Abstract
This study investigated the properties of bio-coal briquettes made by blending coal with Prosopis Africana pods in order to determine the optimum biomass composition. The briquettes were produced using a hydraulic press at 10 MPa 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 size of 600 μm. Cassava starch and Calcium Hydroxide acted as binder and desulphurization agent respectively. The physical, mechanical and combustion characteristics of the briquette samples produced were determined based on ASTM standards. Results revealed that bio-coal briquettes from produced Prosopis Africana pods can serve as an alternative energy source for heating and cooking applications in Nigeria. The results of analysing data from the physical, ultimate and proximate properties of the produced briquettes indicated that the optimum biomass composition for producing briquettes from coal and Prosopis Africana pods is 40% as its taps into the superior combustion characteristics of both the coal sample and biomass sample.
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