Manufacturing and characterization of water hyacinth and sawdust biofuel briquettes

Abstract

• Bio briquettes were prepared from water hyacinth, sawdust, and waste paper. • Different ratios of water hyacinth, sawdust and waste paper were tested to understand combustion performance. • The study emphasizes the advantages of offering a sustainable fuel substitute, in addition to solving the proliferation of water hyacinth. • With a calorific value of 18.26 kJ/kg, the composite briquettes demonstrated their viability as an alternative fuel. Water hyacinth is a fast-growing, free-floating aquatic plant. This plant poses a threat to some water bodies and aquatic lives found in Ethiopia, including Lake Tana the largest lake in the country. To control its rapid proliferation, a sustainable approach is necessary. Although converting the plant into solid fuel presents a promising solution, research on enhancing its fuel properties and optimizing different variables remains limited. This study investigates the fuel properties of briquettes made from water hyacinth and sawdust using waste paper as a binder, focusing on how variations in particle size and mixing ratios influence performance to identify the optimal formulation. The proportion of water hyacinth, sawdust and waste paper in the briquettes were 50:30:20, 80:10:10, 60:20:20, 50:40:10, and 50:35:15 respectively and the average particle size was 0.25, 1.2 and 2.4mm. Briquettes were manufactured using a hydraulic press machine with a constant pressure of 5 MPa. Fuel properties were characterized by compressed density, relaxed density, shatter resistance, porosity, moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, and fixed carbon. The energy values of the briquettes were determined using bomb calorimeter. The 80:10:10 ratios with particle size 1.2mm exhibited the highest calorific value of 18.62 MJ/Kg. It was also observed smaller particle sizes (0.25 and 1.2mm) yield briquettes better water resistance, lower porosity, higher energy value, and enhanced durability than larger particle sizes (2.4mm). The results showed that briquette fuel properties produced from the invasive seaweed plant (WH) is in the acceptable physicomechanical and energy value range.