Mechanical and energetic characteristics of briquettes produced from different types of biomass

Abstract

With the increasing demand of resources for the production of sustainable energy, the use of solid biofuels becomes an important alternative since biomass is a clean and renewable source of energy. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of different types of biomass for the production of briquettes. The raw materials used were the residue of sugarcane, the pine sawdust and red angelim. All materials were used with a moisture content of 10% and particle size (granulometry) retained in the sieves of 20 and 35 mesh. The results show that red angelim briquettes had the greatest mechanical resistance (0,840 MPa) the highest High Heating Value (4,749 kcal/kg), the lower ash content (0.30%) and the lowest longitudinal expansion (5.03%), compared to other biofuels studied. The tests showed the formation of blends might be a viable alternative to the use of various types of raw materials that, alone, could not be used in the production of briquettes.