Biomass Briquetting

And
Other Biomass Energy Technologies

Prof. Krishna Raj Shrestha

Research Centre for Applied
Science & Technology
Tribuvan University
 Primary Energy Sources
• Biomass Energy- Any material of plant or animal origin such as
woody biomass (stems, branches, twigs) non-woody biomass
(leaves, grass) agricultural residues (rice husk, straw, coconut shell)
and animal and human wastes.
• Solar Energy- energy from the sun comes as direct or diffuse
radiation.
• Hydro Energy-Utilizes potential energy from water stored behind
dams, natural heads (water falls) and kinetic energy of streams or
rivers.
• Wind energy- the kinetic energy from the wind is converted by
wind turbines into mechanical energy or electrical energy.
• Geothermal energy- heat flow from the earth’s core to the surface by
hot water. The heat can be used for space heating , drying or
electricity generation.
Primary Energy Sources Contd..
• Ocean Energy- includes three energy sources: Wave and tidal,
which both utilize kinetic energy of moving water and Ocean
thermal, which utilizes the heat flow between the warm surface
waters and cool deep waters of tropical oceans.
• Fossil fuels- Coal, crude oil and natural gas. The main
commercial fuels around the world.
• Nuclear Energy- energy released when the nuclei of atoms
(usually uranium) break apart. This energy is utilized by converting it
into electrical energy.
 Introduction to Biomass
Conversion Technologies
• The word 'Biomass' is a very
comprehensive term comprising of
all forms of matter derived from
biological activities and are present
either on the surface of the soil or at
different depths of vast body of
water, lakes, streams, river, seas,
ocean etc.
 Introduction
• Biomass refers to all forms of organic matter produced
as products of photosynthesis. Biomass has long served
as one of the primary energy forms utilized by human
being for essential activities aside from nutrition.
Different forms of biomass are
• Forest based products
• Timber, fuel wood, wood chips/shavings, saw dust, a
milling residue, forest waste like leaves, twigs, shrubs,
herbs herbal products, etc.
• Agriculture based products
• Aquatic plants
• Animal dung and human waste.
Energy Consumption Situation by fuel
type

1.2% 376.3 MGJ

0.1%
3.9%
12.3%
2.8% Biomass
Grid electricity
Coal
79.6% Petroleum
Renewable
Others

Source :WECS Survey

,2011
 43% of the energy used by the third world
country is derived from biomass.

2.4 billion people are totally reliant on

biomass fuels for their energy needs.

During Photosynthesis, the Sun's energy converts

water and carbon dioxide into organic matter.
CO2 +2H2O O2+[CH2O]+H2O

About 3.0X1021 Joules of energy is stored in 2X1011 tonnes

of organic matter produced annually by Photosynthesis.

Yet only 14% of the world's energy

comes from biomass.
• Cellulose is an organic compound with the
formula (C6H10O5)n, a polysaccharide
consisting of a linear chain of several hundred
to many thousands of β linked D-glucose units.
• Hemicelluloses are polysaccharides in plant
cell walls that have β-(1→4)-linked backbones
with an equatorial configuration.
• Lignin is a complex polymer, the chief
noncarbohydrate constituent of wood, that
binds to cellulose fibers and hardens and
strengthens the cell walls of plants.
 2
• There are basically four major routes for
the conversion of biomass to energy and
other useful products. These are

• Physical conversion processes

• Chemical conversion processes
• Bio-chemical conversion processes
• Thermo chemical conversion processes
 3
• Physical Conversion techniques are aimed
at physically altering the form of biomass.
• For example,
• 1) Physical Conversion Processes:
• a) the size reduction of biomass by
chipping, pulverising b) drying to reduce
water c) Screening d) densification or
briquetting. The main purpose is to
prepare biomass suitable for combustion.
 4
• 2) Chemical Conversion Processes
• Chemical conversion techniques
are aimed at altering the, molecular
structure of biomass. For example, the
acid hydrolysis of cellulose molecules
to glucose followed by fermentation
and distillation.
) Bio-chemical Conversion Processes
3

Bio-chemical treatment incorporates the

action of micro-organisms on the biomass for

the production of bio-gas. Examples include

anaerobic digestion, landfilling, composting,

Vermiculture etc.
4) Thermochemical Conversion Processes
a) Combustion
b) Pyrolysis
c) Gasification
d) Liquefaction

a)Combustion: It is the burning of biomass

material in the presence of excess quantity of
air. It is a chemical reaction of the fuel with the
environment including heat and mass transfer.
b) Pyrolysis : It is a physical and chemical
n

decomposition of organic matter brought

about by heating in the absence of air. The

products of pyrolysis are char, liquid

distillates and gas .

nc) Gasification: It is a process in which solid fuels
are broken down by the use of heat with a restricted
supply of air to produce combustible gases which
can be used as a fuel for internal combustion
engines. The gas known as producer gas is a
mixture of

n CO - 15-29%
n H2 - 5-15%
n CO2 - 5-15%
n N2 - 50-65%
n CH4 - few %
d) Liquefaction: It is a high temp and
n

high-pressure catalytic process

n

,which converts biomass to fuel oil.

n
ENERGY SCENARIO IN NEPAL

Total Energy Consumption 376.3 Million GJ (WECS, June,

2014) (1 toe = 41.86GJ)
Per Capita energy consumption 15 GJ

Traditional Energy Sources(8.204m toe) 85.0 %

Fuel Wood 71.06 %
Agri-residues 3.51 %
Animal Dung 5.08%

Petroleum 12.28 %
Coal 3.93 %
Electricity 2.8 %

Renewable 1.22 %
Energy Ladder for Cook Stoves
 Biomass Briquetting

Biomass Briquetting is the densification of loose biomass

materials (agricultural residues, forestry wastes, animal
wastes etc.) to produce compact solid composites of
different sizes called briquettes. Densification is the general
process of compressing the raw materials to a certain shape
or form using a mould and pressure.

Indoor air Pollution

1.9 million people die each year because of indoor air
pollution
( The World Health Report, WHO 2006)
 Biomass briquetting
Requirements for briquetting
• mould and machine (pressure)
• biomass raw materials
• pressure (P), heat (ToC) and binding agent

Metallic
mold/ die

Raw materials
of briquetting

Briquette
product
 Why Briquetting?
• Briquetting is applied to improve
• Fuel characteristics
• Combustion properties (Combustion
efficiency)

• Waste utilization
• Easy handling
• Minimize wastage
• Transportation
• Storage
 Biomass briquetting
The process of briquetting is applied
• to increase bulk density and decrease volume
• to ease handling,
• to ease transportation,
• to manage storage, etc
• to improve fuel characteristics – calorific value,
C, Moisture content, AC, VM
• to improve combustion properties –
T ignition, Period of Ignition, etc
• Increase combustion time & slow release of
energy 30
 Loose biomass & briquettes
Properties of loose biomass Briquettes Remarks
Physical properties
Big volume (low bulk density) Low volume/compact (high Packaging is possible
bulk density)

Storage problem Easy to store Indoor storage

Difficult to handle Easy to handle
Difficulty to transport Easy to transport
Fire hazardous Less fire hazards
Limited use Wide use Domestic &
Industrial use

31
 Loose biomass & briquettes
Properties of loose biomass Briquettes Remarks
Combustion properties

Fast combustion Slow combustion Easy to tap the heat

Low thermal efficiency Higher thermal efficiency

Smoke generation high Less smoke /no smoke

High emissions of CO,NOx Low emissions Introduction of

additives
High moisture (reduction in Low moisture (change in Introduction of
CV and Ignition CV & Ignition additives
temperature) temperature)

32
Types of biomass –
Forest waste – saw dust, leaves, twigs. Shrubs,
residues of herbs & herbal products
Biomass under high tension lines
Agricultural residues -rice husk, rice straw, rice
bran, wheat husk, wheat straw, wheat bran,
maize cobs, maize stalks, sugarcane leaves,,
Industrial waste/residues - sugarcane
bagasse, coffee husk, tobacco waste, tea waste
Herbal residues
 Potential Raw Materials
• Agricultural Residue - Rice Husk,
Straw of Paddy, Wheat, Maize etc.,
Pruning of Tea plants, Oil-seed
stalks, Legume stalks.
• Forest Residue - Pine Needles, Saw
Dust, Banmara, Residue from,
Bamboo works,
• Medicinal Plant Residue - Taxus,
Pudina, Cintronella, Lemongrass,
Asuro, Eucalyptus,
Two Different ways for biomass
briquetting
Briquetting Biomass Carbonization
briquettes
Direct

Different types of Molds,

Different parameters of
Biomass raw briquetting –
Temperature, Pressure,
Biocoal or charcoal
materials briquettes
binders, particle size,
moisture, etc

Charcoal Powder
Carbonization Briquetting

35
 Factors effecting briquetting
• Temperature - process is easier (ligno-cellulose
materials show elastic properties & increases the flow),
moldability is better as materials become soft and the product
is better formed when the material is heated
• Pressure - Briquette formation & strength of briquettes is
better with increase in pressure (The intra-molecular bond
becomes easy due to pressure) (breaking strength)
• Moisture content - An optimum quantity of moisture
(enhances binding properties) is necessary for briquetting.
• Size - raw material should be uniform (less then 5 mm in
size)
• Hardgrove Grindabilty Index (HGI) – better when HGI is
high
36
• Spring back ratio – better when Spring back ratio is little
 Factors effecting briquetting
• Size of the briquetting material - The size of the briquetting
material both biomass and other briquetting materials should
be uniform in size and preferably below 5mm in size. The
preferable size is 1-5 mm. Grinding and pulverizing of the
material is required if the size is greater. Very fine particles are
also not preferable.
• Low moisture content - Moisture content of briquetting
material should be as low as possible, generally in the range
of 10-15 percent. High moisture content will pose problems in
grinding and briquetting. Excessive energy is required for
drying. Absolutely dry material also cannot form good
briquettes as water sometimes plays the role of a binder.
• Ash content and composition - Biomass residues normally
have much lower ash content normally < 5% by weight,
(except for rice husk with >15% ash) but their ashes have 37 a
higher percentage of alkaline minerals, especially potash.
Ring matrix pelletizing press
Disc matrix pelletizing press

Pelletizer Pellets
 Schematic diagram of a piston press

Piston press
briquettor
Briquettes from Piston press
 Production of Ecofuel

Coal Plastic
waste
Drying S and Cl fixation agents N removing agents

Grinding Cleaning &

Pulverizing
Heating and mixing

Briquetting
Briquetting
~1 ton/cm2
compression machine
pressure

Eco-Fuel
3
 Roller Press Briquetting technology

Roller press briquetting machine from Schematic diagram

India

Coal briquettes Charcoal briquettes

Mhepi Briquette Udyog, Nawalparasi
Mhepi Briquette Udhyog (Taiwan machine)
Ganesh Trading Concern
 Agglomeration Technology
Charcoal particles cluster together under the influence of the binder. As
the cylinder rotates, the particles are drawn to the top; when they come
down again rolling; other particles stick to the agglomerate, which turns
into charcoal ball by the “snow ball effect”.
 Low Compression Technology

Briquetting Materials
Pulping Briquette
Press

Drying Briquettes Briquette stove

Briquetting After Carbonization:
Beehive Briquette
 Different waste biomass

Lantana camera Mugwort – Tite pati

Banmara Mikania Macrantha Pine needles

- Banmasa
Carbonization Technologies

The Earth Pit

55
The Vertical
Carbonization of Loose residues
Beehive Kiln
 Different Types of Moulds Used in Making Beehive Briquettes

Mold with 19 holes Mold with 17 holes Larger manual mold

Chinese manual mold

Improved hand mold

Three molds

Mechanical Mold ( 4molds)

Pedal Press
Mechanical Press
 Manual/Electrical Pelletizes

Peddle press pelletizer Manual pellet machine Electric pellet machine

 Different types of stoves

Improvement of
Local innovation
for grinding
charcoal
New Briquetting molds - Sajilo
Mold

Old mold with one rod New Sajilo mold with double rod

18-Feb-15 67
Addition of 2 bolt allows to make
 Different Types of binder
Bentonite clay , Potters Clay (no sand no
pebbles): 20-30 % by wt

Other binders
Starch (Wheat, corn flour, etc) - 10 %
Molasses - (5-10%), Pulp black liquor
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), 2-3%

18-Feb-15 68
 New Stoves
Technical
support to
Himalayan
Naturals

Old Agni stove – GI

18-Feb-15 New Agni stove 70
sheet – MS plates and Stove for 2 -3 beehive
k|of]ux?
History of Biobriquetting in Nepal

It is being used since

ancient times

Log type above and

circular one right
 Development efforts in Biobriquetting
• Since ancient times – use of animal dung
briquettes
• 1982 – 1st industry Nepal Bio-Extruder in
Thapathali
• 1984/85 - charred RH briquettes research
Mohan D Basnet
• 1986 - Demonstration of Rice husk
briquetting by Fuji Co with support from
Japanese embassy
• ~ 30 industries were registered with DOI
• 1987 - Establ of 6 RH briquetting industries
 Development efforts in Biobriquetting
• 1989 – research & briquetting of MSW waste
by NESS – Branch of Yagai Kagaku, Sapporo
• 1992-1995 - NAST/JICA project– Introduction
of Coal BHB & Biocoal, technical help to RHB
industries – Tanimec spray welding
• 1995 – Advise to J Sherpa on Roller press
briquetting
• 1997 - Introduction of Beehive Briquette from
India (Shrestha)
• 1999-2002 - Continuation of Biocoal by IHC-
KMTNC – introduction of roller press
• 2000- Introduction of piston press RH
briquetting in Birgunj (Lucknow)
 Development efforts in Biobriquetting
• 2000-2004 - RETs in ASIA, Biomass
briquetting project of AIT-NAST
• Charcoal pellets – CEEN, NAST,CRT/N
• Briquetting of MSW and RDF - NAST
• 2009 - Technical Cooperation in
Dissemination of Alternative Energy
(Biobriquette) Technologies in Nepal ––
NEPA-NAST-CEEN
Problems and Constraints in Biobriquetting
Problems related with the rice husk briquetting.

High cost of technology

Wearing of the screw/worm feeder &
muff
High cost and seasonal Availability of
the raw material
Marketing problems of the rice husk
briquettes
Burning/heating devices and ignition
problems
Acceptability of the briquettes - slow
burning & smell
Problems Related with Beehive briquetting
 Friability of the briquettes and thus difficult packaging
and transportation

Quality maintenance

Charcoal making

Grinding and mixing of charcoal

Manufacturing mold

Ignition of briquettes
Burning Stove
The Agni Stove
Barbecue Stove
 1990ies
in 2014 2016
Socio-economy- Cost of different
2005
fuels Fuel
Fuel wood *Rs 2-4/kg *Rs 6- *Rs 10- * Rs
8/kg 15/kg 20-
40/kg
Kerosene Rs 4 liter Rs Rs Rs
(Rs 9.5/l- 26/lite 103/liter 75/liter
1996) r
* - onlyRice
collection
husk cost
Rs of wood , Rs
5/kg ** - LPG in ~15
8- Rs 25- kg cylinder,
Rs 30- but
actual briquette
is less, subsidized
Effectiveness of different
15/kg 30/kg fuelsSource:
Fuel
35/kg
WECS 1995
Beehive NA Rs 15/ Rs 25/pc Rs 30-
N Energy Type Unit Price GJ/Uni GJ/ Efficienc Effectiv
briquette 35/pc
quantity (Rs/unit Q) tQ Rs y (%) e
LPG NA Rs Rs1470/c Rs GJ/Rs
1 Fuel wood 1kg 4.42 900/c
0.0167yl**
0.00 1400/cy
17 0.0006
yl** 38 l**
2 Electricity Kwh 4.00 0.0036 0.00 76 0.0007
09
3 Gas 1 kg 21.13 0.0452 0.00 70 0.0015
21 82
N.B.* Beehive briquette–current market (2016) price, ** value from
4 Kerosene 1liter 9.00 0.0365 0.00 48 0.0020
 CONCLUSION
The beehive briquetting technology is simple, pollution free and

eco-friendly. It provides smokeless domestic fuel easily ignitable

with sustained uniform combustion. The use of agro-forestry

residues can replace fuel wood and wood charcoal. Being eco-

friendly with high social relevance and having the potential to

contribute forest conservation, this technology should be widely

promoted throughout Nepal.

THANK YOU
 Low Cost Can Stove for RH
Briquettes and Charcoal Pellets

18-Feb-15 85
 Belonio Stove using Granular Biomass

18-Feb-15 86
 Institutional Stove with Blower
using RH Briquettes

18-Feb-15 87