Heat Energy Potential of Value Added Agro-Waste Biomass Fuel

Akinruli*, Ifedayo J*, Adeniyi Samuel Shado*

Abstract
In this work, the use palm oil mill effluent (POME) as a binder in
briquetting saw dust was evaluated. The POME is considered a harmful
waste for the environment if discharged untreated, because stinks and
releases green house gases. The effluent is a thick brownish liquid slush
that contains high solids, oil and grease. Saw dusts from wood cutting in
wood mills are considered biomass wastes that can be fully utilized as a
renewable energy sources. This experiment established the optimum
proportion of palm oil sludge as saw dust binder, and determines its
calorific value. The palm oil sludge was collected from a palm oil
processing cottage industry at Ago Iwoye, Ado-Ekiti. Saw dust sample was
collected from Ogo-Oluwa wood mill in Ado-Ekiti. Saw dust and POME
were mixed together in varying proportions. The biomass mixture was
compacted into annular disc with hydraulic press machine. The properties
of the resulting briquette of varying POME weight percent were assessed
using standard testing methods. Briquette with appropriate binding and
compaction at 80 percent weight POME has 90.21 percentage volatile
matter, 6.29% lowest fixed carbon, 3.5% ash content and high heating
value at 32948.94 kcal/kg. The burning characteristics indicated that all
briquettes had excellent burning characteristics except of course briquette
with low POME.

Keywords: Calorific Value, Biomass Fuel, Briquette, Palm Oil Sludge.

Introduction
The quest for renewable energy sources in a agro waste. Olorunnisola AO, Jekayinfa SO,
developing country like Nigeria is due to the Omisakin OS reported that in Nigeria, large
fact that fossil fuels (i.e. non-renewable fuels) quantities of agricultural and forestry
such as coal, petroleum products, and natural residues produced annually are vastly
gasses are fast depleting and could not keep underutilized [16, 17]. The common practice
up with the huge demand by the populace. is to burn these residues or leave them to
The attendant high costs of fossil fuel also decompose. However, previous studies have
make people to turn to the use of renewable shown that these residues could be
energy sources. In an attempt to address processed and made into briquettes used as
these challenges associated with non- fuel. Among such locally available materials
renewable fuels, many countries have briquetted for fuel energy production is wood
indicated commitment to Biofuel production waste or sawmill residue. Badejo SO opined
that are renewable, sustainable, cheap, safe that sawdust constitutes one of the most
and geographically diversified [1, 5, 8]. abundant waste or residue in wood industries
Prominent among sources of biofuel is the [18].
*
Department of Glass and Ceramic, Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, P.M.B 5351, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.
Correspondence to: Mr. Adeniyi Samuel Shado, Department of Glass and Ceramic, Federal Polytechnic Ado
Ekiti, P.M.B 5351, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. E-mail Id: sammiecrown79@gmail.com

© ADR Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Akinruli et al.
It was estimated that wood waste generated
in the country in 1998 was 1.72 million/m3
out of which sawdust was 15%. This suggests
that the biomass and agricultural waste that
Briquetting is a process where some types of
particulate raw material are compressed
under high pressure to form a consolidated
mass of desired shape. This is a compaction
process to make an otherwise
unconsolidated particles to a sizable firm unit
for easy handling [13]. Briquette making has
the potential to meet the additional energy
demands of rural, urban, and industrial
sectors, thereby making a significant
contribution to the economic advancement
of a developing country like Nigeria. Besides,
briquettes have advantages over fuel wood in
terms of greater heat intensity, cleanliness,
convenience in use, and relatively smaller
space requirement for storage [11, 12].
However, in order to make a significant
impact as a fuel source, there is the need to
improve and promote its production
technology [10]. This is because briquettes
made from materials that cost little or no
money to obtain such as sawdust can be an
alternate source of domestic and industrial
energy to charcoal, firewood, gas, coal and
electricity.
Currently, sawdust briquetting is receiving
attention and the major challenge is how to
get the appropriate binder.
A number of researchers had tried different
binders ranging from cassava starch, animal
dung to Arabic-gum. Emerhi EA investigated
the Physical and combustion properties of
briquettes produced from sawdust of three
hardwood species using three different
organic binders namely starch and cow dung
to determine; the binding agent that can
optimize handling and burning characteristics
of sawdust briquettes [9]. The study
concludes that the quality of the briquettes
produced was influenced by the type of
binding agent used. The qualities of the
briquettes that were produced using starch
as binder are higher than those bonded with
cow dung and ash. Zakari IY et al. reported
J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4)
are largely produced daily in the country
could be employed as raw-materials for both
small and large scale solid Biofuel production.
that the addition of gum Arabic binder
greatly increases the gross calorific values of
most sample briquettes when compared with
the results without binder [19]. The report
agrees with the earlier work of Yakubu IA,
that briquettes produced from sawdust with
gum Arabic binder are quite better in terms
of calorific value, combustion characteristics,
quality and ecological friendliness than those
produced from sawdust-starch [7].
Hassan S et al. investigated palm oil mill
effluent (POME) sludge and oil palm frond
waste mixture as an alternative biomass fuel
[20]. The work noted that the calorific value
of the briquette increases with increasing
POME sludge content. Unfortunately, oil
palm fronds are limited in supply compared
to sawdust. It is therefore proposed that if
POME sludge is used as binder in sawdust
briquetting, a sustainable biofuel could be
produced.
The objectives of this study are therefore to
determine; the binding effect of POME sludge
as an alternative binder for sawdust
briquette, POME sludge and sawdust
composition ratio, its calorific value during
burning, percentage volatile matter, ash
content and the fixed carbon of the
briquettes.
Materials and Methods
The approach to study was experimental.
Materials were collected and sawdust was
mixed with varying percentage of POME.
Samples were assessed for fragility, burning
characteristics and the calorific value
calculated using rule of mixture.
Methods of Briquette Production
The palm oil sludge was collected from a
palm oil processing cottage industry at Ago
Iwoye, Ado-Ekiti. Saw dust sample was
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J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4) Akinruli et al.

collected from Ogo-Oluwa wood mill in Ado-
Ekiti.
The briquettes samples with varying
percentage composition as shown in Table 1:
was produced. Measured quantity of palm oil
sludge was added to a measured quantity of
saw dust and mixed vigorously to obtain a
uniform mix. The palm oil sludge was used as
the binding agent. The resulting mix known
as feed stock was fed into a mould and
compressed manually. After compaction,
briquette was removed from mould and oven
dried.

Plate 1.Pressing Machine

100:0 90:10 80:20 70:30

60:40 50:50 40:60 30:70

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Akinruli et al. J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4)

20:80 10:90 0:100

Plate 2.Compacted Briquettes

Table 1.Evaluated Percentage Composition of the Briquettes Samples

POME 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
SAWDUST 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
PAC = × 100
The briquettes produced were burnt in a
regulated electric furnace to determine their Where D is the weight of ash and B is the
physical and calorific values. weight of oven dried sample
Proximate analysis carried out on the
Percentage Fixed Carbon (PFC)
briquette samples to determine the
percentage volatile matter content, % ash The PFC was calculated by subtracting the
content, % content of fixed carbon and sum of percentage volatile matter (PVM) and
heating value of the samples. The procedures percentage ash content (PAC) from 100
of ASTM E711-87 were adopted [14].
PFC = 100 − (%V+% A)
Percentage Volatile Matter (PVM)
Where, PFC is the percentage of fixed carbon,
To determine the PVM, 2g of pulverized V is the percentage of volatile matter and A is
briquettes sample in a crucible were placed in the percentage of ash content.
the oven until a constant weight is obtained.
The briquettes were now kept in the furnace Heating Value (HV)
at a temperature of 550oC for 10 minutes and
This was calculated using the formula: Hv =
weighed after cooling and the PVM was
determined with the formula: 2.326 (147.6c +144v)

Where c is the percentage fixed carbon; v is

PVM = × 100 the percentage volatile matter [15].

Where B is the weight of oven dried sample; Rule of Mixture

C is the weight of sample after 10min in the
furnace at 550oC
Percentage Ash Content (PAC)
The PAC was also determined by heating 2g
of the briquette sample in the furnace at a
temperature of 550oC for 4hrs and weighed
after cooling.
The PAC was determined:
This rule of mixtures equation predicts that
the heating value should fall between an
upper bound represented by the formula: Cm
= CpVp + CsVs
Where; Cm = calorific value of mixture; Cp =
calorific value of POME; Vp = % weight of
POME; Cs = calorific value of sawdust; Vs= %
weight of sawdust.

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J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4)
Results and Discussion
Volatile Matter
Figure 1 showed that the level of volatile
Figure 1.Volatile Matter vs. % Weight of POME of Briquettes Samples
Fixed Carbon
The fixed carbon value of the resulting
briquettes in most case increased with
POME. The level of fixed carbon in
combustible materials is indicative of its
Figure 2.Fixed Carbon vs. % Weight of POME of Briquettes Samples
Ash Content
It can be deduced from Fig. 3 that ash
content is non-combustible, useless matter
that is left behind when all the combustible
matter is burnt off from briquette. Hence
lesser the ash content better is the quality of
5
Akinruli et al.
matter in the briquette samples directly
affects their burning efficiency. The result
shows that the higher the volatile matter, in a
briquette, the more the burning efficiency.
burning efficiency. The higher the percentage
of fixed carbon, greater is its calorific value
and better the quality of the briquette fuel.
Therefore, briquette samples with the
highest carbon values have the general
inclination to burn better.
resulting briquette. Briquette with the most
percentage ash content is the one with zero
percent weight of POME at 5.5%. The
briquette with the lesser ash content
indicates that the briquette have higher
burning degree.
Akinruli et al.
Figure 3.Ash Content vs. % Weight of POME of Briquettes Samples
Heating Value
Figure 4 showed a steady increase in heating
value as POME increases. These results
Figure 4.Heating Value vs. % Weight of POME of Briquettes Samples
Burning Characteristics Test
Briquette of known weight approximately 2g
for individual sample composition was placed
on the wire gauze and ignited, the different
flame characteristics and ignition time was
determined. Figures 6 and 7 showed the
ignition time against POME concentration
and the time taken to burn to ashes against
POME concentration, respectively. Fig. 6
revealed that zero and hundred percent
weight of POME has the highest and lowest
ignition time. Short ignition time is required
in order to ease biomass fuel to start
J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4)
indicate that POME and sawdust mix have
tendency to have higher calorific values as
POME is added thereby releasing more heat
energy when burnt.
combustion. However, Fig. 7 showed that 80
percent weight of POME took the longest
time to burn into ashes among all the
samples. However, the time taken to burn
the briquette should be as long as possible.
This is very important as it indicates that the
briquette can supply energy in longer period.
The higher the percentage weights of POME
concentration in the briquette the larger the
flame it will produce and vice versa. The
burning characteristics indicated that all
briquette samples had excellent burning
characteristics except of course for samples
with less POME sludge.
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J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4) Akinruli et al.

100:0 90:10 80:20 70:30 60:40

50:50 40:60 30:70 20:80 0:100

Figure 5.Burning Characteristic Flame Test of Fuel Briquette

Time Taken for Samples to Burn to Ash
The time taken for each sample to burn
completely to ash was determined through a
stopwatch and recorded along with the
weight of the obtained ash. Comparatively
briquette with 100 percent weight of POME
had the least ash content of 0.04g while
briquette with zero percent weight of POME
sludge had the highest ash content of 0.11g.
It should be however noted, that high ash
content reduces ignitibility of the fuel
briquette.
This observation might be due to lower
porosity and higher density of the briquette
with high POME. POME sludge is an oily
material and would result in a mixture with
low porosity after undergoing compression.
Thus, the ignition time is shorter for
briquettes with higher percentage weight of
POME while time taken to burn to ashes
increases with increasing POME.

Figure 6.Ignition Time vs. POME Sludge Concentration

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Akinruli et al.
Figure 7.Burning Rate Time vs. POME Sludge Concentration
Fragility Analysis Test of Fuel Briquette
Fragility analysis test reveals briquettes
dropped from 1 meter high, cracked within
the radial direction was noted. Briquettes of
100-70 percent weight of POME showed
good crack resistance, while those of 60-40
percent weight of POME showed minor crack.
Conclusion
The admixture of POME sludge and sawdust
(all agro waste) as a solid fuel briquette for
alternative biomass fuel were experimentally
investigated under various volume ratios.
Based on results obtained, the briquettes
produced are feasible as an alternative
biomass fuel in terms of solid fuel briquette.
Therefore, the main conclusion from this
study may be summarized as follows:
• Combination properties of saw dust and
palm oil sludge briquette result in high
calorific value for fuel briquette.
• Increased POME sludge concentration
increases crack resistance and good
handling property of briquette.
• The time taken to burn the briquette into
ashes is high which depend on
percentage ratio of POME as observed in
the burning characteristics test.
• The resultant percentage of the ash is
minimal.
• The solid fuel produced flame.
J. Adv. Res. Glass Leath. Plast. Tech. 2016; 1(3&4)
Implication of the Study
The implication of this study among others is
the energy values and combustion qualities
of the briquettes produced in this study are
sufficient enough to produce the required
heat for domestic cooking and also for
industrial application especially the energy
requirement of the small-scale industries.
The physical properties, especially the low
carbon content, make them to be
environmental friendly and very safe for the
users. There is less risk of lung infection as
common with the use of fuel wood. To
reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gas
effects.
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Combustion characteristics of the Briquettes

The following combustion properties were analyzed and results given in appendix 1.

Appendix 1
Sample % ratio Wt. of oven dry Wt. of empty Ash wt. at 550oC for
code POME:SD sample (g) crucible (g) 4 hours
A 100:0 2 55.69 0.04
B 90:10 2 58.52 0.05
C 80:20 2 53.92 0.05
D 70:30 2 58.44 0.05
E 60:40 2 45.60 0.05
F 50:50 2 55.68 0.07
G 40:60 2 58.53 0.07
H 30:70 2 53.94 0.07
I 20:80 2 58.45 0.07
J 10:90 2 45.61 0.08
K 0:100 2 47.64 0.11

10