Wood Briquettes Research Articles

Utilization of Three Species of Mangrove Wood Branches for Briquettes and Its Preference as Alternative Solid Biofuel

Wood briquettes - one of the biomass energies - were produced from three species of mangrove wood branches, namely mata buaya (Bruguiera sexangula), buta-buta (Excoecaria agallocha), and bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata) using three types of starch adhesives made from tapioca, maize, and potato. This study aimed to evaluate user preferences for the kind of fuel, and responses to acceptance of the use of briquettes, and to analyze the effect of attributes on interest in using wood briquettes from mangrove wood branches. Cylindrical briquettes were produced in dimensions of 3 cm diameter and 4 cm thickness. After obtaining all the data, variance analysis and chi-square analysis were conducted. Before conducting the preference survey, evaluations of calorific value and color performance were carried out. The wood briquettes of this study have a calorific value that has met the ISO 17225-3:2-2020 standard of class A2. Even though the three types of wood briquettes differ in their L* (brightness), a* (red/green), and b* (blue/yellow) values, each briquette has a neutral color. A survey was conducted on 60 respondents using a questionnaire to evaluate user preferences for the type of fuel, responses to acceptance of the use of briquettes, and the effect of attributes on interest in using wood briquettes from mangrove wood branches. The results showed that gas is still the most preferred fuel by respondents, with as many as 35 people (58.33%). Meanwhile, 54 respondents (90%) stated they would use wood briquettes. Wood briquettes made of Bakau minyak wood species were the most preferred, with as many as 28 people (46.67%). The chi-square analysis results suggested no relationship between the preference for using wood briquettes from mangrove wood branches and fuel attributes. Based on this study, wood briquettes of mangrove wood branches have the potential to be an alternative fuel as long as their availability is easy to obtain.

Briquettes Made of Branches Wood of Three Mangrove Species Bonded by Starch Adhesive.

The development and utilization of wood briquettes is one of the efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, including to fulfill overseas market need. This study aimed to evaluate the properties of wood briquettes made of the branches of three mangrove species and to analyze the effect of different wood species of mangrove branches, and the types of starch adhesive, on the quality of wood briquettes. The wood briquettes made in this study were 3 cm × 4 cm in a cylindrical shape using three wood species of mangrove branches, namely mata buaya (Bruguiera sexangula), buta-buta (Excoecaria agallocha), and bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata), while the adhesives used were tapioca starch, maize starch, and potato starch. The results showed that the moisture, ash content, and calorific value of the wood briquettes mostly met the ISO 17225-3:2-2020 class A2 standard and the specification and quality standards of wood briquettes for Grade A2 issued by the Korea Forest Research Institute, except the density. Wood briquettes made of mata buaya by using the three types of starch adhesives generally had better properties than all other types of wood briquettes. The interaction of mangrove wood species and the types of starch adhesive had a significant effect on the properties of wood briquettes, except for volatile matter and calorific value for which they had no significant effect. The use of wood briquettes from mangrove wood branches contributes to sustainable forest management and maintains the ecological function of mangrove forests while providing environmentally friendly alternative energy for households as a source of fuel/energy. Furthermore, future research is needed, such as investigating the optimal pressing pressure needed to achieve higher density of the wood briquettes.

Analysis of Forest Biomass Wood Briquette Structure According to Different Tests of Density

X-ray technology is capable of non-destructively testing solid wood samples. The prepared wood briquette samples were identified by X-ray technology. The studies assessed the effect of biomass briquette structure by observing wood chip fractions under an X-ray. Study results show that X-ray technology is an effective tool for analyzing biomass wood-based materials, e.g., density, improving wood products quality and performance. The measurements are consistent with the true density, and chemical properties were measured from chosen material. In the article, a coefficient representing the picture density and true density of briquettes was proposed, and the comparison of both densities was based on the empirical measurements. Probably through an application of the conversion factor, the process of determining material densities could be simplified, cheaper, and quicker. Due to the conducted research, X-ray technology is an effective tool for improving wood products’ quality and performance. Combining X-ray technology with laboratory test results can provide quick and easy analysis. For example, the density comparison of shredded forest residues was defined. Based on the results, the mean value of the conversion factor was about 0.6. In addition, the observed results were compared with the doctoral research. Higher durability was found in briquettes with lower fractions of f1 (31–68%) compared to the higher f2, f3, and f4 (6–37%), which was approved in the spectrum picture.

Evaluation of the Physical, Mechanical, and Calorific Properties of Briquettes with or without a Hollow Made of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Straw Waste

Large amounts lignocellulosic biomass in the form of straw is leftover after wheat harvesting that could be utilized for beneficial purposes. The latter has led to the emergence of new technologies to make use of this resource. One such technology currently in use turns wheat straw into briquettes. In the present study, we have prepared and evaluated the physical, mechanical and calorific properties of two types of briquettes made of wheat straw. The two types of briquettes prepared were (i) hollow briquettes and (ii) solid briquettes. The densities of these briquettes obtained on a mechanical device with a crank mechanism were 1.169 kg/m3, irrespective of whether the briquettes were hollow or solid. The briquette densities are consistent with European standards. The calorific value of wheat straw was 17.69 MJ/kg. Although the calorific value was somewhat lower than the beech wood briquettes (18.38 MJ/kg), it is adequate for their combustion in both stoves and thermal power plants. The ash content of wheat straw was 9.1% (~10-fold higher than that of beech wood). The briquettes showed a compressive mechanical strength of 1.15–2.17 N/mm2 and splitting mechanical strength of 0.17–0.39 N/mm2 suggesting that the straw briquettes were well compacted and can be stable during transport and/or other manipulations. In conclusion, wheat straw briquettes have similar physical, mechanical and calorific properties to those prepared from beech wood biomass and are a viable solution to replace beech wood briquettes with similar efficiency.

Briquettes from Pinus spp. Residues: Energy Savings and Emissions Mitigation in the Rural Sector

This study analyzes the household energy needs of the indigenous community of San Francisco Pichátaro, Michoacán, Mexico, and the use of Pinus spp. wood residues for the production of briquettes. The energy and emission performances of wood briquettes were evaluated on the field and in the laboratory. On-field surveys and measurements show that most users combine the use of fuelwood and LPG for cooking and heating water, and 65% of people use fuelwood daily (40% of houses consumed more than 39 kg per week). The use of biomass waste is an energy option in rural communities and contributes to reducing firewood consumption and mitigating GHGs. Briquettes gasification to heat water reduces 74% of GHG emissions, increases the thermal efficiency by 30%, and reduces pollutant emissions of CO, CH4, and PM2.5, NMHC, EC, and OC by 50% to 75% compared to a three-stone fire. The use of briquettes on the Patsari stove showed energy savings of 12% and a 36% reduction in CO2e compared to the “U” type open fire. The briquettes could reduce the fuelwood consumption by 318 t/year. It is possible to produce briquettes at a cost similar to or cheaper than fuelwood and generate a local market (circular economy) with local benefits.

The Impacts of Calamity Logging on the Sustainable Development of Spruce Fuel Biomass Prices and Spruce Pulp Prices in the Czech Republic

Currently, due to the calamity of unplanned harvesting, the amount of biomass from wood products has increased. Forests occupy 33.7% of the total area of the Czech Republic; therefore, wood and non-wood forest products are important renewables for the country. Wood biomass consists mainly of branches and bark that are not used in the wood or furniture industry. However, it can be used in bioenergy, including wood processing for fuel. As spruce production in the Czech Republic increased from the planned 15.5 million to almost 36.8 million trees in 2020, the price of wood biomass can be expected to be affected. This study aims to develop a predictive model for estimating the decline in the price of wood biomass for wood processors, such as firewood or sawdust producers, as well as for the paper industry. Wood biomass prices are falling with each additional million m3 of spruce wood harvested, as is the decline in wood pulp, which is intended for the paper and packaging industries. The proposed predictive model based on linear regressions should determine how the price of wood biomass will decrease with each additional million harvested spruce trees in the Czech Republic. This tool will be used for practical use in the forestry and wood industry. The linear regression model is suitable for practical forestry use due to its simplicity and high informative value. The aim of the research is to model the dependence of the prices of firewood in the form of wood briquettes and pellets for domestic and industrial processing, as well as the prices of wood pulp on the volume of unplanned logging. It is a guide for the practice of how to use excess spruce wood from unplanned mining in the field of alternative processing with a sustainable aspect for households or heat production for households. The intention is to carry out modelling in such a way that it does not include prices of higher quality wood assortments, which are intended for the woodworking industry.

Environmental and Economic Assessment of Portable Systems: Production of Wood-Briquettes and Torrefied-Briquettes to Generate Heat and Electricity

This study assessed the environmental impacts and economic feasibility of generating heat using wood-briquettes (WBs), and heat and electricity using torrefied-wood-briquettes (TWBs). WBs and TWBs were manufactured from forest residues using portable systems and delivered to either residential consumers or power plants in the United States. An integrated cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) approach was used to quantify environmental impacts and minimum-selling prices (MSPs) of heat and electricity, respectively. Results illustrated that 82% and 59% of the cradle-to-grave global warming (GW) impact of producing heat resulted from the feedstock preparation in WBs and torrefaction in TWBs, respectively. About 46–54% of total cost in the production of heat were from labor and capital costs only. The GW impact of electricity production with TWBs was dominated by the torrefaction process (48% contribution). Capital cost (50%) was a major contributor to the total cost of electricity production using TWBs. The GW impacts of producing heat were 7–37 gCO₂eq/MJ for WBs, and 14–51 gCO₂eq/MJ for TWBs, whereas producing electricity using TWBs was 146–443 gCO₂eq/kWhe. MSPs of generating heat from WBs and TWBs were €1.09–€1.73 and €1.60–€2.26/MJ, respectively, whereas the MSP of electricity from TWBs was €20–€25/kWhe. Considering carbon and pile-burn credits, MSPs of heat and electricity were reduced by 60–90% compared to the base-case.

Indirect Evaluation of the Porosity of Waste Wood Briquettes by Assessing Their Surface Quality

The briquette porosity is a quality characteristic known to be important for combustion analysis, heat and mass transfer processes during combustion stages, determination of effective thermal conductivity or other related properties. This paper describes a method to quantify the briquette porosity by some surface roughness parameters that can be useful for alternative, inexpensive and at hand evaluations. Porosity of briquettes manufactured with a hydraulic press from waste wood from secondary processing was calculated with three methods suggested in the literature for wood; of these, one was adapted here for a wet porosity model (called “general relation”) proposed for wood briquettes. Briquettes density was obtained by using two stereometric methods and a liquid displacement method. Correlations were examined between porosity, surface roughness parameters and density of briquettes. Very strong correlations with surface roughness were identified for porosity calculated with all three methods, when density was measured by one of the stereometric methods. These correlations can serve as a method to indirect evaluation of the briquettes porosity by assessing the surface quality.

Operational Testing of a Solid Fuel Boiler with Different Fuels

In the course of our investigations, we burned high-quality logs as well as wood briquettes in a conventional, manually fed mixed-fired boiler, under different operating parameters. Based on the evaluation of the measurement results, there is a significant difference in terms of recoverable energy and carbon monoxide emissions for the two fuels burned in the same device at different air supply parameters. Studies have shown that a constantly changing position of the draft control door has an adverse effect on carbon monoxide emissions as well as the energy produced. In the case of a constant draft door setting, the preset values that can be considered ideal for energy yield and CO emissions were determined for the two fuel types. The obtained results were compared with the requirements according to the MSZ EN 303-5 standard.

Pengaruh Variasi Tekanan Terhadap Kerapatan, Kadar Air Dan Laju Pembakaran Pada Biobriket Limbah Kayu Mahoni

Abstract— The use of biomass from mahogany wood waste briquettes as a substitute fuel for oil and gas requires briquette technology. Mahogany wood briquette is able to convert into fuel with a fairly good conversion efficiency, high density and ease of storage and distribution. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pressure variations on the density, moisture content and rate of burning of mahogany wood waste briquettes. The process of making charcoal biobriquettes begins with the carbonization process with a temperature of 400 ̊C, then smoothed and sieved with a size of 80 mesh - 100 to get the same size, and using tapioca adhesive 30% of the weight of the mixture. The mixture is put into a molding machine and then printed with a pressure of 80 kg/cm2, 115 kg/cm2, 150 kg/cm2, and 185 kg/cm2. Charcoal biobriquettes are dried in an oven at 105 ̊C for 1 hour. In this research, the mass density and moisture content of the mahogany wood waste met the Indonesian biobriquette standards, the results of this study obtained the higher density of 0,55 g/cm3at a pressure of 150 kg/cm2. The results lowest water content of 47,2% at a pressure of 185 kg/cm2. The lowest combustion rate is 0,257 g/min at a pressure of 185 kg/cm2. Keywords—: mahoni wood waste; pressure; moisture content; combustion rate.

Relaxation State of Wood and Production of Cellulose Composites for Energy Purposes: Wood Briquettes and Pellets

Changes in the relaxation state of polymeric components of wood at the main stages of production of cellulose composites for energy purposes—wood pellets and briquettes—are considered. The possibility of transition to energy-saving technology due to dispersion under conditions of directional brittle destruction of sawdust during its transformation into a powder material and the extrudability of the powder in subsequent steam humidification is shown. An anomaly of the apparent viscosity of the wood system in the extruder due to the combined effect of water vapor, gaseous pyrolysis products, temperature, and shear stresses is observed.

Quantifying the relative importance of major tracers for fine particles released from biofuel combustion in households in the rural North China Plain.

Biomass burning tracers have been widely used to identify biomass burning types, but such tools can sometimes cause large uncertainties in the source attribution studies of PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter of smaller than 2.5μm). To quantify the relative importance of the major biomass burning tracers in PM2.5 released from biofuels combusted in the North China Plain, combustion experiments under the smoldering and flaming combustion conditions were conducted using nine types of typical household biofuels including two types of agricultural wastes, five types of hardwoods, one softwood, and one mixed wood briquette. PM2.5 samples were collected from the combustion experiments and source profiles of PM2.5 were thus determined for various biofuels under the two different combustion conditions. Carbonaceous species including organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were the major chemical components of the PM2.5 released from combustion of all the tested biofuels, with mass fractions of 37-45% and 4-7% under the smoldering condition and 11-25% and 7-29% under the flaming condition, respectively. Higher mass fractions of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs, e.g., K+ and Cl-) in PM2.5 were observed under the flaming than smoldering combustion condition, while anhydrosugars (levoglucosan (LG) and mannosan (MN)) presented in an opposite pattern. The average LG/MN ratio in PM2.5 changed significantly with biofuel type (20-55 for agricultural wastes, 10-22 for hardwoods (except elm) and 3-6 for softwood), but varied little with combustion condition. In contrast, the K+/LG ratio in PM2.5 varied significantly between smoldering (<0.2) and flaming (>0.6) combustion conditions for all the biofuel types except softwood. Results from this study suggested that the ratio LG/MN was the best tracer for identifying the biofuel types and the ratio K+/LG is suitable for identifying the combustion conditions in this region.

The use of agricultural residues, wood briquettes and logs for small-scale domestic heating

Large amounts of agricultural residues are produced annually in the UK alone, which presents a significant biomass energy resource. It has limited availability in briquetted form in the UK but is widely used, particularly in Asia. The aim of this work is to assess the emission from briquetted agricultural residues to wood fuel, including commercial wood briquettes, when utilised in a 5 kW domestic heating stove. Other straw-type materials, sugarcane bagasse, Miscanthus, were also investigated. The combustion behaviour depended on the chemical and physical nature of the briquettes. Results indicate that fuel choice is an important consideration for emission reduction. Fuel-N directly correlates to emitted NOx and all the fuels studied had NOx emissions below the EU regulation limit. While agricultural residues can be relatively high in Cl and S, there is evidence of in-situ capture of HCl and SO2 by calcium salts in the fuel ash. Particulate emissions correlate with the volatile matter in the fuel, but also are influenced by the quality/durability of the briquette. The briquettes performed well compared to wood logs, and while there is a fuel-type influence on emissions, it is also clear that briquettes from optimised manufacture can be lower emitting than wood logs.

Rancang bangun mesin press briket dari bahan serbuk kayu sistem pneumatik menggunakan 5 tabung percetak

At this time the Indonesian people are faced with various kinds of problems in terms of waste, if people have knowledge of the use of waste in the surrounding environment then this problem will be overcome, for example waste originating from coconut shells, wood, sawdust and palm shells that can used as charcoal and biomass fuel. In making briquettes with the dimensions and shape of briquettes that are uniform, then a tool designed with pneumatic technology. Because in pneumatic air pressure can be adjusted as needed. Pneumatic technology is a tool that can work (move) by utilizing air pressure from the compressor. Pneumatic works as movers, regulators, controllers and connect work processes.The advantages of pneumatic work systems are the availability of air that is not limited, easily distributed, flexibility, temperature, safe, clean, transfer of power and speed that is easily set. Based on the results of the design of the briquette maker on the process of making briquettes with a pneumatic system capable of speeding up the production time of briquette production and briquette size of 66 mm diameter and 100 cm height, determining the pressure on making briquettes that are uniform according to the weight and shape of the briquettes. Pressing the pressure of 6 bars produces a planned target product of 5 molding on wood briquette press machine but the results of the sawdust are broken and messy due to lack of adhesive and wood powder must be soft in small particles. Keywords: briquette, pneumatic, and briquette making machine.

Energy consumption and heating costs for a detached house over a 12-year period – Renewable fuels versus fossil fuels

Currently, 57.4% of the European Union (EU-28) population live in houses which usually need separate boilers to generate thermal energy. The research presented in this paper pertained to a detached house in the north-east of Poland, in which thermal energy was generated over 12 consecutive years by burning wood briquettes. This study analysed the quality and quantity of wood briquettes, energy consumption and cost of thermal energy generation for the house with the use of an automatic biomass burning unit, compared with other types of fuels.The annual consumption of briquette energy was 124.5 GJ year−1. The average annual cost of thermal energy generation for a house was 739 € year−1. When the cost of the boiler purchase and its service and fuel purchase costs were taken into account, the 12-year operating cost for a briquette-fired boiler was found to be similar to the operation cost for a coal-fired boiler and higher by 21% compared to willow chips-fired boiler. The operation of a boiler fired with other fuels, like pellets, natural gas or heating oil during the same period was more expensive by 39%, 46% and 157%, respectively.

Analysis of Production Technology of Wood Briquettes, Including Costs and Distribution

Abstract The paper analyzes the costs of production of wood sawdust briquettes, manufactured by the company Brykiet-Pol2, based in Goleszów in southern Poland. In addition, production technology, raw material supply and distribution of the finished product were analyzed. The costs of producing one ton of briquettes for the four assessed variants ranged from PLN 364.8 (option D) to PLN 648.7 (option A). The cost structure was dominated by the purchase of raw material and depreciation of the technological line. The most economically advantageous production variant was option C, currently implemented in the company (production costs: PLN 458.7·t−1), and the proposed option D, using two briquetting presses. The latter option increased production efficiency and reduced unit costs of briquette production in a three-shift system around the clock.

Study on Fuel Specificity and Harmful Air Pollutants Factor of Agglomerated Wood Charcoal

This study selected three types of agglomerated wood charcoal (Agglomerated wood charcoal with charcoal powder, Carbonized wood briquette, Ignition-type of perforated charcoal) that are in circulation in Korea among fuel-type wood products and analyzed the fuel characteristics, harmful substance content, and emissions of air pollutants generated by combustion. The first results showed that charcoal-grilled carbon, which is the raw material of charcoal, produced higher CO than saw-billed carbon. The second result is that the emission standards of air pollutants generated by the combustion of molded wood coal are not up to the emission standards of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides in the entire product, compared with the emission criteria of the atmospheric environment preservation method (based on 2019, carbon monoxide: 200 ppm, nitrogen oxides, 150 ppm sulfur oxides: 100 ppm), but the carbon dioxide moulding and carbon dioxide levels were not up. Based on the analysis of combustion gas generated during combustion derived from this study, future research is needed for comparing with the emission standards of pellets, which are wood products for fuel, among the existing biomass burning standards and for reducing carbon monoxide generated during incomplete combustion of agglomerated wood charcoal.

Упруго-релаксационные свойства древесины лиственницы и их роль при получении древесных и древесно-угольных брикетов

Processing of sawdust, which accounts for 10…12 % of the volume of processed raw wood materials in products with high added value, is one of the areas of woodbiorefining. This became a premise for sawdust processing into secondgeneration biofuel, as well as carbonized briquettes based on it. The relaxation properties of larch wood are studied and their role in the technological process carried out in creation of new generation biofuel with a given set of operational properties is analyzedtaking into account the specific features of relaxation transitions at the stages of obtaining wood and charcoal briquettes.The relationship between the directed change in the relaxation state of the wood polymer components (lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses) and the operational parameters is considered. The experimental data findings confirm that cellulose and hemicelluloses are in a high-elastic state in the initial wood and sawdust.It is advisable to ensure that the wood polymer components are transferred below the brittle temperature, in other words, wood should be dried to the lowest possible residual moisture, in order to grind wood sawdust to a powdery state with minimum energy consumption. Subsequent steam humidification to a moisture content of 3…4 % gives the system extrusion ability due to the formation of hemicellulose gel layers on the surface. For citation: Pekarets A.A., Erokhina O.A., Novozhilov V.V., Mandre Yu.G., Akim E.L. Elastic and Relaxation Properties of Larch Wood and Their Role in Production of Wood and Charcoal Briquettes. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2020, no. 1, pp. 200–208. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2020-1-200-208

РАЗВИТИЕ ЦИРКУЛЯРНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ В РОССИИ: РЫНОК БИОТОПЛИВА

The growing interest in energy security and renewable energy in Europe and Asia has stimulated the demand for wood briquettes and pellets. The production of energy from pellets per unit of investment is cheaper than the production of gas and oil, which determines the development of a circular economy in the Russian Federation. In Russia the main producers of pellets and fuel briquettes are large timber companies. At the same time, small business is an active producer of biofuels. The article presents the results of an expert survey of business representatives in the field of biofuel production, as well as analytical information on production, capacity utilization, sales and raw materials for the production of fuel briquettes from wood waste in the Russian Federation. It has been established that the main factors affecting the price of pellets and fuel briquettes are: formed market demand, the method of transportation and packaging of products, as well as their quality. Expanding domestic production of wood pellets is the number one task for Russian producers, given the growth of the global pellet market. Moreover, in a number of countries in Europe and America, the main exporters of pellets and fuel briquettes, measures to support manufacturers are actively implemented. Support is needed at all state levels to accelerate the development of new industries and industries in the field of biofuel and bioenergy. The most popular measures to support domestic producers of biofuels may be reduction in tax rates, compensation for the costs of certification of products for small and medium-sized businesses. According to our estimates, we can expect further growth in the production of fuel briquettes, the intensity of which will, in many respects, be determined by the possibility of subsidizing transport transportation and the development of the domestic biofuel market. The domestic market for pellets and fuel briquettes will stagnate without the support of biofuel producers, and pricing and certification is an important element for developing the export potential of industry enterprises

The energy and ecological performance of the hot water boiler burning linden bark and wood briquettes

The North-West of Russia possesses huge wood resources reserves, therefore the issues of the most efficient use of wood biomass are relevant for this region. The implication of wood biofuels into fuel and energy budget provides an opportunity to reduce the negative impact of power industry facilities on the environment and preserve the potential of non-renewable fuels for future generations. An effective way of the complex solution of energy and ecological problems, while providing heating loads for consumers, is the use of modern devices operating on solid biofuel. Technical analysis of foreign and domestic high-performance heating units has great importance. The aim of the research is an evaluation of energy and ecological performance of the Firematic 60 hot water boiler burning bark of linden, briquettes from wood sanding dust and sawdust of plywood processing, as well as briquettes obtained by pressing softwood sawdust and shavings. The paper presents thermotechnical characteristics of burning biofuels and the components of boiler heat balance and gaseous emission from the burning linden bark and briquettes. Particulate matter emission and content of soot were studied. The shape and composition of soot particles were determined with a Zeiss SIGMA VP electronic scanning microscope. Presented data were obtained using equipment of the Research Center of Power Engineering Innovations. The results of the comprehensive energy audit have shown that the Firematic 60 boiler provides high technical and economic performance with minimum emission of harmful substances to the atmosphere. It can be used for low-rise buildings heat supply in weather conditions of the Arctic region especially.