Characteristics and performance of charcoal briquette from the sawdust of Sungkai (Peronema canescens jack)

Abstract

Sungkai wood (Peronema canescens Jack) is one of the prominent materials used for the production of furniture and other decorative elements in Kalimantan and Sumatra due to its beautiful fiber and colour, and also fairly smooth texture. Since massive production, the waste resulted from the processing of sungkai wood is very abundant. The utilization of sawdust or wood shavings of sungkai still generates a relatively low value. In order to increase the value of sawdust of sungkai, this research was aimed to identify the characteristics and performance of bio-briquette produced from the sawdust of sungkai. This research was performed by evaluating the characteristics and performance of bio-briquettes produced from three concentrations (10%, 15%, and 20%) of glue material made from tapioca starch. The results show that, except for the volatile matter, all parameters of the characteristics and performance of the tested briquettes comply with the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) of briquette products. The characteristics and performance of the tested briquettes at the lowest levels are follows: water content (4.52%; SNI: max 8%), ash content (4.36%; SNI: max: 8%), volatile matter (42%; SNI max: 15%), density (0.46 g/cm3; SNI: 0.45-0.85 g/cm3), combustion time (0.14 g/min), ignition time (2.5 second/g), and calorific value (5.889 kcal/kg; SNI: min 5000 kcal/kg). It requires the optimization of the carbonization process in order to reduce the volatile matter.