Thermochemical Characteristics of Briquettes of The Low-Rank Coal Mixed with Charcoal Sawdust of Meranti Wood

Abstract

SMW is one of the most abundant biomass wastes found in the sawmill area in the city of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. This waste has the potential as a fuel to be mixed with the LRC in order to improve the thermal and chemical quality, as well as the combustion of the LRC. This study uses an experimental method by making LRC-SMW briquettes with a percentage addition of 10%, 30%, and 50% of SMW, respectively, into the LRC, the research phase begins with a proximate analysis to obtain thermal properties, ultimate analysis to obtain chemical properties, and the experiment of burning briquettes on a briquette stove with the method of boiling water. The results of the proximate analysis presented an increase in FC and HHV by 38.15% and 14.44%, respectively, and a decrease in M content by 70.69%. implications for improving the quality of LRC combustion. The thermal efficiency of briquette combustion increases with the addition of SMW into the LRC and the optimal amount of addition of SMW into the LRC is 10%, with the efficiency is 45.23%.