EFFECTS OF PAPER PASTE AND PALM KERNEL SHELL ON THE CALORIFIC VALUE OF SAWDUST BRIQUETTES

Abstract

The problem constituting by waste paper is numerous. How to dispose this waste is becoming worrisome as it is generated every day. Although, waste paper is often used for various purposes, there are still abundant of it. Since both paper and sawdust are wood products; as sawdust is used for briquettes, paper also can be used. This is one of the ways of reducing the nuisance constitute by these wastes. Mixing waste paper and palm kernel shell with sawdust briquettes could lead to better briquette performance and cost-effectiveness and at same making it (the fuel) more attractive to both producers and consumers; this leads to the investigation of the effects of paper paste and palm kernel shell on the calorific value of sawdust briquettes. In this work briquettes were produced out of the mixtures of sawdust from Teak, Masonia, Iroko and Afara woods. The mixture of sawdust was sieved into three different grain sizes: A (Common Sawdust i.e. mixture of all the species), B (1.5 mm) and C (0.75 mm). To these were added two grain sizes (1.18 mm and 1.70 mm) of palm kernel shell and paper paste in ratios. Eight (8) samples were produced from each grain size of the sawdust, hence there are twenty-four different ratios of sawdust, palm kernel shell, paper paste. Each of these samples was tested three (3) times for the determination of caloric values and their average values recorded. The experimental results showed that as the percentage by weight of paper paste increases both percentage fixed carbon and ash contents reduce. The composite briquette with sawdust grain size of 0.75 mm and palm kernel shell grain size 1.70 mm, mixed in the proportion of 70 : 10 : 20 (Sawdust : Palm Kernel Shell : Paper Paste) was found to be the best solid fuel under the different tests. However, it was noted that as the paper paste exceeded 20 % there was a decrease in the calorific value. Hence, for optimum performance and calorific value, the appropriate percentage paper paste should not exceed 20%.