Parameter optimization study based on co-briquetting tests of corn straw and potato residue

Abstract

Corn straw and potato residue are common agricultural biomass. Although they have a wide range of applications, the disadvantages of low bulk density and high storage and transportation cost hinder their utilization. The densification of these biomass into briquettes facilitates their storage, transportation, and reuse. The rheological properties of corn straw and potato residue during co-briquetting were investigated in creep tests. The Four-element Burgers Model accurately and intuitively fit the creep curves of the mixed materials, with fitting coefficients above 0.99. The experiment used the relaxation ratio as an indicator, and the influence of compression speed, dwell time, feeding amount, loading force, mass ratio, and temperature were obtained. The response surface analysis indicated that all factors except compression speed had an effect on the relaxation ratio. The results suggested that compressing corn straw and potato residue in a feeding amount of 28 g with a mass ratio of 1:5 at 101 °C under 35 KN loading force and 918 s dwell time produces cost-effective agricultural biomass briquettes. This study provides a reference for improving the co-briquetting process of corn straw and potato residue.