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Ignition and Burning Rate of Sheanut Shell Briquettes Produced at Moderate

Temperature and Die Pressure

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American Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences
2018; 1(3): 145-149
http://www.aascit.org/journal/ees

Ignition and Burning Rate of Sheanut Shell

Briquettes Produced at Moderate Temperature and
Die Pressure
Elinge Cosmas Moki1, *, Birnin Yauri Umar Abubakar2, Muhammad Aminu Bayewa2,
Musa Mu’azu3
1
Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, Nigeria
2
Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria
3
Energy Research Centre, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Email address
*
Corresponding author

Citation
Elinge Cosmas Moki, Birnin Yauri Umar Abubakar, Muhammad Aminu Bayewa, Musa Mu’azu. Ignition and Burning Rate of Sheanut Shell
Briquettes Produced at Moderate Temperature and Die Pressure. American Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Vol. 1, No. 3, 2018, pp. 145-149.

Received: February 1, 2018; Accepted: March 7, 2018; Published: September 3, 2018

Abstract: Energy availability is a crucial requirement to societal development. In an effort to provide a cheap firewood
alternative to the rural households in Nigeria, this study was carried out to produce biomass briquette from sheanut shell using
a simple extruder briquetting machine. The proximate analysis of the raw and briquetted samples were carried out and were
found that these properties were improved as a result of briquetting. The density was found to be 0.46g/cm3 and the
compressive strength was 2120Mpa while the ignition time was 1.70mm/s and the afterglow time was 38sec. It took 1kg of the
briquette, 22 mins to boil 2 litres of water while it took kerosene 16mins to boil the same quantity of water. The efficiency
based on kerosene was 73.58% which indicates that this agro-waste residue is a good resource for biomass briquetting.

Keywords: Biomass, Briquettes, Firewood, Ignition Time, Sheanut Shell

need. This has a negative effect on the ecosystem by causing

1. Introduction deforestation leading to soil erosion, desert encroachment,
The availability of energy is a crucial pre- requisite of atmospheric pollution due to carbon dioxide build-up and the
development in any society. According to Jarret [1], the loss of agricultural land. The rural dwellers and even the
industrial revolution was largely a revolution in power urban dwellers cannot depend on the use of electricity (due to
availability, while [2] formulates the concept in a its erratic supply) and cooking gas (due to its high cost).
mathematical terms as follows: These urban and rural dwellers are left with no choice than
using fuel wood as their cheapest source of energy. This fuel
(1) wood popularly known as fire wood has a low calorific value
in addition to the ecological problems they cause [3].
Where L represents the standard of living of a society Massive tree exploitation recorded in most Nigerian forests
(measured in terms of consumption of goods and services) in the past was as a result of the fact that fire wood which
R = consumption of raw materials serves as the major source of energy were gotten from the
E = consumption of energy massive volume of timber in the forest [4].
I = (consumption of ingenuity (embracing technology, The demand on wood is rapidly increasing due to a drastic
political, socio economic and management components). increase in population which has driven many forest trees
P = Population of the society. species into extinction thus, causing a lot of environmental
In Nigeria for instance, about 80% of the population live in havoc. As a result of inefficient conversion and low biomass
rural areas and depend mostly on fuel wood for their energy recovery from these trees in the Nigerian forestry industries,
it has led to prevalence of sawdust around sawmills and it
146 Elinge Cosmas Moki et al.: Ignition and Burning Rate of Sheanut Shell Briquettes Produced at
Moderate Temperature and Die Pressure

constitutes a disposal problem [5]. Obviously most of the sieve to obtain a fine particle size. The pulverized sample
world’s demand for energy is yet to be met by fossil fuels was kept in a polyethene bag until required for briquettes
which provides about 80% of man’s energy source but has preparation.
failed to meet the huge demand of the teeming population
which has kept on increasing on daily basis, while the 2.3. Preparation of Briquettes
volume of the fossil fuels has kept on depreciating too. There A cylindrical mould 16 cm in length and 2.5 cm internal
is now a world-wide growing concern on the rate of depletion, diameter was constructed. A metal bar of 2.3 cm diameter
and final exhaustion of these fossils. The life span of this was used in pushing the formed briquette out of the moulding
resource in the world which at present is the main source of cylinder.
energy and petrochemical feedstock is now measured in few The pulverized sample was thoroughly mixed with the
decades [6]. In an event of depletion of the crude reserves, slurry of starch (the binder) in the mass ratio of 6:1 [16]. The
the ugly scenario that could be predicted by the energy crises mixture was then loaded into the cylindrical mould and
will be better imagined than experienced. compressed with a screw presser and kept for 30 mins. The
The fact that oil has a “turbulence factor” in contemporary densified briquette was pushed out of the mould with the aid
international affairs has led to a boast in research for of the metal bar. The same procedure was repeated several
alternative sources of energy especially in the technologically times to obtain a good quantity of briquettes. The briquettes
advanced countries in the West geared towards reducing the so produced were then air dried for three weeks [17].
dependence on the OPEC nations [7, 8].
For most developing countries, biomass particularly 2.4. Determination of Moisture Content
agricultural wastes, has become one of the most promising
energy sources. Biomass are organic matter in the original A sample of the briquette was weighed (Wi) and placed
natural form, growing on the basis of photosynthesis, collecting into an oven whose temperature has been adjusted to 110°C
and transforming solar energy into plants [9]. Biomass are and left for 24 hours after which it was removed and re-
excellent renewable energy sources intensively used as weighed (Wf) after cooling [18]. The moisture content was
substitute for fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum products in the computed from equation 2:
modern world [10]. Huge volumes of agricultural residues and
Percentage (%) moisture = 100% (2)
residues from wood processing mills are not fully utilized. One
of the major world crop, rice, has about 25% of the crop in the
form of husk which amounts to about 100 million tonnes of 2.5. Determination of Ash Content
husks while groundnut has about 45% of it in the form of shells, A sample of the briquette was placed in a pre-weighed
with a production of about 10 million tonnes worldwide [10]. In crucible (Wc) and weighed (Wsc). The crucible was heated at
the light of this, it is reasonable to assume that about 25% of any 600°C for 2 hours in a furnace. It was allowed to cool to
agricultural feed stock is residue [11]. room temperature before it was re-weighed (Wac). The ash
Briquette is described as a substance made when small content was computed from equation 3:
particles of solid materials are pressed together to form a
coherent shape of large size with or without a binder [12]. Percentage % ash content = 100% (3)
In Malaysia, briquetting has been used to upgrade the
properties of oil palm biomass [13, 14] reported increased 2.6. Determination of Volatile Matter
energy content and reduced moisture content of 5% and 38%
of palm biomass briquettes. Where a binder is used in Volatile matter is defined as those products, exclusive of
briquettes making, the binder to waste ratio is important so as moisture, given off by a material as gas or vapour. The
not to confer unnecessary material strength to the briquettes volatile matter of the sample was determined using the
and affects the mechanical characteristics, such as Meynell’s method. The dry sample from the moisture content
compressive strength [15]. determination was heated at 300°C in a furnace for 2hrs to
drive off the volatiles. The temperature was then raised to
470°C for 2hrs (just before the material turns black i.e.
2. Materials and Methods before it ashes). The volatile organic matter was calculated
2.1. Sample Collection from equation (4).
Volatile matter = wt of residual dry sample – wt of dry
Samples of sheanut shells was collected from Aliero, sample after heating
Latitude 12017’24.14”N and Longitude 4028’1.57”E town of
Kebbi State, Nigeria, while cassava starch was purchased at %= × 100 (4)
the Sokoto Central Market, Sokoto, Nigeria.
2.7. Determination of Fixed Carbon
2.2. Sample Preparation
Fixed carbon represents the quantity of carbon that can be
The collected sample was sun-dried for three days to drive burnt by a primary current of air drawn through hot bed of a
off moisture and then pulverized and sieved with 80 mesh fuel. The fixed carbon content of the samples was calculated
 American Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences 2018; 1(3): 145-149 147

using equation (5) [19].

! "# $ % # % % &%' 100 ( & #&%' ) &%' ) *#&%' (5)

Where by the time taken in seconds.

MC - Moisture Content
VM - Volatile Matter 2.9. Determination of Afterglow Time
AC - Ash Content The afterglow time was determined in order to estimate
2.8. Determination of Flame Propagation how long the individual briquette will burn before restocking
when used in cooking and heating. The procedure of [20]
This was determined as described by [20]. A piece of the was also used. A piece of oven- dried briquette was ignited
briquette was graduated in centimeters, ignited at one end and after a consistent flame was established, the flame was
and allowed to burn until it extinguished itself. The flame blown out. The time, in seconds, within which the glow was
propagation rate was estimated by dividing the distance burnt perceptible was recorded.

3. Results
Table 1. Proximate Analysis of Raw and Briquetted Samples.

Sample Moisture Content (%) Ash Content (%) Volatile Matter (%) Fixed Carbon (%)
SN (R) 3.50±0.50 2.50±0.40 10.50±0.33 83.50±0.40
SN (B) 2.50±0.50 4.50±0.10 16.00±0.50 77.00±1.40

*Values are mean standard deviation of triplicate result.

Table 2. Viability properties of sheanut shell briquettes.

Sample Density (g/cm3) Compressive strength (Mpa) Ignition time (mm/s) Afterglow time (s)
SN (B) 0.46±0.10 2120.00±1.00 1.70±0.03 38.0±0.85

*Values are mean standard deviation of triplicate result.

Table 3. Combustion characteristics of sheanut shell briquettes.

Sample Combustibility test (mins) Calorific value (Mj/Kg) Specific Power Output (W/Kg) Efficiency, based on kerosene (%)
SN (B) 22 6.75±0.18 439.95 73.58
Kerosene 16 - 597.96 100.00

Key:
*SN(R) – Sheanut shell raw sample
SN (B) – Sheanut shell briquette.

The total energy that is needed to bring a briquette up to its

4. Discussion pyrolytic temperature is dependent on its moisture content
Strong and well-formed briquettes were obtained as shown which affects the internal temperature within the briquette
in figure 1. due to endothermic evaporation [21]. From Table 1, the
moisture content varied from 2.50% (Briquetted sample) to
3.50% (Raw Sample). It is observed that densification has
reduced the moisture content of the waste residue and it falls
within the range of 10 – 15% as recommended by [22] which
helps in storage and combustibility. It is also noted that
moisture content in excess of 20% would result in
considerable loss in energy during combustion [23]. This
indicates that the briquetted sample would be a good source
of fuel as a result of the low moisture content.
Ash is the noncombustible component of biomass and it
has a significant influence on the heat transfer to the surface
of a fuel as well as the diffusion of oxygen to the fuel surface
during the char combustion [24]. The ash content of the
material varied from 2.50% (Raw Sample) to 4.5%
(Briquetted sample). It was observed that briquetting has
Figure 1. Sample of Briquettes prepared from Sheanut-Shell. increased the ash content of the material to almost two-fold
148 Elinge Cosmas Moki et al.: Ignition and Burning Rate of Sheanut Shell Briquettes Produced at
Moderate Temperature and Die Pressure

which is in agreement with the work of [25]. The lower the matrix of the briquette has inhibited flame propagation due to
ash content of a briquette, the better the quality of the fuel, low thermal conductivity [33].
hence the sheanut shell briquette is a good fuel as supported The results of the combustibility characteristics of the fuel
by its combustibility results in Table 3. briquette is shown in Table 3. The combustibility test was
The result of the volatile matter varied from 10.50% (Raw carried out to compare the cooking efficiency of the briquette
sample) to 16.0% (briquetted sample). It is noted that and it measures the time taken for the briquette to boil an
briquetting has improved the volatile matter of the waste equal volume of water under similar conditions. From the
material and the higher the volatile matter of a fuel briquette, result on Table 3, it took the sheanut shell briquette 22
the higher the combustibility of the fuel briquette when the minutes to boil 2 litres of water while it took the kerosene
ash content is low [26]. High volatile matter is an indication stove 16 minutes to boil same quantity of water. The calorific
of easy ignition of the briquette and proportionate increase in value of a fuel is the amount of energy liberated by burning a
flame length [27]. unit mass of the fuel. The computed calorific value of the
The fixed carbon of the briquette, which is the percentage briquette was 6.75(MJ/kg) and is observed to be far lower
of carbon (Solid fuel) available for char combustion after the than some wood species such as Iroko (18.60MJ/kg),
volatile matter is distilled off, gives a rough estimate on the Mahogany (18.24MJ/kg) and silk cotton (16.93MJ/kg) as
heating value of a fuel and acts as the main heat generator reported by [30].
during burning [24]. The result of the fixed carbon varied The specific power output was 439.95(W/kg) while that of
from 77.0% (briquetted sample) to 83.50% (raw sample). It is kerosene was 597.96(W/kg) and this low value could be
noted that the raw sample has a higher fixed carbon content attributed to the high density and low propagation time of the
than the briquetted sample and the low fixed carbon of the briquette [33]. Also the efficiency based on kerosene was
briquetted sample indicates prolong cooking time but with computed to be 73.58% which indicates that the sheanut shell
low heat released [28]. briquette is good for cooking in households and can be used
The result of the viability test (density, compressive for heating in cottage industries.
strength, ignition time and afterglow time) are shown in
Table 2. 5. Conclusion
It has been stated that density of biomass briquettes
depends on the density of the original biomass material [29]. The findings of this study have shown that briquettes
The density of the briquette was 0.46(g/cm3). However, this produced from sheanut shell would make a good biomass
value is higher than the densities of elephant grass and fuel which could be used for cooking and ironing. It can also
spear grass briquettes with 0.319(g/cm3) and 0.367(g/cm3) be said that this biomass briquette will not crumble during
respectively as reported by [30]. Although the briquetting transportation and storage due to the high values obtained for
process increased the density of the bulk material; improved its density and compressive strength. Hence, an efficient and
its handling characteristics, but it was still relatively low. affordable alternative source of energy can be obtained from
Low density biomass briquettes usually have low energy this waste residue which could be a source of nuisance to the
and cooking with such briquettes in a briquette stove environment.
requires frequent re-feeding the stove with the briquette
especially for a cooking that requires a long simmering
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