Production and characterization of biomass briquettes from Bambusa bambos

Abstract

Known for its versatility and fast growth, bamboo is a perennial plant. Bamboo is noted for expanding rapidly; some types may do so by several feet in a single day. A prototype hydraulic piston briquette machine was used to process the bamboo samples, which were obtained from the Forest College and Research Institute Mettupalayam, India. The briquettes were made from Bambusa bambos and had various ratios of lantana camara and sawdust. Different combinations of briquettes made of Bambusa bambos' bamboo were measured for the physico-thermochemical examination.Based on the moisture content (5.13%), ash content (4.97%), volatile matter (73.19%), fixed carbon content (16.71%), bulk density (0.342 g cm3), and gross calorific value (3913.5 kcal kg-1), the current study deduces that the briquettes made with a combination of 50:25:25 of Bambusa bambos, lantana camara, and sawdust gave better performance.