Influence of composition and compaction pressure on the physical quality of wood residue and bottom ash mixture briquettes

Abstract

Woody biomass is briquette-densified to enhance its physical and mechanical properties during handling and storage. However, Limited study on the physical consistency of briquettes made from wood biomass and bottom ash blends has been carried out. The bottom ash used in this study is a residue from burning coal for the powerplant. The physical quality was evaluated for three different compositions (70:30, 50:50, and 30:70). The piston press type machine (laboratory scale) was employed to produce a briquette. This work aims to evaluated the effect of mixing ratio (wood residue and bottom ash) and compaction pressure on the physical quality (water content, ash content, VM, calorific value) and combustion behavior. The compaction pressure was varied between 100 kg/cm2 and 150 kg/cm2. The result revealed that the compaction pressure affected the physical quality of the briquette. Lower moisture content (MC), ash content (AC), and calorific value (CV) were obtained at the higher compaction pressure. The moisture content of 1.6% was better for the wood residue and bottom ash mixture's compaction pressure. The calorific value of briquette ranged from 5200 kal/g to 5700 kal/g. In conclusion, the combination of low-cost and abundant forest biomass mixed bottom ash available with wood biomass could lead to better physical quality and help meet the demand for the briquette in the future.