ANÁLISE DO COMPORTAMENTO HIGROSCÓPICO DE BRIQUETES

Abstract

The production of briquettes and pellets is a possibility y to get quality solid fuel from biomass. The compactation process reduces the product volume from 5 to 10 times, depending on the type of raw material. This volume reduction increases the biomass density, which facilitates the transport, storage, and handling. Any vegetal biomass can be used to produce briquettes. Currently, the most used materialsin briquettes production are waste- products from agricultural, forestry, and industrial processes. However, some properties must be observed to maintain the quality of the final product. The moisture content of the biomassand the ambient relative humidity where the final product will be stockedmust be controlled, considering that the biomass is a hygroscopic materialand thus has the ability to absorb moisture from the ambient. Abiomass with high moisture content can compromise the quality of the briquettes. The objective of this study was to analyze the moisture content of briquettes produced with different types of biomass in different storage moisture conditions (60% RH, 75% RH and 95% RH).The results showed that each raw material had a different behavior in the storage process. For example, the briquettes of elephant grass desintegratedin an environment with 95% RH. The briquetes density are influenced by the environment in which they arestoraged