Development of corn cob-based fuel briquettes

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the optimum proportion of corn cob biomass material and binder for fuel briquettes. Three (3) levels of percentage binding agent (10, 15, 20) and three (3) different particle size (< 2.2mm, 2.2-3.2 and >3.2mm) were used in the experiments. The physical and thermal properties of the fuel briquettes were characterized in terms of density, percent shatter resistance, breaking strength, thermal efficiency and burning time.

Results showed that    twenty percent binding and a particle size of  <2.2mm exhibited a high density of 0.30gm/ cc, the highest performance in the compression test with a value of 241.62 N  and good shatter resistance of 99.25 percent. Likewise, the thermal efficiency of the briquettes produced from the optimum proportion was evaluated and it was found out that 10 briquettes can boil 500 g of water in nearly 6 minutes. The mean burning time of 10 briquettes was 34 minutes and 16 seconds. The average thermal efficiency was found out to be 18%.