Relationship between Physico-Mechanical Properties, Compacting Pressure and Mixing Proportion of Briquettes Produced from Maize Cobs and Sawdust

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between selected physico-mechanical properties, compact ing pressure and mixing proportion of briquettes produced from combination of maize cob par ticles and sawdust of low, medium and high density timber species. Particle sizes of maize cobs and sawdust used for the study were ≤1 mm. The two materials were combined at mixing percen tages of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50 (Sawdust:maize cobs). Briquettes were produced at room temper ature (28 ° C) using compacting pressures 20, 30, 40 and 50 MPa. The results suggested that com bining maize cob particles with sawdust of low, medium and high density wood species could sig nificantly enhance the relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from agricultural biomass residue like maize cobs. The results further in dicated that the physical and mechanical characteristics of briquettes produced from combina tions of sawdust of low density species and maize cobs were exceptionally higher than that pro duced from combinations of maize cob particles, and medium density and high density timber species. The R 2 values for the regression model between the independent variables (mixing per centage and compacting pressure) and relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from combinations of maize cob particles and sawdust of low density species ( Ceiba pentandra ) were 0.966, 0.932 and 0.710 respectively. This study pro vides a hope for briquetting maize cobs at room temperature using a low compacting pressure.