Investigation of the physical properties and environmental impact of lemongrass biobriquettes

Abstract

At present, biobriquettes have become an attractive fuel option due to the increasing price of fossil fuels. However, the effective raw materials for biobriquettes require specific physical properties to obtain desired shapes and net calorific value. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore a raw material with appropriate physical properties for biobriquettes. In this study, lemongrass was used as raw material for biobriquettes which formed by mixing with charcoal and a binder. The basic physical properties of biobriquettes, such as density, moisture content, net calorific value, ash content, volatile matter, and carbon content, were analyzed. Moreover, the net calorific value and the carbon content were determined to find the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission factor. The amount of CO2 emission when using lemongrass biobriquettes substituted for the conventional biomass sources was also determined. The results showed that the density varied depending on the pressure compaction conditions. Besides, the carbon content was successfully determined and reported. The average net calorific value under all compression pressures was reported. The net calorific value of lemongrass biobriquettes was higher than that of firewood and most agricultural wastes, with an average CO2 emission factor of 77,362 kgcarbon/TJ. Based on all the results obtained, it can be concluded that lemongrass biobriquettes produce a lower CO2 emission than firewood, most agricultural wastes, and charcoal; therefore, it is suitable as an alternative biofuel in the future.