Physical and Mechanical Properties of Briquettes Produced from Energy Plants

Abstract

The study deals with the use of energy crops for the production of thermal energy in the form of briquettes and devising appropriate parameters for their production. Briquettes were produced from seven kinds of energy crops, Salix viminalis, Miscanthus sinensis, Rosa multiflora, Polygonum sachalinensis, Helianthus tuberosus, Sida hermaphrodita and Spartina pectinata, specifically. In the production of briquettes, moisture is the most important properties of material to be pressed, which ranges from 8 to 15 % as it was observed. At a higher humidity it has not been possible to produce briquettes farther in the study conditions. Another important condition for the successful production of briquettes was the particle size of chopped mass. The optimum particle size range from 8 to 20 %. The briquettes were pressed at a pressure of 21 MPa and with diameter of 50 %. Subsequently, physical and mechanical properties (density, moisture, mechanical resistance) and chemical properties (chlorine, iron, nitrogen, calcium, ash, lignin content) were measured. The briquettes density reached from 800 to 900 kg.m−3 with calorific value from 14 to 19 MJ.kg−1 which refers to fact that energy crops are competitive to fossil fuels by their calorific value.