Briquetting of sugarcane bagasse as a proper waste management technology in Vietnam

Abstract

The present research describes an application of high-pressure briquetting technology to the waste management of sugarcane processing in Vietnam. The amount of generated sugarcane bagasse was monitored during sugarcane processing within the street juice production in Hue city, Vietnam. Generated sugarcane bagasse was subjected to fuel parameters analysis within its suitability for direct combustion. The obtained sugarcane bagasse was converted into bio-briquette fuel by a high-pressure briquetting press and its mechanical quality was determined. Results proved that the proportion of generated sugarcane bagasse from whole sugarcane stem mass was equal to 35.45%. This indicated generation of an abundant amount of sugarcane bagasse worldwide in general. Fuel parameters analysis proved high quality level of low ash content = 0.97% and high calorific values (gross calorific value = 18.35 MJ·kg-1, net calorific value = 17.06 MJ·kg-1), which indicated good suitability for direct combustion processes. Indicators of mechanical quality proved the following observations: mechanical durability = 99.29%, compressive strength = 150.82 N∙mm-1 and bulk density = 1022.44 kg·m-3, with all these indicators representing positive results. In general, the observed results indicated suitability of sugarcane bagasse valorization within the production of bio-briquette fuel by using high-pressure briquetting technology. Finally, analysis of such waste biomass proved its great potential for energy recovery, thus, the advantage of its valorization within the sustainable technologies.