Effect of Adhesive Type on the Quality of Coconut Shell Charcoal Briquettes Prepared by the Screw Extruder Machine

Indonesia is one of the largest coconut-producing countries in the world.The utilization of coconut shell waste into briquettes will increase the selling value and become a great export opportunity.However,the effect of adhesives on the quality of coconut shell charcoal briquettes made using screw extruder machine has not been widely studied.This study aims to determine the effect of adhesive type on the quality of coconut shell charcoal briquettes.The process of fabricating briquettes in this study included crushing,mixing,blending,pressing,and drying.In the mixing process,3 types of adhesives were used,namely tapioca flour(Briquette_1),cassava flour(Briquette_2),and modified cassava flour(Briquette_3)with a concentration of 5%of the weight of coconut shell charcoal powders.The quality of the resulting briquettes and commercial briquettes will be evaluated by moisture content,ash content,volatile matter,fixed carbon,calorific value,density,compressive,and drop test testing.The results of this research showed that the type of adhesive had a significant effect on the quality of the briquettes produced.Specimen Briquette_1 had better quality than commercial briquettes(Briquette_4)and other briquette specimens.The test results showed that Briquette_1 produced briquettes with better compressive strength and friability than the other specimens,at 6.95 N/mm^(2) and 4.44%,respectively.The moisture content,ash content,fixed carbon,and calorific value of Briquette_1 have met the requirements set by the Indonesian National Standard(SNI)number 01-6235-2000.Meanwhile,the volatile matter content and density of Briquette_1 are by the standards of Japan and the United States America(USA).

Life Cycle Assessment of Cashew Nutshell Briquettes Produced in Côte d’Ivoire

Now one of the main cash crops in Côte d’Ivoire, the cashew tree feeds an entire industrial sector based on the processing of its fruit. This processing generates a large volume of waste, consisting of cashew nutshells, the management of which poses environmental problems. With the aim of replacing charcoal and firewood with more environmentally friendly fuels, several studies are currently being carried out into the optimal use of cashew shells in fuel briquettes. To assess the environmental sustainability of these briquettes, this study calculates the environmental impacts associated with their life cycle, compares them with those of charcoal and firewood, and identifies the processes that contribute most to environmental pollution, with a view to improving them. Analysis of the results showed that cashew nutshell briquettes emit a range of pollutants over their life cycle that damage the environment and are responsible for the 7 impact categories considered: acidification, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming, human toxicity, photochemical oxidation and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential. However, they are more environmentally friendly than charcoal and firewood for 5 impact categories: freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming, human toxicity, photochemical oxidation and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential. The 3 elementary processes, i.e. transport of biomass raw materials, production, and combustion of briquettes, emit pollutants that contribute most to the creation of environmental impact categories. The most relevant pollutants are nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM).

Reduction process and zinc removal from composite briquettes composed of dust and sludge from a steel enterprise

In this study, composite briquettes were prepared using gravity dust and converter sludge as the main materials; these briquettes were subsequently reduced in a tube furnace at 1000-1300℃ for 5-30 min under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, and carbon content on the metallization and dezincification ratios of the composite briquettes were studied. The reduced com- posite briquettes were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. The results show that the gravity dust and converter sludge are combined into the composite briquettes and a reasonable combination not only improves the performance of the composite briquettes, but also leads to the reduction with no or little reductant and flux. As the re- action temperature is increased and the reaction time is extended, the metallization and dezincification ratios of the composite briquettes in- crease gradually. When the composite briquettes are roasted at 1300℃ for 30 rain, the metallization ratio and dezineification ratio reaches 91.35% and 99.25%, respectively, indicating that most of the iron oxide is reduced and the zinc is almost completely removed. The carbon content is observed to exert a lesser effect on the reduction process; as the C/O molar ratio increases, the metallization and dezincification ra- tios first increase and then decrease.

Using HyperCoal to prepare metallurgical coal briquettes via hot-pressing

HyperCoal was prepared from low-rank coal via high-temperature solvent extraction with N-methylpyrrolidone as an extraction solvent and a liquid-to-solid ratio of 50 mL/g in a high-temperature and high-pressure reactor. When HyperCoal was used as a binder and pulverized coal was used as the raw material, the compressive strength of the hot-pressed briquettes(each with a diameter of 20 mm and mass of 5 g) under different conditions was studied using a hot-pressing mold and a high-temperature furnace. The compressive strength of the hot-pressed briquettes was substantially improved and reached 436 N when the holding time period was 15 min, the hot-pressing temperature was 673 K, and the HyperCoal content, was 15 wt%. Changes in the carbonaceous structure, as reflected by the intensity ratio between the Raman G-and D-bands(IG/ID), strongly affected the compressive strength of hot-pressed briquettes prepared at different hot-pressing temperatures. Compared with cold-pressed briquettes, hot-pressed briquettes have many advantages, including high compressive strength, low ash content, high moisture resistance, and good thermal stability; thus, we expect that hot-pressed briquettes will have broad application prospects.

Ignition and Emission Characteristics of Ignition-assisting Agents for Densified Corn Stover Briquette Fuel

Ignition-assisting agents for densified corn stover briquette fuel(DCBF) were developed,and their ignition and emission characteristics were investigated using type LLA-6 household cooking stove.Three waste liquid fuels,waste engine oil(E) ,diesel oil(D) ,and industrial alcohol(A) ,were used as raw materials to make 25 ignitionassisting agents by mixing at different ratios.Their ignition performance was evaluated in terms of ignition time and cost.It was found that ignition-assisting agents ED15(a mix of E and D at volume ratio of 1︰5) and DA51(a mix of D and A at volume ratio of 5︰1) presented better ignition results with shorter ignition time(40-53 s) and lower cost(6.1 and 5.3 cents) at the dosages of 9 ml and 8 ml,respectively.The emission of O2,CO,CO2,NOx,and SO2,the temperature in fume gas,and combustion efficiency were investigated for ED15 and DA51.The results show that the emission of ED15 with the dosage of 9 ml is lower than that of DA51 with the dosage of 8 ml in the ignition process.ED15 at the dosage of 9 ml achieves satisfactory combustion efficiency and emits less pollutant,so it is recommended for practical application.The study will provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to fast ignite DCBF and break the barrier to the practical application of DCBF.

Study on the comparison of the pyrolysis gas release of lignite and its briquette

In this experiment, lignite was refined and processed through binderless briquette preparation process from low-rank coal and became briquette. Then, lignite and its briquette were pyrolysed as materials to compare the nature of their pyrolysis. In this study, the experiment was carried out through a lab tube furnace, at a heating rate of 10 ~C/min, and the gas was analyzed and compared, which was collected at different temperatures. The results show that： in the pyrolysis temperature of 550-850 ℃, the semi-coke yield of briquette is 2%-6% higher than lignite, the tar yield of briquette is 2%-3% higher than lignite and the gas yield of briquette is 4%-9% less than lignite. The time required for complete release of the briquette is about 20 min less than lignite. The components in the pyrolysis gas of lignite and its briquette are the same, and their variation with the pyrolysis temperature is similar.

Characterization of bio-coal briquettes blended from low quality coal and biomass waste treated by Garant■bio-activator and its application for fuel combustion

Experimental research was carried out on the manufacturing of bio-coal briquettes from a blend of two different types of low-quality coal and biomass waste in the absence of coal carbonization,where the third blend of the material was fermented by adding a bio-activator solution before pressurizing the components into briquettes.The coal samples from Caringin-Garut Regency(BB-Garut)had a low calorific value and a high sulfur content(6.57 wt%),whereas the coal samples from Bayah-Lebak Regency(BB-Bayah)had a higher calorific value and a lower sulfur content(0.51 wt%).The biomass added to the coal blend is in the form of fermented cow dung(Bio-Kohe),and it had a calorific value of 4192 kcal/kg and a total sulfur content of 1.56 wt%.The main objective of this study is to determine the total decrease in the sulfur content in a blend of coal and biomass in which a fennentation process was carried out using a bio-activator for 24 h.The used bio-activator was made from Garant■(1:40)+molasses 1 wt%/vol,and its used amount was 0.2 L/kg.Also,the total sulfur content in the blend was 1.00 wt%-1.14 wt%,which fulfills the necessary quality requirements for non-carbonized bio-coal briquettes.The pyritic and sulfate content in the raw coal was dominant,and the organic sulfur,when fermented with Garant■,was found to be less in the produced bio-coal briquettes by 38%-58%.

Physical and combustion properties of briquettes from sawdust of Azadirachta indica

The study was undertaken to investigate the properties of cassava starch and gum arabic bonded briquettes from the sawdust of Azadirachta indica. The briquettes were produced using a Jack press at an average pressure of 10.7 kg.cm^-2. The sawdust and binders were mixed at ratios of 100：15, 100：25, 100：35 and 100：45 in weight, respec tively. The briquettes produced were subjected to physical and combustion tests. Both the physical and combustion properties of the briquettes vary with binder types and binder levels （p 〈 0.05）. The result shows that briquettes bonded with starch gave better performance based on density of 0.546 g.cm^-3, durability rating of 95.93%, heating value of 33.09 MJ.kg^-1, percentage of fixed carbon of 84.70% and low ash and volatile matter of 3.35% and 11.95%, respectively, while briquette bonded with gum arabic has density of 0.425 g.cm^-3, durability rating of 94.85%, heating value of 32.76 MJ.kg^-l, percentage of fixed carbon of 87.30% and low ash and volatile matter of 4.45% and 8.75, respectively. Since the aim of briquetting is to produce briquette that will serve as a good source of fuel and support combustion, the best briquette was produced when the sawdust-starch ratio and sawdust-gum arabic ratio was 100：25 and 100：35, respectively.

Physical and mechanical characteristics of composite briquette from coal and pretreated wood fines

Melina wood torrefied at 260℃ for 60 min was agglomerated with lean grade coal fines into composite briquettes using pitch as binder.Torrefied biomass(3%-20%)and coal fines(80%-97%)were blended together to produce the composite briquettes under a hydraulic press(28 MPa).The briquettes were cured at 300℃.Density,water resistance,drop to fracture,impact resistance,and cold crushing strength were evaluated for the composite briquettes.The proximate,ultimate,and calorific value analyses were carried out according to different ASTM standards.Microstructural studies were carried out using scanning electron microscope and electron probe microanalyzer equipped with energy dispersive x-ray.Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer(FTIR)was used to obtain the functional groups in the raw materials and briquettes.The density of the composite briquettes ranged from 0.92 to 1.31 g/cm^(3) after curing.Briquettes with<10%torrefied biomass has good water resistance index(>95%).The highest cold crushing strength of 4 MPa was obtained for briquettes produced from 97%coal fines and 3%torrefied biomass.The highest drop to fracture(54 times/2 m)and impact resistance index(1350)were obtained for the sample produced from 97%coal and 3%torrefied biomass.The fixed and elemental carbons of the briquettes showed a mild improvement compared to the raw coal.The peaks from FTIR spectra for the briquettes shows the presence of aromatic C=C bonds and phenolic OH group.The composite briquettes with up to 20%torrefied biomass can all be useful as fuel for various applications.

Evaluation of Fuel Properties of Six Tropical Hardwood Timber Species for Briquettes

The fuel potential of six tropical hardwood species namely: Triplochiton scleroxylon, Ceiba pentandra, Aningeria robusta, Terminalia superba, Celtis mildbreadii and Piptadenia africana were studied. Properties studied included species density, gross calorific value, volatile matter, ash content, organic carbon and elemental composition. Fuel properties were determined using standard laboratory methods. The result indicates that the gross calorific value (GCV) of the species ranged from 20.16 to 22.22 MJ/kg and they slightly varied from each other. Additionally, the GCV of the biomass materials were higher than that of other biomass materials like;wheat straw, rice straw, maize straw and sugar cane. The ash and volatile matter content varied from 0.6075 to 5.0407%, and 75.23% to 83.70% respectively. The overall rating of the properties of the six biomass materials suggested that Piptadenia africana has the best fuel property to be used as briquettes and Aningeria robusta the worse. This study therefore suggests that a holistic assessment of a biomass material needs to be done before selecting it for fuel purpose.

Relationship between Physico-Mechanical Properties, Compacting Pressure and Mixing Proportion of Briquettes Produced from Maize Cobs and Sawdust

This study examined the relationship between selected physico-mechanical properties, compacting pressure and mixing proportion of briquettes produced from combination of maize cob particles and sawdust of low, medium and high density timber species. Particle sizes of maize cobs and sawdust used for the study were ≤1 mm. The two materials were combined at mixing percentages of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50 (Sawdust:maize cobs). Briquettes were produced at room temperature (28°C) using compacting pressures 20, 30, 40 and 50 MPa. The results suggested that combining maize cob particles with sawdust of low, medium and high density wood species could significantly enhance the relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from agricultural biomass residue like maize cobs. The results further indicated that the physical and mechanical characteristics of briquettes produced from combinations of sawdust of low density species and maize cobs were exceptionally higher than that produced from combinations of maize cob particles, and medium density and high density timber species. The R2 values for the regression model between the independent variables (mixing percentage and compacting pressure) and relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from combinations of maize cob particles and sawdust of low density species (Ceiba pentandra) were 0.966, 0.932 and 0.710 respectively. This study provides a hope for briquetting maize cobs at room temperature using a low compacting pressure.

Production of Fuel Briquettes from Bamboo and Agricultural Residue as an Alternative to Charcoal

The study was done to explore the potential of producing fuel briquettes that could meet the need for energy in Uganda, especially Kampala city. The primary objective of this work was to produce fuel briquettes from homogeneous and heterogeneous combinations of carbonized maize cobs, Bamboo poles and charcoal dust. For the primary objective to be achieved, the main activities which were performed included;chopping bamboo poles, sorting maize cobs, carbonization, crushing, binder preparation, mixing, extrusion, drying and quality assessment of the fuel briquettes. The maize cobs and charcoal dust used for this work were purchased from the farmers and charcoal sellers respectively from the districts of Luwero and Nakaseke. Bamboo poles were provided by Divine bamboo group. The homogenous combinations included 100% maize cob char, 100% bamboo char and 100% charcoal dust. Heterogeneous combinations included 75% bamboo char + 25% charcoal dust and 25% bamboo char + 75% charcoal dust. The test results for both homogenous and heterogeneous combinations of fuel briquettes had ranges of moisture content 8% - 11%, Volatile matter 12% - 23%, Ash content 33% - 39%, Heating Value 16 - 22 MJ/Kg, Fixed Carbon 30% - 51% and moisture content 8% - 9%, Volatile matter 13% - 19%, Ash content 27% - 44%, Heating Value 16 - 18 MJ/Kg, Fixed Carbon 30% - 51% respectively. The test results for drop resistance, density and Compressibility strength for both homogeneous and heterogeneous combinations had ranges of 7% - 56%, 214 - 941 kg/m3, 0.077 - 0.544 N/mm2 and 12% - 28%, 869.1 - 958.3 kg/m3, 0.124 - 0.295 N/mm2 respectively. These results were within the ranges reported in the literature especially for the heterogeneous combinations. Therefore, there is the possibility to use bamboo woody feedstock in combination with other agricultural waste feedstock for the production of fuel briquettes. We can increase the quality and production of fuel briquettes by using alternative feedstock sources rather than degrading the environment through deforestation.

FABRICATION AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF FERROMANGANESE COMPOSITE BRIQUETTE

Organic binder is used for briquetting manganese ore and coke fines to fabricate composite briquette with high strength and resistivity, thermal stability, good softening property and reducibility through simple process ,which is advantageous to deep insertion of electrodes,improvement of permeability in burden layer and stabilization of operating process during smelting.Significant effects have been obtained from the industrial application in an 1800 kVA ferromanganese arc furnace charged with 50% of composite briquette: 20% electricity was saved and 9.6% more manganese was recovered.

Mechanism of sulfur capture during coal briquette combustion

The mechanisms of sulfur capturing during coal briquette combustion was discussed. Various factors affecting sulfur removal efficiency have been studied. Characterization of the slag left after combustion has been carried out by using X ray diffraction (XRD), Messbauer spectroscopy (MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion X ray analysis (EDAX), and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). No other sulfur containing species besides CaSO 4 was found. Small amount of CaFe 3(SiO 4) 2OH, some complexes of CaO SiO 2 Fe 2O 3 and vitreous iron oxides were identified on the surface of CaSO 4 grains. This might explain the mechanism of sulfur fixation during coal briquettes combustion.

Emission control for precursors causing acid rain(V): Improvement of acid soil with the bio-briquette combustion ash

The bio-briquette technique which mixes coal, biomass and sulfur fixation agent and bio-briquettes under 3—5 t/cm 2 line pressure has aroused people's attention in view of controlling the air pollution and the acid rain. In this paper, the physicochemical properties of bio-briquette and its ash were investigated. And the acid soil was improved by the bio-briquette combustion ash, which contained nutritive substances such as P, N, K and had the acid-neutralizing capacity(ANC). The pH, EC, effective nutrient elements(Ca, Mg, K, P and N), heavy metal elements(Al, Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn and Mn) and acid-neutralizing capacity change of ash-added soils within the range of 0—10%, were also studied. Specially, when 5% bio-briquette combustion ash was added to the tested soil, the content of the effective elements such as Ca, Mg and K rose by 100 times, 7 times and twice, respectively. The total nitrogen also increased by about twice. The results showed the oxyanions such as that of Al, Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn and Mn were not potentially dangerous, because they were about the same as the averages of them in Chinese soil. It is shown that the ANC became stronger, though the ANC hardly increases in the ash-added soil. On the basis of the evaluation indices, it is concluded that the best mixture ratio is to add 2.5%—8% of the bio-briquette combustion ash to the tested soil.

Application of carbon composite iron ore hot briquette to innovative ironmaking process

As a new type of ironmaking raw materials,carbon composite iron ore hot briquette(CCB) is the product of fine iron ore and fine coal by hot briquetting process.On basis of experimental research on the manufacturing and metallurgical properties of CCB,this study focused on the application of CCB to blast furnace ironmaking and newly-developed shaft furnace smelting reduction processes.Firstly,the metallurgical properties of CCB are experimentally tested and compared with the common iron-bearing burdens.Then,the effects of charging CCB on blast furnace operation are numerically analyzed by means of multi-fluid blast furnace model,and the flowchart and pilot test of CCB-Shaft furnace smelting reduction process are briefly introduced.

Energy Efficiency of Briquettes Derived from Three Agricultural Waste’s Charcoal Using Two Organic Binders

Waste management could contribute significantly to reducing environmental degradation. Studies showed that briquetting provides with or without binder helps to manage wastes as energy fuels. However, the properties of many binders are not investigated extensively. This work investigated the effect of two organic binders’ low rate on energy efficiency of Briquettes produced from charcoals of Tender Coconut Husks (TCH), Palm Kernel Shells (PKS) and Corn Cobs (CC). Bombax Costatum calyx (B) and Cissus Repens barks (C) were used separately as binders to elaborate briquettes. The briquettes were compared based on their energy efficiency parameters with wood charcoal as control. Energy efficiency parameters such as water boiling time (WBT), mass of biomass used (MB), burning rate (BR), temperature rise rate (TR) and maximum temperature in the furnace (Tmax) were measured from each biomass charcoal briquette and wood charcoal combustion. Water boiling test was applied to determine briquettes thermal properties. The results of WBT, BR, TR and Tmax were respectively within the ranges 3.4 - 12.3 min, 2.90 - 7.71 g/min, 4.63°C/s - 16.10°C/s and 623°C - 900°C. Corn Cobs charcoal briquettes with Bombax binder took the shortest time to boil water and also presented a high temperature rise rate and the highest maximum temperature. The lowest burning rates were obtained for Tender coconut husks charcoal briquettes with Cissus binder. They showed good material conservation for bombax bound briquettes. The results of our investigations showed that binders content increasing enhanced the thermomechanical stability and affected negatively the energy efficiency parameters of the studied briquettes.

Toward Adaptation of Briquettes Making Technology for Green Energy and Youth Employment in Tanzania: A Review

Briquette technology is an alternative green energy source to offset the increasing demand for charcoal and firewood to save the forests and the environment while creating employment for youth and women. Using the scoping and realistic review techniques, a review study was conducted to establish the briquette technology’s existence, and its value chain, identify stakeholders and challenges along the value chain and explore the policies supporting the technology and potential employment opportunities for youth in the green energy sector. The review results indicated that the briquette technology value chain consists of sourcing raw materials, production process, distribution, and consumption as its components while transportation, storage or packaging, marketing, and training are its supporting services. In addition, it was found that stakeholders in the value chain are manufacturers, producers, and supporting service providers who differ based on their formalities, such as groups, companies, government organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), institutions, and enterprises. Furthermore, five challenges were identified that impair the briquette adoption. They include the technology, raw materials, and the quality of briquettes, promotion, and marketing. Also, the study found that there are limited policies that provide a conducive environment for briquette technology to flourish. The study concludes that briquette technology exists in Tanzania. However, it is not yet matured as compared to the developed countries, and the technology is not backstopped by existing policies. The study recommends the briquette technology as a viable employment opportunity, especially for youth and women;therefore, the formulated briquette value chain should be utilized for easy coordination of stakeholders and deployment of the technology. Also, there is a need to create awareness and innovative strategies for promoting and engaging more stakeholders in the technology through the policies that explicitly insist on adopting the briquette technology.

Assessment of Municipal Organic Solid Waste, as a Potential Feedstock for Briquette Production in Kampala, Uganda

The current shortage of energy resources coupled with environmental degradation problems resulting from deforestation in Uganda has contributed to increased demand for renewable energy resources including municipal organic solid waste and agricultural residues. However, organic waste from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) may contain contaminants that are harmful to public health and the environment. This study determined the heavy metal concentration in MSW in Kampala City, Uganda. Also, the physicochemical properties of briquettes produced from the MSW were compared with charcoal. The waste samples were collected from residential, institutional and market areas over a period of two weeks. They were then analyzed for the presence of heavy metals. Briquettes were made from the bio-waste and were subjected to calorific and proximate analysis. Results indicated that the mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Pb were 1.25 mg/kg, 2.04 mg/kg, 38.2 mg/kg, 3.97 mg/kg and 1.99 mg/kg respectively while Hg was not detected. The calorific values of briquettes ranged from 8.9 to 15.3 MJ/kg and were lower than those of charcoal. Heavy metal concentrations in bio-waste collected were below the permissible acceptable limits. These findings indicate that the sampled MSW does not pose a health hazard arising from the presence of such heavy metals and therefore could be a safe source of renewable energy.

Effect of refractory agent on ash fusibility temperatures of briquettet

To solve the problem of the low ash fusion point of briquette, this paper reported that the ash fusibility temperatures can be elevated by changing ash ingredients through blending refractory agents in briquette ash, which will create favorable conditions for moving bed continuous gasification of briquette with oxygen-rich air. The effects of A1203, SiO2, kaolin, dry powder and bentonite on ash fusibility temperatures were studied, based upon the relationship between briquette ash components and ash fusibility. The results show that the increasing of ash fusibility temperatures by adding the same amount （11%, w） of refractory agents follows the sequence of SiO2, bentonite, dry powder, kaolin, A1203, with the softening temperatures being elevated by 37.2, 57.6, 60.4, 82.6 and 104.4℃. With the same ratio of SIO2/A1203 in briquette, adding the A1203 component is more effective than SiO2 for raising ash fusibility temperatures. In this paper, inexpensive kaolin and bentonite rich in A1203 are found to be better refractory agents, and the suitable adding quantities are 9% and 11%, respectively.