Reducing the Ash Content of Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) and Calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus) Wood Pellets through Debarking and Mixing with Acacia (Acacia mangium) and Pines (Pinus merkusii) Wood

Abstract

The use of renewable energy from wood biomass which is processed in the form of wood pellet are environmentally friendly, sustainable and also to reduce greenhouse effect and environmental pollution. The main problem in the quality of a wood pellet from Gliricidia and Calliandra is the ash content (1%) has not fulfilled the Europe quality standard requirement A1-EN14961 (ash content ≤ 0.7%) yet fulfills the A2-EN14961 quality standard. The effort to lower the ash content is by debarking and mixing with other wood variety to increase the quality of Gliricidia and Calliandra wood pellet quality in the international market. The aim of this research is to discover the effect of debarking and mixing of Gliricidia and Calliandra with pine and acacia wood toward the quality of wood pellet, especially the ash content. The result shows ash content for pine wood pellet and acacia wood pellet consecutively 0.36% and 0.71% have fulfilled the Europe quality standard EN 14961 (max. 0.7%) and have the potency to be the mixer raw material for Gliricidia (ash content 1.19%) and Calliandra (ash content 1.05%). Debarking method can lower the ash content of Gliricidia and Calliandra wood pellet consecutively 36.1% (from 1.19% to 0.76%) and 18.1% (from 1.05% to 0.86%) and almost fulfill the A1 Europe quality standard (EN 14961 max 0.7%). Wood mixing Gliricidia-Calliandra-Pine (1:1:1) ash content is 0.89% with 20.5% decreasing rate, almost fulfill the A1 Europe quality standard (EN 14961 max 0.7%). Wood mixing Gliricidia-Calliandra-Acacia (1:1:1) ash content is 1.17% with 2.7% decreasing rate. Method combination by mixing pine wood, debarking of gliricidia and calliandra have the potency to generate wood pellet with ash content suitable with the A1 Europe standard EN 14961 max 0.7% [1].