Abstract: Biomass energy in forms of wood and charcoal fuel are the only sources of energy for cooking and heating that can be accessed by most people in developing countries. The high demand of fuel has lead to the utilization of agro and forest wastes through briquetting processes which increase energy to volume ratio. In this study sawdust briquettes made by Mkombozi group in Lushoto Tanga were analyzed to evaluate the impact of moisture content on combustion and friability properties of briquettes. The methods used to conduct the analysis involved the Bomb Calorimeter test, Water Boiling test, Friability test and Moisture Content test. The tested briquettes were categorized into two groups which are high moisture content and low moisture content briquettes with average moisture content of 29% (wet basis) and 12% (wet basis), respectively. The Bomb Calorimeter test result showed that calorific value of dry briquette material is 15 MJ/kg. Friability test showed that the briquettes with high moisture content has Impact to Resistance Index (IRI) range from 55 to 71 while the IRI for briquettes with low moisture content was between 80 and 160. Combustion analysis showed that both groups of briquettes emit more CO than CO2. The CO emitted was between 150 to 300 ppm while CO2 were less than 100 ppm. The study concluded that moisture content affects the friability and combustion properties of briquettes.
Keywords: Biomass briquettes, energy, moisture content, combustion, friability.
Title: Effect of Moisture Content on Combustion and Friability Characteristics of Biomass Waste Briquettes Made By Small Scale Producers in Tanzania
Author: Raphael Iddphonce Mkini, Zuwena Bakari
International Journal of Engineering Research and Reviews
ISSN 2348-697X (Online)
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