Development of Biobriquette from Nutmeg Seed Shells

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

Abstract

Nutmeg seed shell is one of biomass resources in Indonesia that has not been widely used. Nutmeg (Myristicafragans) in North Maluku province, especially in Tidore Island, is one of the largest incomes in the plantation sector. Nutmeg consists of pulp, mace, shell and seeds. Not all parts of nutmeg can be utilized or to be sold. The most widely used are the seed, mace (red salute that bind shell beans) and meat of nutmeg, while some parts have not been used optimally such as the shells. The abundance of nutmeg seed shells has only been discarded and not optimally utilized, therefore it needs to do a research on the utilization of nutmeg seed shells into briquettes that have good quality, which can be used as energy source and improve economic value. One fo the solutions is by converting it into bio briquette through pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis is chemical decomposition of organic materials through a process of heating without oxygen or under conditions of a little air, causing the release of volatiles and char formation. If the material contains water, at the beginning of heating, the free water will come out first at a temperature of about 120oC. Up to 170oC, volatile organic substances from hydrolysis will be released out. The conditions affect pyrolysis processes are temperature, heating time and particle size. The higher the temperature the higher the rate of decomposition.