Development and performance evaluation of a piston type hydraulically operated briquetting machine with replaceable moulds

This study focuses on the development and performance evaluation of a piston type briquetting machine with replaceable moulds. The properties of the briquettes produced from cornhusk (CH), cassava peel (CP), sawdust (SD) at different torrefaction conditions and particle size less than 1.8 mm were studied with cassava starch as binder. The fuel application of the feedstock for co-firing in coal engines was evaluated by combustion indices. This machine has a replaceable cylindrical or square mould that could be used interchangeably. The machine has the capacity to produce 576 briquettes on an 8-hours operation while the biomass material flow rate for densification is 1.58 L/h. The highest maximum density of 1.09 g/cm3 was attained for cylindrical CP briquettes torrefied at 300 °C and water preconditioned at 10% moisture content, while the relaxed density, shatter index and compressive strength are 0.58 g/cm3, 98.35% and 0.75 N/mm2 respectively. The calorific value and fixed carbon for the SD briquettes are better than those of CH and CP. The cylindrical briquettes have better physical properties than the square ones. The square shaped briquettes however would occupy less void space during storage. Conclusively, the machine is capable of producing quality cylindrical and square shaped briquettes for heating applications