Production of composite briquettes (orange peels and corn cobs) and determination of its fuel properties

Abstract

Energy is one of the necessities for human existence. Currently, fossil fuel is the major source of energy from which the commonly used fuel products like kerosene and cooking gas are obtained. These sources of energy are not renewable and environmentally friendly. Therefore, it is necessary to explore renewable energy sources particularly from Agricultural residues. This study presents the investigation on the suitability of orange peels and corn cobs for composite briquette production. Due to the enormous wastes problem constituted by orange peels and corn cobs, it is necessary to utilise these wastes for energy purposes. Orange peels and corn cobs were collected from environment of Chanchaga and Kasuwan-Gwari Local Government Area of Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The materials were sun-dried and milled using a locally available milling machine, sieved through a 2.36 mm sieve and mixed in the ratios of 20:80, 80:20, and 50:50 – orange peels to corn cobs. The samples were mixed at varying mass ratios with 80 g of pasty starch as a binder and compacted in a manually operated hydraulic jack briquetting machine. The formed briquettes were oven-dried and some physical and fuel properties were determined. Results showed sample A has the highest calorific value of 31886.04 kcal kg-1 followed by sample B with 31295.62 kcal kg-1 and the least was sample C with 31136.77 kcal kg-1 respectively. Sample A also had the highest carbon content followed by sample B and C respectively. This study revealed that the produced composite solid fuel could be used as a source of heat energy even in rural areas with little or no electrical power supply.