Browsing by Author "Issa, A. M"

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    Characterisation of Briquette Fuel Produced from Admixture of Coconut Coir and Sawdust Particles using Starch Gel Binder
    (Published by Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin., 2026-03-30) AMBALI IBRAHIM OWOLABI; Shuaib-Babata, Y. L; Busari, Y. O; Issa, A. M; Ajao, K. S; Popoola, O.T
    This study investigated the effect of compositional variation on the properties of biomass briquettes produced from the admixture of coconut coir (CC) and sawdust (S) using cassava starch as a binder. The materials were locally sourced and processed to produce five formulations of briquette samples from 100:0 to 50:50 (CC:S) at compaction pressure of 5 MPa and curing temperature at 105 oC for 1 hour. The characterization of the briquettes was done using proximate, ultimate, physical and combustion analysis according to established ASTM standards. Results showed the moisture content of the briquette samples varied from 6.87 to 7.77%, ash content from 3 to 6%, fixed carbon from 11.51 - 14.07% and volatile matter from 74.5 - 76.9%. The Higher Heating Value (HHV) was found to vary from 15.88 - 16.71 MJ/kg. The statistical analysis with one-way ANOVA confirmed significant differences (p < 0.05) between different compositions. The briquette sample with 50:50 of coconut coir and sawdust ratio was found to have superior combustion properties with the highest HHV and lowest ash content. The findings demonstrated that optimizing composition and minimizing ash content significantly improves briquette performance. The produced briquette is recommended for both domestic and industrial applications.