Investigation of some Properties of Bio-coal Briquettes Produced using Beniseed (Sesame seed) Stalks as Biomass
Harry Iorwuese Guusu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Alex Okibe Edeoja
*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Jacob Sunday Ibrahim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluated the properties of bio-coal briquettes made by blending coal with beniseed (sesame seed) stalks in order to determine the optimum composition. The briquettes were produced using a hydraulic compression machine at 5, 10 and 15 bar applied to coal:biomass compositions of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100% by weight of mixture and particle sizes of 212, 300 and 600 µm. The physical, ultimate and proximate properties of the briquettes were then measured and analyzed. The results indicated that the optimum composition for producing the briquettes lies between 60:40% and 40:60%. These ranges of composition of briquettes had the lowest ignition time of 57.6s, highest percentage volatile matter of 42.7% and low percentage sulphur content of 0.38%. Furthermore, the 40:60% briquettes had the highest mean calorific value of 26.67 MJ/kg. These indicate good potentials for briquettes using coal and beniseed stalks as an alternative energy source while contributing to a friendly environment and wealth generation.
Keywords: Beniseed stalk, bio-coal, briquette, calorific value, friendly environment, proximate properties.