DefinePK

Abstract

In this study, the falcata sawdust was utilized to produce briquettes. The samples were produced using a single mold manual briquetting device. The falcata sawdust was mixed with three binders namely cassava starch, paper pulp and molasses at 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50 sawdust-to-binder ratio and were then evaluated in terms of its calorific value, boiling time and durability. Results showed that the calorific value of briquettes decreased as the sawdust-to-binder ratio is increased. Briquette samples with 70:30 sawdust-to-binder ratio can boil water in a shortest period. Meanwhile, the the durability of briquettes increased as the sawdust-to-binder ratio is increased. Among the binders considered, cassava starch has the highest durability followed by paper pulp. Further, a manually-operated briquetting machine that can produce 25 briquettes with an average production time per batch of 5 minutes was fabricated. The said machine can produce 300 briquettes per hour.