modelling and identifying the critical factors, the
restrictions and the influence of organization and institutional environments that evolve it.
The methodology consisted of two stages. a) Diagnosis analysis of the coal production
chain through analysis of secondary data and interviewing specialists; it was possible to
identify limiting factors and through the application of the method of Panel of Judges,
application of questionnaires to specialists, the critical factors were identified. The critical
factors were classified as technologic, non technologic and market critical factors. b) The
study case, analysis of the production system of the segment of capitalist companies, which
aimed at analyzing with focus on efficiency management and study of times and
movements, the productivity and the costs for both production systems, System I: 2-m logs
used in the carbonization in parabolic cylinder ovens and the System II: 6-m logs used in
the carbonization of rectangular ovens (RAC). The technologic critical factors of the
vegetal coal production chain are: lack of appropriate genetic material to produce vegetal
coal; high cost of the fertilizers; high cost of machinery and equipments of forest
harvesting; unefficient forest management; lack of reuse of gases from production ovens;
low quality of the wood; low development and incorporation of new technologies; low
performance of the ovens used to produce the vegetal coal. The non technologic critical
factors are: lack of qualified workers; high taxes; low production of vegetal coal from
planted forest. The market critical factors are: the lack of planning for vegetal coal supply
by the foundries; acquisition and use of vegetal coal from native forest; quality of the
vegetal coal (content of fines) and increase in the production of iron due to favorable prices
in the international market. With respect to this study case it may be concluded that: the
stages of forest logging, loading and unloading reached the highest productivity for 6-m
logs. The cost of production and transportation of vegetal coal was higher for system I,
23.28 R$/t, while system II presented the value of 14.68 R$/t. In order to increase the
productive performance in the vegetal coal production it is necessary to adopt
technological innovations which fulfill the aspects of quality, productive efficiency,
sustainability and competitiviness of this chain. It is also necessary to know about the
demand and the consumption of vegetal coal in Brazil, so as to develop plans and
guidelines to support forest plantations, being important to know which are the
socialeconomical characteristics of the wood productors for coal production. It is also
important to invest in public policies, especially with regard to rural credit, as these factors
are responsible for the sucess or failure of the program for support of vegetal coal
production.
