Production of Briquettes from Sugarcane bagasse-Cow dung Mixture and its Characterization

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Date
2018-08
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Publisher
MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
Agriculture waste management during processing is one of the most serious ruralurban environmental problems in India. The disposal of these residues in the fields is being done mostly by burning, thereby causing health hazards and air pollution. Adequate means of disposing these wastes are lacking. Hence, converting them to other useful products such as briquettes for fuel is highly essential. In India, the production of sugarcane is around 80 t/ha and a large quantity of sugarcane bagasse is produced annually hence it is becoming the most commonly available agricultural residues that can be utilized for the production of briquettes. In this study, briquettes were produced from sugarcane bagasse and cow dung mixture using hand operated briquetting machine available at Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, CTAE, MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Different combinations of briquettes were produced with these raw materials in the ratio of 50SB : 50CD, 55SB : 45CD and 60SB : 40CD without binders. Proximate analysis of briquettes was done in terms of moisture content, per cent ash, per cent volatile matter and per cent fixed carbon content. The effect of raw material combination on physical properties like compressed density, shatter resistance and thermal efficiency was calculated. Calorific value of the briquettes was also found out to test the suitability of briquettes as fuel. It was observed that treatment 3 (60:40) briquettes consisting of 60 % sugarcane bagasse and 40 % of cow dung were containing least moisture content after drying. The study also revealed that the calorific value and thermal efficiency of this combination of briquettes was highest i.e. of 4280 kcal/kg and 25 % respectively. Among all treatments in terms of calorific value and thermal efficiency treatment 3 (60SB:40CD) were proved most suitable. The adaption of sugarcane bagasse briquettes by the rural people or in the industries would go a long way in helping them to produce their own energy with locally available material like cow dung and agricultural residues. Thereby alleviating the problems associated with the depleting fossil fuels and in the waste management strategies of agro residues.
Description
Production, Briquettes, Sugarcane bagasse-Cow dung Mixture, Characterization
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Citation
Gupta, A. and Sharma, D.
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