Production and characterization of briquettes obtained from dung, hazelnut shell and molasses for sustainable environment

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Briquetting is the process of producing uniformly shaped, densified units that facilitate the use, transportation and storage of biomass waste as fuel. In this study, a total of 16 briquettes were prepared using cow dung, hazelnut shells and molasses, which are important agricultural and animal wastes of Türkiye. Higher heating value (HHV), ash and shatter index responses of the briquettes were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). In addition, proximate and ultimate analysis data of the obtained briquettes were also examined. It was determined that the hazelnut shell amount had a positive contribution to the HHV of the briquettes, cow dung had a negative effect on the ash content and molasses content made a positive contribution to the shatter index. The optimal briquette response values determined by RSM were 17.91 MJ/kg, 13.75% and 78.65%, respectively. Cow dung cake, which is used as a fuel for heating and cooking purposes in the region, has an ash content of 29.89% and HHV value of 14.28 MJ/kg. With the optimal briquette created, this high ash content was reduced to 13.75%, while the low HHV was increased to 17.91 MJ/kg. The resistance of the obtained briquette to breakage is also quite high (78.65%).