Torrefied Briquettes: Technical And Economic Feasibility And Perspectives In The Brazilian Market

This paper presents a study of the impact of introducing a torrefaction system installed in a briquette factory. Cost analysis demonstrates that a briquette factory with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per year could increase operational profits and reduce the break-even point by 15.7% by introducing a process to torrefy 60% of the briquettes produced. Torrefaction, therefore, promotes operational improvement without the need to increase production volume, and the factory becomes a multiproduct manufacture, gaining flexibility and competitiveness in markets that are limited or saturated by competitors. This study includes marketing aspects, showing that torrefaction improves briquette quality, enabling access to new possibilities, mainly the domestic market, still unexplored by biomass briquette producers. © 2005 International Energy Initiative, Inc.932329Bourgeois, J.P., Torrefied wood from temperate and tropical species, advantages and prospects (1984) Bioenergy 84, III, pp. 153-159. , London, Egneus and Ellegard (eds.)Doat, J., CTFT research into wood pyrolysis (1985) Symposium on Forest Products Research - International Achievements and the Future, pp. 12-24Eriksson, S., Prior, M., (1990) The Briquetting of Agricultural Wastes for Fuel, , FAO Environment and Energy Paper 11, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, RomeFelfli, F.F., 2003. Torrefação de biomassa, viabilidade técnica e potencial de mercado, Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, UNICAMP, 137 pp., doctorate thesis (in Portuguese)Felf li, F.F., Luengo, C.A., Beaton, P., Suarez, A., Efficiency test for bench unit torrefaction and characterization of torrefied biomass (1999) 4th Biomass Conference of the Americas, 1, pp. 589-592. , CaliforniaGirard, P., Shah, N., Developments on Torrefied Wood, an Alternative to Charcoal for Reducing Deforestation (1991) REUR Technical Series, 20, pp. 101-114Lipinsky, E.S., Arcate, J.R., Reed, T.B., Enhanced wood fuel via torrefaction (2002) Fuel Chemistry Division Preprints, 47 (1)Machado, J.A.P., (2002) Projetos Económicos: Uma abordagem prática de elaboração, p. 182. , Nobel, São PauloPach, M., Zanzi, R., Björnbom, E., Torrefied biomass as substitute for wood and charcoal (2002) 6th Asian-Pacific Int. Symp. on Combustion and Energy Utilization, Proc. Int. Conf, pp. 285-290. , Ani, F.N, et al, ed, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ppPentananunt, R., Rahman, A., Bhattacharya, S.C., Upgrading of biomass by means of torrefaction (1990) Energy, 15 (12), pp. 1175-1179Suárez, J.A., Beatón, P.A., Luengo, C.A., Felfli, F.F., Coffee husk briquettes: a new renewable energy source (2003) Energy Sources, 25, pp. 961-967(2004) Energy Taxation in SwedenPolitical Steering Instruments: Focus Bioenergy, (9). , www.svebio.se, SVEBI