Biomass Briquette

ARAMCO PROJECT PROPOSAL

Biomass Briquette
Biomass briquettes are a biofuel substitute to coal and charcoal. Briquettes are
mostly used in the developing world, where cooking fuels are not as easily available.
There has been a move to the use of briquettes in the developed world, where they
are used to heat industrial boilers in order to produce electricity from steam. The
briquettes are cofired with coal in order to create the heat supplied to the boiler.

Composition and production

Biomass briquettes, mostly made of green waste and other organic materials, are
commonly used for electricity generation, heat, and cooking fuel. These
compressed compounds contain various organic materials, including rice husk,
bagasse, ground nut shells, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste. The
composition of the briquettes varies by area due to the availability of raw
materials. The raw materials are gathered and compressed into briquette in order
to burn longer and make transportation of the goods easier. These briquettes are
very different from charcoal because they do not have large concentrations of
carbonaceous substances and added materials. Compared to fossil fuels, the
briquettes produce low net total greenhouse gas emissions because the materials
used are already a part of the carbon cycle.

One of the most common variables of the biomass briquette production process is
the way the biomass is dried out. Manufacturers can use torrefaction,
carbonization, or varying degrees of pyrolysis. Researchers concluded that
torrefaction and carbonization are the most efficient forms of drying out biomass,
but the use of the briquette determines which method should be used.

Compaction is another factor affecting production. Some materials burn more

efficiently if compacted at low pressures, such as corn stover grind. Other
materials such as wheat and barley-straw require high amounts of pressure to
produce heat. There are also different press technologies that can be used. A
piston press is used to create solid briquettes for a wide array of purposes. Screw
extrusion is used to compact biomass into loose, homogeneous briquettes that are
substituted for coal in cofiring. This technology creates a toroidal, or doughnut-
like, briquette. The hole in the center of the briquette allows for a larger surface
area, creating a higher combustion rate.

Compared to coal
The use of biomass briquettes has been steadily increasing as industries realize the
benefits of decreasing pollution through the use of biomass briquettes. Briquettes
provide higher calorific value per dollar than coal when used for firing industrial

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boilers. Along with higher calorific value, biomass briquettes on average saved 30
40% of boiler fuel cost. But other sources suggest that cofiring is more expensive
due to the widespread availability of coal and its low cost. However, in the long
run, briquettes can only limit the use of coal to a small extent, but it is increasingly
being pursued by industries and factories all over the world. Both raw materials
can be produced or mined domestically in the United States, creating a fuel source
that is free from foreign dependence and less polluting than raw fossil fuel
incineration.

Environmentally, the use of biomass briquettes produces much fewer greenhouse

gases, specifically, 13.8% to 41.7% CO2 and NOX. There was also a reduction from
11.1% to 38.5% in SO

2 emissions when compared to coal from three different leading producers, EKCC
Coal, Decanter Coal, and Alden Coal. Biomass briquettes are also fairly resistant to
water degradation, an improvement over the difficulties encountered with the
burning of wet coal. However, the briquettes are best used only as a supplement to
coal. The use of cofiring creates an energy that is not as high as pure coal, but
emits fewer pollutants and cuts down on the release of previously sequestered
carbon. The continuous release of carbon and other greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere leads to an increase in global temperatures. The use of cofiring does
not stop this process but decreases the relative emissions of coal power plants.

Cofiring
Cofiring relates to the combustion of two different types of materials. The process
is primarily used to decrease CO2 emissions despite the resulting lower energy
efficiency and higher variable cost. The combination of materials usually contains
a high carbon emitting substance such as coal and a lesser CO2 emitting material
such as biomass. Even though CO2 will still be emitted through the combustion of
biomass, the net carbon emitted is nearly negligible. This is due to the fact that the
material gathered for the composition of the briquettes are still contained in the
carbon cycle whereas fossil fuel combustion releases CO2 that has been
sequestered for millennia. Boilers in power plants are traditionally heated by the
combustion of coal, but if cofiring were to be implemented, then the CO2
emissions would decrease while still maintaining the heat inputted to the boiler.
Implementing cofiring would require few modifications to the current
characteristics to power plants, as only the fuel for the boiler would be altered. A
moderate investment would be required for implementing biomass briquettes into
the combustion process.

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Cofiring is considered the most cost-efficient means of biomass. A higher
combustion rate will occur when cofiring is implemented in a boiler when
compared to burning only biomass. The compressed biomass is also much easier
to transport since it is more dense, therefore allowing more biomass to be
transported per shipment when compared to loose biomass. Some sources agree
that a near-term solution for the greenhouse gas emission problem may lie in
cofiring.

Benefits of Biomass Briquettes

Biomass Briquettes offer many benefits over traditional fuels like Coal, Wood
Chips, Green Wood, Nut Shells, Rice Husk and various husks, fines and fibers.

Saving in Storage, Transportation and Handling

Reduction of waste volume by up to 90% . Compacting Biomass Waste into

Briquettes increases bulk density of biomass , thus storage, transportation &
handling costs reduces by almost 10 times, making it much easier to store and
transport than loose biomass waste. Other fuel types tend to be difficult to handle
and are hazardous. Briquettes can be produced in a variety of sizes and have a long
shelf-life.

Pollution

Briquettes are immeasurably cleaner than the other fuel alternatives - especially
coal! because it does not contain any Sulphur.

Dust pollution associated with direct combustion of loose biomass can be avoided
switching over to Briquettes. Moreover the chance of fly ash is minimizes when Bio
Coal Briquettes are burnt.

Considerable reduction of fine dusts and other wastes through compression of the
material, into clean and compact briquettes. Reduction in the danger of fires and
explosions by briquetting flammable waste the economic solution to costly fire
prevention measures.

Efficiency

Uniform physical dimensions & combustion characteristics, results in more

efficient energy conversion. Briquettes burn in a controlled manner, slow and
efficiently because of lower moisture content, higher bulk density, & lower ash
content. More and more, utility Industries are using biomass briquettes to
supplement or replace coal as a solid fuel source.

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Cost

The purchase price of biomass briquettes is less than ,Coal , Fire wood

Quality & Clean Fuel

Biomass Briquettes has consistent quality & it is very clean to handle.

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