An Experimental Investigation on the Handling and Storage Properties of Biomass Fuel Briquettes Made from Oil Palm Mill Residues

This study is about experimental investigation on solid fuel briquettes made of oil palm mill residues that exhibit optimum handling and storage properties. One of the major technical challenges in utilizing biomass waste material as a solid fuel is the handling and storage issues of loose and wet waste material. The solid biomass fuel briquettes made from different types and combinations of palm oil mill residues were explored for optimum storage and handling features. A solution to improving the handling and storage properties of loosely-bound oil palm mill residues is proposed in this work via a densification process known as fuel briquetting. Raw oil palm waste material was pulverized and compacted with a 159 MPa pressing pressure to form 40 mm diameter solid fuel briquettes. It was found that a fuel briquette with a 60:40 palm kernel shell to mesocarp fiber ratio using waste paper as its binding agent gave the best mechanical properties without sacrificing the combustion properties of the solid fuel.