BRIQUETTES
understand
A briquette is a block of burnable material that is used as fuel to start and maintain a flame . The most commonly used briquettes are coal briquettes , charcoal briquettes , peat briquettes and biomass briquettes . Between 2008-2012, briquettes became one of the energy research agendas. [1] The raw material for briquettes is known to be close to the agricultural community because agricultural waste biomass can be made into briquettes. The use of briquettes, especially briquettes produced from biomass, can replace the use of fossil fuels .
Materials that make up briquettes
The ingredients that make up briquettes can include:
- Main fuel:
- Like wood
- Coal
- Biomass
- Peat
- Supporting materials:
- Limestone (dye)
- Starch (binder)
- Borax ( release agent )
- Sodium nitrate (accelerator)
- Night ( wax , as a binder, accelerator, and igniter )
Briquettes are made by pressing and drying a mixture of ingredients into hard blocks. This method is commonly used for coal that has a low calorific value or coal flakes so that it has additional sales value and benefits. Briquettes are used in industry and households. The material used to make briquettes should have a low water content to achieve a high calorific value. The presence of volatile materials also influences how fast the briquettes burn; Materials that have high volatile ingredients will burn out more quickly.
Utilization of briquettes
The use of solid fuels such as coal briquettes is generally not recommended for household use because of the thick smoke. A special furnace is needed that overcomes this problem. [6] Briquettes are cheap compared to other types of fuel so their use in industry can provide cost savings. In the Ketahun area, North Bengkulu , briquettes have been used as a substitute for firewood , the price of which is increasing. The use of briquettes is known to provide benefits in terms of business expenses