CASAPAO, Errol John D.

Research IV

Energy is required to sustain life and achieve overall economic, social, and

environmental aspects of human development. There is always a shortage of energy, so there

is a constant need to search for alternative forms of energy that are new and completely

different from conventional traditional fuel types. A large portion of agricultural residues are

consumed globally in traditional uses such as cattle fodder, domestic fuel for cooking, industrial

fuel for boilers, rural housing construction material, and so on. Directly using these agricultural

residues are directly in industrial as well as domestic applications is highly inefficient. “The

process of compacting of residues into a product of higher density than the original raw

materials is called as densification of briquettes.” (C P Vivek et al, 2019). In the production of

these briquettes made from agricultural residues, it needs a binder to make the briquette

compact, and would not be destroyed so easily. The type of binder, the number of binder

agents, and the amount of water added all have an impact on the thermal behavior and

combustion of the briquettes.

“Briquetting of biomass process simply means compressing the material to increase its

density and to enhance its handling characteristics and fuel characteristics” (Kantimaleka, 2009,

pp. 104). The process of making briquettes is not new as it is explored and tested by many

researchers nowadays. The use of biomass briquettes produce much less greenhouse gases.

When compared to coal and charcoal, it emits 13.8% to 14.7% CO2 and 11.1% to 38.5% SO2.

“If briquettes are formed at low cost and made easily available to people it can readily

serve as alternative fuel for firewood and charcoal which people were using for both domestic

and industrial operations since many decades, thereby decreasing the high demand for
petroleum by products.” (C P Vivek et al, 2019). Briquettes, unlike raw agricultural waste, can be

easily handled, stored, and transported because they are densified. Briquettes also solves the

problem of biomass disposal in a more efficient manner. There are also disadvantages

according to (C P Vivek et al, 2019). “A few disadvantages are also with briquettes like they are

strictly solid fuels and can not be used in IC engines, also they absorb moisture when not stored

properly.”

Binders can be organic or inorganic in nature. Some of the identified binders of organic

nature are heavy crude oil, starch and molasses. The inorganic binders include clay, sodium

silicate and cement. According to (Richard A. M. Napitupulu et al, 2020). “Used motorized

lubricant oil is very common and is sometimes not recycled again. This is bad for the

environment. Therefore the use of used motorbike oil is an alternative that can be used as a

binder as well as used material that still contains calorific value that may still be used.”

That being the case, different kinds of binders are needed to be taken into account in

making biomass briquettes as it can have effects to its thermal behavior and combustion.

Addiitionally due to current fuel shortages and rising fuel prices, people are looking for

alternative fuels, and briquettes can fill this gap for all domestic and industrial applications such

as water heating, tobacco curing, tea and fruit drying, and boiler fuel.
Bibliography

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