Charcoal fuel from the mixture of coconut shell waste and coal: effect of carbonization temperature and the amount of coal mass in the mixture

Abstract

Contributing to the solution-finding for the availability of dwindling fossil energy, this study produced charcoal fuel from a biomass mixture of coconut shell waste and coal, using adhesive from meranti wood. The research was conducted by observing the effect of the carbonization temperature parameters and the amount of coal used in the mixture on the quality of charcoal fuel. The quality was evaluated on the calorific value, water content, and ash content. In addition, the data were analyzed mathematically using the response surface methodology to determine the interaction effect of independent variables on the response and to obtain the best conditions for producing charcoal fuel with the desired quality in the variable range of carbonization temperature of 300oC-500oC and coal mass in the range 10-30 grams. The results revealed that the temperature parameter had a significant effect on the calorific value, water content, and ash content. While the amount of coal mass did not significantly affect the calorific value and ash content but significantly affected the water content of charcoal fuel. The carbonization temperature and the amount of coal in the mixture of raw materials suggested were 409.625oCand10gr.