Impact of Biomass Moisture Content on the Physical Properties of Briquettes Produced from Recycled Ficus nitida Pruning Residuals

Ahmed M. K. Abdel Aal, Omer H. M. Ibrahim (), Ammar Al-Farga and Ehab A. El Saeidy
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Ahmed M. K. Abdel Aal: Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Omer H. M. Ibrahim: Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Ammar Al-Farga: Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia
Ehab A. El Saeidy: Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Shibin El-Kom 32514, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Despite its vital importance for life and societal development, energy is a source of conflict and war in many places worldwide. It is also a source of pollution and harmful natural phenomena that affect human life and the environment. These factors have led scientists to consider alternative clean, cheap, and eco-friendly renewable energies. Examples include briquettes consisting of compressed agricultural waste, such as pruning residuals. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of briquettes derived from the pruning residuals of Ficus nitida trees. The results indicate that moisture content was the main factor affecting the physical properties of the produced briquettes. The ideal moisture content for producing high-quality briquettes was 8%. With this moisture content, the briquette durability was 96.9%, the bulk density was approximately 0.18 g·cm 3 , the compressive strength was 18.5 MPa, and its calorific value was 3250.7 Kcal/kg (17.38 MJ/kg). In conclusion, our research confirms the high quality of briquettes made from the pruning residuals of F. nitida and their promising potential as an energy source.

Keywords: briquettes; bulk density; calorific value; compressive strength; durability; Ficus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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