Performance Evaluation of Charcoal Briquettes Derived From Sugarcane Tops Using Vinasse as Binder

Abstract

Charcoal briquettes from agricultural wastes are now being looked at as a solution to the continuously arising need for an alternative fuel that is renewable and cheap. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using charcoal briquettes from carbonized sugarcane tops, using 10 wt% vinasse as binder, for household purposes such as cooking, grilling, and heating. The performance of charcoal briquettes are evaluated in terms of physical properties such as moisture content, density, impact resistance index, and water resistance, and burning properties such as time to ignite, average charcoal surface temperature and total burning time. Results show that the average moisture content and density of charcoal briquettes are 6.72 wt% and 410 kg/m3. Moreover, the products have an impact resistance index of 33 and a water resistance of 10 minutes. For the burning properties of the charcoal briquettes, results show that for a 256.7-g sample, the time to ignite, total burning time, and average charcoal surface temperature are 9.5 min, 43.5 min, and 346.76°C respectively. Grilling tests using 10-g pork samples show that the mean time to cook is 10.88 min/pork sample. In view of the results, it could be concluded that the charcoal briquette products from sugarcane tops using vinasse as binder could be used for household applications and could be used as an alternative to wood charcoal.