Bio-coal briquettes made from South Sumatera low rank coal and palm shell charcoal for using in small industries

Abstract

The objective of this study is to blend the South Sumatera low rank coal and palm shell charcoal for producing bio-coal briquettes which have better fuel properties. The experimental study for making bio-coal briquettes was carried out to examine the effect of raw material composition and binder type on the quality of the briquettes produced. A screw conveyor machine equipped with a three blade stirred and designed with the length of 40 cm, mixing process diameter of 10 cm and the capacity of 2 kg bio-coal briquettes per hour was used to produce bio-coal briquettes ready to use in small industries. Proxymate analyses of the South Sumatera low rank coal, palm shell charcoals and bio-coal briquettes were conducted in accordance with the American Society of Testings and Materials (ASTM) standards and the calorific value was determined by using a Bomb calorimeter. The experimental results showed that the calorific value of bio-coal briquette was greatly influenced by the raw material composition and the binder type. The highest calorific value was 6438 (cal/g) at the sampel of SSC65-PSC20-B15(2).