Fuel Processing Technology 55 1998.

175183

Short communication

Evaluation of biomass residue

1. Briquetting waste paper and wheat straw
mixtures
Ayhan Demirbas ) , Ayse S ahin
Akcaabat, Trabzon, Turkey
Black Sea Technical Uniersity, Department of Science Education, 61335 Sogutlu,
Received 12 December 1997; revised 26 December 1997; accepted 26 December 1997

Abstract

Studies have demonstrated that waste paper and wheat straw or their mixtures can be
compressed to a relative density greater than unity, and stabilized at that density without binder
material. A reduction in the volume of the material also provides a technological benefit, so the
material could be transported and stored more economically than is possible at present. The effects
of the briquetting pressure on the density, moisture content, and bending and compressive
strengths of the briquettes were determined at six different pressures of 300, 400, 500, 600, 700
and 800 MPa. The optimum moisture contents and compressive strengths were found to be
respectively 18.0% and 38.2 MPa for waste paper, 22.0% and 22.4 MPa for wheat straw, and
18.0% and 32.0 MPa for a 20.0% by weight of waste paper and straw mixture. The effect of the
temperature and time on the briquette density of wheat straw was examined. q 1998 Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Biomass residue; Waste paper; Wheat straw

1. Introduction

In recent years considerable attention has been focused on the briquetting of coal
fines, peat, charcoal, biowaste, and other combustible wastes w110x. Many of the
studies have used piston-and-die type presses in which the pressure is either developed
against the closed end of the die, or as the result of friction between the material and the

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Corresponding author.

0378-3820r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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176 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183

wall of the die. It has been shown that by heating the material for a determined
temperature interval a more stable product with a lower recovery of original dimensions
could be obtained than was possible with unheated materials w8,11,12x. From a series of
tests with biowaste it has been found that the higher the temperature, the lower the
pressure needed to provide a given compaction degree. It has been also concluded that
biowaste having a relatively high moisture content could be stably compacted at an
elevated temperature, whereas this was not possible at ambient conditions. The moisture
content to facilitate stable compaction was found to be between 15.0 and 23.0% by
weight for sawdust and wheat straw w11,13x. It has been considered that the protein and
the long cellulose fibres content of the combustible waste material was primarily
responsible for bonding and stabilization w10,11,14x.
Various combustible wastes have been considered for bonding with paper fibres.
They comprise coal dust or coal fines, chopped plastic waste, sawdust, some powdered
biopolymers, ground bark, chopped car tyres, etc. The quality of waste paper for the
briquetting process is governed by the bonding ability of the fibres released when it is
hydropulped. The longer the cellulose fibres, the stronger the briquette at a given paper
to combustible waste ratio, and the lower the ratio of paper to combustible waste to
maintain a minimum handling strength, damp and dry.
Increase in the energy demand and use in Turkey due to rapid growth in population
and industry raised concerns about the economic and environmental impacts of power
generation based on national energy sources. Approximately 2.6 = 10 7 tons of wheat
straw were produced annually in Turkey w15x. The disposal of this straw in the fields has
been by burning or sometimes by ploughing it back into the soil. Because the higher
heating value of straw is about 1r2 that of a high-grade coal its higher heating value is
about 2.8 = 10 4 kJrkg., the surplus straw is equivalent to about 1.3 = 10 7 tons of coal
equivalent. Some tests have demonstrated that wheat straw can be compressed to a
relatively high density without binder. Experiments have shown that wheat straw can be
compressed and stabilized to a density of the order of 10 times that of normal bales by
the application of pressures of between 200600 MPa after heating to a temperature of
between 350 to 400 K w11x.
Kraft paper, newsprint, used paper could be utilized to bind coal dust or other
particulated combustible wastes together to make a strong briquette, using processes
similar to papermaking technology. Especially kraft paper which is highly acceptable for
briquetting because of its longer fibres and because of its difficulty to repulp. Paper mill
waste, sunflower shells sawdust, and brewery waste have also been used as binder
materials at different ratios w9x. The test results on the briquette properties of paper-bonded
coal fuel briquettes were reported w16x.
The compaction and stabilization of straw may have a mechanism that differs from
that occurring during the compaction of waste paper. First of all, the proportion of
leaves is considerably smaller, and secondly the moisture content is usually lower than
that of waste paper.
The aim of this study was to determine to what extent straw and waste paper could be
compacted and to identify the briquetting parameters such as density, size, briquetting
temperature, and time, bending and compressive strengths, water resistance, durability,
ignitability, and smoothness.
 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183 177

2. Experimental

The chemical analytical results of the samples used in experiments are given in Table
1. The samples of wheat straw, paper waste, and their blends with different percentages
were briquetted at ambient temperature and elevated temperatures in a calibrated
laboratory scale Shimadzu hydraulic press model SSP-10A., using a punch and die set
25 mm ID = 60 mm height or 13 mm ID = 40 mm height. for 130 min for laboratory
tests. under pressures of 300800 MPa. The briquettes obtained were cylindrical in
shape.
In order to determine the stability of the briquettes, measurements of the length were
taken immediately on removal from the die, after 1 week of exposure to the atmosphere
and again after 5 weeks exposure. The bending and compressive strengths of the
briquettes was determined by a modified version of the TS24 w17x standard tests.
A series of tests has been done to determine the density, ignitability, size and
dustiness, calorific value, moisture content, and water resistance of the briquettes
formed.
Another series of experiments were carried out to determine the effects of different
moisture contents of the samples and of the briquetting pressures on the bending and
compressive strengths of the briquettes without binder material.
Only the wheat straw was heated to desired temperature before squeezing. As heat
was applied externally by means of an electrical element surrounding the die, time was
required for heat to penetrate to the centre of the sample. After a period of 12 min the
centre temperature rise was measured by means of a thermocouple. In order to determine
the effect of temperature, the load was standardized at 60 MPa and the die was heated to
various temperatures for 12 min.

3. Results and discussion

Whilst the product was basically a cylindrical solid fuel and might look very simple
to make, in fact the process incorporates several critical steps and some fairly sophisti-
cated machines.
Density is an important parameter in briquetting. The higher the density, the higher is
the energyrvolume ratio. Hence, high-density products are desirable in terms of
transportation, storage and handling w8x. The density of biowaste briquettes depends on
the density of the original biowaste, the briquetting pressure and, to a certain extent, on
the briquetting temperature and time. The bulk densities of conventional wheat straw

Table 1
Chemical and structural analyses of samples wt.% of dry and extractive free basis.
Sample Cellulose Lignin Ash C H O N
Wheat straw 28.9 19.0 13.6 45.4 5.1 34.1 1.8
Waste paper 73.2 15.8 2.7 44.7 6.1 48.1 0.4
178 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183

Fig. 1. Effect of pressure on the waste paper briquette density.

bales are about 0.100.12 grcm3. The bulk density of rice husk briquettes produced by
tumbling agglomeration, a method to determine bulk density, has been reported to be
0.32 grcm3 w18x. The density of extruded rice husk char briquettes has been reported to
be 0.81 grcm3 w13x.
The effect of the briquetting pressure on the waste paper briquette density is shown in
Fig. 1. The effect of the briquetting pressure on the wheat straw briquette density is
given in Fig. 2. The effect of the briquetting pressure on bending strength of waste paper
briquette is given in Fig. 3. The effect of the briquetting pressure on the bending

Fig. 2. Effect of pressure on the wheat straw briquette density.

 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183 179

Fig. 3. Effect of pressure on bending strength of the paper waste briquette.

strength of wheat straw briquette is shown in Fig. 4. The effect of the briquetting
pressure on the compressive strength of the wheat straw briquette is given in Fig. 5.
From Figs. 15 briquette properties increased with increasing briquetting pressure. The
bending and compressive strengths are important criteria of briquette durability.
The effect of the briquetting temperature and time on the density of the briquettes
obtained using the straw are given in Fig. 6. As shown from Fig. 6, it lower pressure the
densities of the briquettes increase with increasing temperature and time. The stability of
straw briquettes was increased at temperatures above 350 K during compression. It has
been suggested that the thin layers of wax which surround the stems of the straw fibres
might be responsible; its melting and subsequent solidification serving to provide
adhesion between individual fibres w11x. In order to examine this effect, a heated sample
of straw was carefully dewaxed by refluxing in a benzene-ethanol mixture until no
further extraction occurred.

Fig. 4. Effect of pressure on bending strength of wheat straw briquette.

180 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183

Fig. 5. Effect of pressure on compressive strength of wheat straw briquette.

The effect of moisture content of the briquettes obtained on the bending strength are
shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The moisture contents to facilitate stable compaction were found
to lie between 13.0 and 18.0%, and 16.0 and 22.0% by weight for straw and waste
paper, respectively. The importance of a reasonable moisture content in achieving
stability is clearly evident.

Fig. 6. Effects of temperature and time on density of wheat straw briquette obtained under 800 MPa pressure.
 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183 181

The effect of moisture content of the briquettes is managed through control over
machine and mixture factor. The expression of water during briquette formation and
compaction depends upon the draining quality of the feed mixture. The briquetting time
and pressure play significant roles in dewatering and bonding. Obviously the moisture
content also depends upon the ratio of particulate to fibre. To stabilize and optimize the
moisture content of the existing briquettes it is important to keep the process variables
under control to give a desired operation. The press rate can be varied to suit dewatering
rate and water can flow out under pressure with suitable downstream requirements. It is
reported that, for the briquette samples, as moisture contents increased calorific values
of the samples deceased w10x.
The effect of binder materials percentage on the compressive strength of the wheat
straw briquettes are given in Figs. 7 and 8. From Fig. 8, it can be said that kraft paper
and newsprint are good binders for the briquetting of wheat straw. Waste newsprint is
the targeted source of cellulosic fibre, but used fibre from industrial paper wastes can be
used. Waxed or plastic-coated papers or boards are more difficult to break down and
require special treatment before they can be incorporated into the briquette mixture.
A combustible material should be easily ignitable, particularly for household but low
porosity, low volatile content, and high ash content are likely to reduce the ignitability
w8x. Qualitative observations have shown that as the densities of the briquettes increased
their ignitabilities decreased. It is very difficult to obtain optimum parameters for
acceptable ignitability of briquettes.
Due to much ease of ignition, waste material is not suitable for direct firing for
domestic purposes. In general, briquetted waste paper is likely to be more difficult to
ignite because of the low porosity and higher density. As a result, as the density of
briquette increased its ignitability decreased w19x.

Fig. 7. Effect of binder material waste paper. percentage on compressive strength of wheat straw briquette.
182 A. Demirbas, A. Sahin r Fuel Processing Technology 55 (1998) 175183

Fig. 8. Effect of binder material kraft paper or newsprint. percentage on compressive strength of straw
briquette.

Heating value is a major quality index for fuels. The higher heating values of straw
and waste paper were found to be 17.3 and 16.4 MJ kgy1 , respectively. It was reported
that biocoal produced rice husk by agglomeration showed calorific values around
17.618.1 MJ kgy1 w20,21x. The biowaste materials used in the briquetting process have
the low calorific values.

4. Conclusions
This study indicated that waste paper may be used as a partial binder material alone
or in briquetting of wheat straw. Briquetting of wheat straw is very difficult at ambient
temperature.
Tests have shown that biowastes can be compressed and stabilized to densities of the
order 710 times that of normal bales by the application of pressures of between
400800 MPa. Only the wheat straw samples were heated to a temperature between 350
to 430 K before compression. The briquette obtained from wheat straw was resistant to
attrition, but may be reconstituted to its original form by soaking in water.
For briquette quality control, the physical parameters such as density, moisture
content and compressive strength were found to be the best indicators of additive
quality.

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