Fuel briquettes from waste coffee pulp and hulls

• Main Authors: Capco, Rene Voltaire V., Dino, Berwyn Rey S.J., Empedrad, Linda Oliva B
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1991
• Subjects: Briquets (Fuel); Coffee waste; Coffee pulp; Waste products; x2 Pulp, Coffee; Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/6426
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study is composed of two main parts. The first part was the design and fabrication of a simple briquetting machine. The second part was the determination of the physical and fuel characteristics of the best briquettes. These briquettes were produced from coffee wastes using the designed briquittor. Briquetting was done at low pressure with the aid of cassava starch and molasses as binders. The briquettes were made up of three sizes (2.5, 3.8, 5.0 cm. dia. and 3.0 cm. high) and the best was found to be of size 5.0 cm. dia. and 3.0 cm. high. The appropriate particle sizes was that passing thru Mesh 20. A binder concentration of 6 percent wt. using a 10 percent wt. starch paste was found to be the optimum concentration. The average proximate analysis of the briquettes indicated 11.7 percent MC, 62.o percent VCM, 4.8 percent ash, and 21.5 percent FC. Its gross heating value was 3.784.55 cal/g. The Orsat analysis of its smoke showed 2.85 percent CO2, 7.33 percent 02, 0.85 percent CO, and 88.75 percent Gas residue. The core temperatures ranged from 639.2 to 671.4 C and the burning period lasted from 55 to 110 minutes. The briquettes were also subjected to Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) at a heating rate of 10 C/min. Rapid weight loss was observed during the evolution of VCM. The briquettes were found to withstand load of 14.95 to 50.04 kg. and the drop test proved that they can also withstand the shocks of handling and transportation. The physical and fuel characteristics obtained from the briquettes indicated that they qualify as a good alternative fuel for domestic purposes.