Calorific Values and Mechanical Compression Property of Briquettes Made of Palm Shell with Plastic Addition

In Indonesia, palm shells and plastic waste are quite abundant, and they have the potential to cause environmental pollution. Additionally, the availability of fossil fuels is dwindling, so other energy sources are needed. This study aimed to find a solution to these problems. In this study, briquettes based on dried palm shells (cangkang kelapa sawit or CKS) with the addition of polypropylene(PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastics were prepared and characterized. The briquettes were made using cassava starch adhesive, and the densification was carried out at a pressure of 1283.40 N/m2 for 30 min. The briquettes were made with varying amounts of plastic added to the mixture: 1, 2, 3, and 4 % (w/w % of CKS). The produced briquettes were analyzed for their calorific values and mechanical compression properties. Calorific value is an important parameter related to the energy content of briquettes as fuel. A compression test is important since the briquettes must resist external compression load due to stacking during storage and transportation. The calorific values of the briquettes obtained from the experiments were found to be in the range of 27.14–27.7MJ/kg, wherein the calorific value for briquettes containing PP is higher than that of the ones containing PE. From the compression testing, it was found that the higher the plastic content, the higher the compression modulus of elasticity and ultimate strength of the briquettes. As with the calorific values, the modulus of elasticity, and ultimate strength value of briquettes containing PP are higher than that of the ones containing PE with the same palm-to-plastic ratio.