Experimental study of binderless briquetting process: effect of temperature on the fuel briquettes from rice husks

¹ Department in charge of Coordination and Valorisation of Research, National Advanced School of Engineering of Yaoundé, University of Yaoundé I, PO Box 8390, Cameroon
² Energy Research Laboratory, Institute of Geological and Mining Research, PO Box 4110, Yaoundé, Cameroon
³ Department of Thermal and Energy Engineering, University Institute of Technology, University of Douala, PO Box 2701, Douala, Cameroon

^* Corresponding author: ekoubealexandrine@yahoo.fr

Abstract

In developing countries’ socio-environmental background, fossil fuel use is evolving at the same time as deforestation, resulting in desertification and global warming. There is an urgent need to find alternative sustainable and environmentally friendly sources such as biomass briquettes. This study aims to analyse the effect of densification temperature on characteristics of biomass briquettes produced from rice husks. The densification temperatures applied to each production run varied from 0 to 350°C with an increment of 50°C in a heating screw press. Physical and proximal analysis of briquettes produced at each stage of temperature is done in order to determine bulk density, moisture content, Ash content, volatile matter according to NF standard. A statistical analysis was applied in order model the relationship between briquettes’ characteristics and densification temperature. Interpretation of correlation coefficients (0,98) shows that there is a strong correlation between densification temperature and briquette density. As temperature increases, density also increases. However, the correlation (r = 0,44) between densification temperature and ash content is very low, and there is no significant impact.