Problem Statement

Increased population growth causes the demand for fossil fuels to increase while the availability
of these fuels is running low, so research needs to be done to find environmentally friendly
alternative energy. Bio pallets from a mixture mixed wood sawdust waste is one of the solutions
in overcoming the energy crises in future.

Objective
In the view of above problem, we propose to fabricate a machine which will convert the waste
biomass (agro-waste) into a reusable form of briquettes which will be easy to handle, transport
and store.

Results and Discussion

Sample 1
Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4
Result of Cost analysis how much pellets are cheaper
 Project cost
 Project cost = Rs. 100,000
 Machine capacity per hour = 50 kg
 Electricity cost
 2HP = 1.49 kWh
 Consume unit per hour cost = 20.66 *1.492 = 31 Rs
 Raw material cost
 Molasses
 Molasses rate = 21/kg
 Total cost of molasses = 21*10 = 210Rs /hour
 Wooden chips
 Wooden chips rate = 10/kg
 Total cost of wooden chips = 39 *10 = 390/hour
 Kalaf
 Kalaf rate = 400/kg
 Total cost of kalaf used = 400 *1 = 400Rs/hour
 Labour cost
 Labour cost = 700/8 = 88 Rs/hour
 Total running cost
 = 1119Rs /hour
 Total cost on making the pellets = 1119/50 = 22.38 Rs /kg
 Sale price = 30 Rs /kg
 Total profit = 1500-1119 = 381 Rs /hour
 Profit per day = 381 *8 = 3048 Rs /day
 Other expenses = 500 Rs /day
 Total profit per day = 3048-500 = 2548 Rs /day
Type of Biomass Moisture % (wet basis)
Water hyacinth 95.3
Dairy Cattle manure 88
Rice straw 50-80
Food Waste 70
Corn stalks 40-60
Willow 60
Wood bark 30-60
Bagasse 60
Poplar 30-60
Saw dust 45-50
Wheat straw 45
Switches 25-55
RFD pellets 8-20
Fir 6.5
 Fuel Length (m) Bulk density (kg/m3)
Sawdust 0.0003-0.002 300
Chopped straw 0.005-0.0025 60
Green wood chips 0.025-0.075 500
Wood pellets 0.006-0.008 600
Biomass briquettes 0.025-0.010 600
Cordwood 0.3-0.5 400

Biomass fuel Ash content (wt%)

Bark 5-8
Wood chips with bark 1-2.5
Wood chips without bark 0.8-1.4
Sawdust 0.5-1.1
Waste wood 3-12
Starch and cereals 4-12
Coal 2-8
 size Diameter 6-10 mm, length 10-30mm
Energy content 4.7-5 kWh/kg. (16.9-18 MJ/kg)
Moisture content 7-12 %
Ash content About 0.5 %
Raw materials Sawdust, cutter shavings, wood grinding dust
Space demand About 1.5 m3/t
Bulk density 650-700 (kg/m3)
Comparison to light fuel 1 t oil = 2.5 t pellets
1 bulk m3 chips =0.28 bulk m3 pellets
Comparison to wood chips
1 bulk m3 chips =0.18 t pellets

Material Sources
Wood Forestry and wood processing
Energy crops Crops grown specifically for energy applications
Agricultural residue From harvesting and processing
Food waste Post-consumer waste
Industrial waste Waste and byproducts
 Wood White pellets Torrefied pellets Coal
Chemical Attributes
Moisture content (% wt.) 30-55 7-10 1-10 10-32
Heating value (MBtu/lb) 7-12 14-18 16-24 22-32
Volatile Matter (% db) 70-84 70-84 55-80 15-35
Fixed Carbon (% db) 16-25 16-25 22-35 35-55
Ash Content (% db) 0.5-2 0.5-2 1-3 5-12
Sulfur content (% db) Trace Trace Trace Trace
Bulk Density (kg/L) 0.2-0.3 0.55-0.75 0.55-0.85 0.8-0.85
Energy density (GJ/m3) 2-3 7.5-10.4 15-18.7 18-24
Physical Attributes
Dust Average Limited
Hydroscopic properties Hydrophilic Hydrophilic Hydrophilic Hydrophilic
Biological degradation Yes Yes No No
Grind ability Poor Poor Good Good
Handling Special Good Good Good
Quality variability High Low Low Medium