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Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM
INTRODUCTION
In the present, a majority of our forests has been wiped out and destroyed.
Deforestation has been a pestering problem for many years in most part of the world,
Change, Inc., the Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries
Aside from the main causes of deforestation like illegal logging, mining and
urban construction, another major contributor is the cutting down of trees and turning
it into charcoal which is in turn used for cooking. Because of the high costs of
electricity and petroleum fuels (e.g. gasoline, kerosene, LPG, and natural gas), many
places in the Philippines prefer to use wood fuels (e.g. charcoal and firewood) as their
problem.
There is an estimated 7.12 million t for carbon dioxide and 1.3 million t for
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ecosystems in 2009. (Chidumayo and Gumbo, 2012) If left unsolved, this can lead to
This research is about making fuel briquettes from waste materials like banana
leaves and paper waste that can be used as a substitute for charcoal. The use of fuel
briquettes is very promising and it offers a wide range of economic and environmental
advantages from sustainability of resource to reducing carbon footprint and it can also
help reduce the rate of deforestation. As it does not need wood, it can really lessen the
rate of trees that are being cut down every year. This project can also help the
community to recycle their wastes. There are a lot of wastes that are being produced
everyday as well as problems on what to do about them. Recycling can be very useful
Fuel Briquettes are cheap and one does not need any sophisticated or
expensive materials in order to produce one. Making fuel briquettes can also be done
at home with just the help of some materials like paper waste or other biodegradable
materials.
According to Goulart de Oliveira Maia et al. (2014) Waste materials are low
cost and excellent source of energy. The agricultural wastes are an alternative
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briquettes demonstrate potential for producing biomass fuel. The briquettes made
from banana leaves show a thermal behavior and physical and chemical
characteristics that are similar to other biomass used as fuel for energy generation. It
has a low level of nitrogen and sulfur. Energy density increases due to compaction of
the wastes.
According Sellin et al. (2013), to the moisture content in the wastes for
analysis (DTA) and mechanical compressive strength evaluation, banana leaves and
pseudostem showed carbon contents of 43.28 % and 38.92 %. The HHV of the leaves
was approximately 17.10 MJ/kg and of the pseudostem it was about 13.70 MJ/kg.
580 °C and briquettes at 300 °C. The briquettes of pseudostem and leaves presented
compressive strength of 15 MPa and 5.3 Mpa, respectively. The thermal properties
Studies have demonstrated that waste paper and wheat straw or their mixtures
can be compressed to a relative density greater than unity, and stabilized at that density
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without binder material. A reduction in the volume of the material also provides a
The used of agricultural wastes and agro-industrial as biomass fuel for power
generation can be very beneficial. These briquettes are excellent source for cheap
energy and environmentally correct, in many cases, ideal for replacing fossil fuels in
use today with significant economic and environmental advantages (de Oliveira,et al,
2014).
Biomass energy is accessible, cheap and most common form of renewable energy that
are being used worldwide. Fine-grained biomass fuels have high burning velocity than
coals and provides substantial benefits. Biomass fuels offers renewable and CO2
implement effective environmental measures while taking into account the fact that
humans live in society. This project can give way to many opportunities. It does not
only help in reducing wastes, pollution and the rate of deforestation but it can also
teach families and youth the value of caring for the environment.
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Conceptual Framework
Flammability is essentially how easily the material can react with oxygen. It's
not just the molecular structure of the material but the amount of surface area that can
Waste Papers
25 percent of a tree is lignin – a biopolymer that glues the cellulose fibers together to
form strong and durable wood. Lignin is cheap and readily available. It is a
which can be broken down in an industrial process to its energy-rich constituent parts,
Organic Energy Materials group at LiU, led by Professor Xavier Crispin, have
discovered that this type of molecule is an excellent fuel for use in fuel cells.
can, even after manufacture, printing, distribution, and eventual disposal, still carry a
significant carbon credit. In some case, equal to 200 kilograms (440 lb) of carbon
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something that is oxidisable by air oxygen, typically carbon. This explain why fire
easily takes place and spread out in papers also paper is flat and so has a lot of surface
area for its volume, this makes the carbon in the paper much more available to the
photosynthesis to produce energy and releasing oxygen as a waste product. The trees
hold on to this carbon, even after they are cut down and made into paper. So long as
the tree and products made from the tree haven’t decomposed or been burned (at
which point the carbon joins with two oxygen, becoming carbon dioxide again) the
Banana Leaves
All plants are flammable if not pruned periodically. The risk associated with any
one plant can be greatly diminished with regular maintenance. Plants that are highly
flammable can ignite quickly, releasing lots of heat, even if they are healthy and well-
watered. Characteristics of highly flammable plants include, dry and dead leaves or
twigs, leathery leaves, abundant, dense foliage, shaggy, rough, or peeling bark, foliage
The wet banana leaves had high moisture content of 74.7%. The semi-dried
samples exhibited 8.3% moisture, 78.8% volatile solids, 43.5% carbon and a higher
heating value of 19.8 MJ/kg. The nitrogen and sulfur contents in the banana leaves
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were very low. The semi-dried and wet leaves had hemicellulose and lignin contents
close to other biomass fuels, and the semi-dried leaves had the lowest cellulose
content, of 26.7%.
The flammability of plant leaves also influences the spread of fire through
vegetation. We found that mean time to ignition was significantly faster in dry exotic
leaves than in dry native leaves. Banana is found to be exotic. Exotic leaves were
defined to have a significantly wider, longer and broader in area with significantly
higher specific leaf area. Some related study was made and proved that increased
flammability linked with larger leaf size in exotics demonstrate that exotic plant
species have the potential to increase the spread of bushfires in dry sclerophyll forest.
include any materials obtained from biological origin such as plants and animal
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Fig. 1 showing the relationship between the varying ratios of raw materials as
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Theoretical Framework
Although the demand for energy is booming exponentially, the production and
the discovery of new reserves of natural fossil fuels did not increase complementary
fitting with the high demand. Moreover, the environmental effects of burning fossil
fuels have been extensively debated around the world and the idea of using greener
and more sustainable fuel to gradually reduce and replace fossil fuels were greatly
According to Raposo et al. (2009) ethanol is highly used in the industry not
only as renewable fuel but also as a solvent. Natural bio-ethanol is produced generally
from a fermentation process using either bacteria or yeast in which sugar derived from
cellulosic sources is metabolized and converted into ethanol. In order to make these
significantly the overall yield of ethanol Banana pseudostem and leaves are also
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such as the banana by-products as raw materials for ethanol production could
potentially reduce the cost of using staple food crops such as corn and wheat in
handling properties of raw material and enhancing the energy content of the biomass.
Most cellular plant waste including banana cannot be converted directly into energy
through combustion because of their low density, high volume, high moisture content,
and a very low energy density. This shortcoming directly affects the transportation
that may pollute the environment as well as may not be a viable source of energy.
Conventional briquettes were made using sawdust with the addition of coal cake and
in recent years, low cost agricultural by-products appeared in overcoming the shortage
of wood-based products (Chou et al. 2009; Sotannde et al. 2009; Wilaipon 2007).
Wilaipon, (2009) reported that low cost banana peels bound with molasses
under high press pressure are a potential raw material for making banana briquettes.
These briquettes were made as an attempt to utilize agricultural waste such as the
banana peel as a substitute for solid fossil fuels such as coals. Comparing to other
agricultural waste briquettes such as sawdust, rice husk, peanut shell, coconut fibre
and palm fibre in an earlier study by Ooi and Siddiqui (2000), briquettes made from
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banana peels had an outstandingly lower burning rate with equivalent briquette
energy from lignins extracted of several crops. Lignins that are obtained from the
sugarcane bagasse, wood chips, and corn straw would have the highest potential to
provide thermal energy when data of lignin yields, higher heating values.
and waste materials as fuel briquettes as an alternative source of energy and to reduce
the waste problem as well. The study seeks to answer the following questions.
1. What is the best concentration for dried banana leaves and waste paper as fuel
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concentrations?
The product will be effective and will be able to provide energy enough to use
The product will not be effective and cannot provide energy enough to use as
The briquettes with high concentration of paper were the briquettes which are
more effective.
This study focuses on the use of dried banana leaves and waste materials as
test, and moisture content test compared to firewood and charcoal and its application
to further prove the ability of dried banana leaves and waste materials as fuel
chemical laboratory. The study lasted from November 2018 to March 2019.
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This study will lessen the problem in both solid waste management and energy
management. The booming of multiple consumption from food packaging, and the
On the other hand, the Philippines has large reserves of many natural
resources; chief among these are oil, natural gas and coal as primary source
consuming too much amount of coals and firewood including Greenhouse Gas
Thus, the researchers study an alternative product that will lessen the problem
in both solid waste management and energy source that is efficient, safe, and reliable.
1. Environment- Briquettes that are produced using papers and dried banana
leaves can be a great substitute for coal and firewood since they are made
from natural materials and will not add to the pollution in the environment.
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2. Company- Many companies can use the biomass briquettes since the
researchers found about its benefits and how it can lower the carbon
footprint while it is being affordable. The briquettes are cheaper than coal
3. Economy- Biomass also gets rid of the need to have fossil fuels
domestically from plants and waste. This will lower the price of
4. Researchers- The researchers will be acknowledged for the great effort and
Definition of Terms
agricultural operations.
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Biomass. It is defined as an organic matter that are used as fuel. It can be either
used to make a fire. These are used as substitute for charcoal and fuel.
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Chapter 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the materials and methods used in producing fuel
briquette.
Gathering of Materials
The materials used by the researchers are dried banana leaves, waste papers,
cornstarch and improvise hydraulic press for compaction and shaping of fuel the
briquette. Waste materials are form of disused typing sheets, photocopying and
printing paper (excluding cardboard papers) was obtained from printing shops and the
dried banana leaves were gathered from the neighborhood of Old Cabalan. The
hydraulic press is made from straight-sided plastic container with holes at the bottom
Procedure
The dried banana leaves and waste papers were cut into small pieces and
separately soaked into water for a period of three-seven days. The materials are mixed
in to a container with a binding agent- cornstarch that will be used to stick the
drain the water and molding a compact fuel briquette. Remove the fuel briquette from
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the molder and it will form a small cylindrical shaped. The briquettes were set on a
The digested waster paper and banana were thoroughly mixed by hand until a
uniformly blended mixture has obtained. Mixtures were prepared at the following four
Testing of Product
College. The test comes in two parts; a) Combustibility Test, b) Moisture Content
Test. In Combustibility test, the researchers used “kalan de uling”, placed the
briquette inside and light up a piece of a normal paper then placed it just under the
briquette. The researchers measure the time of ignition of each of the briquette. On
the other hand, to test the moisture content of each briquette, the researchers set up
the tripod, gauze pad, lighted alcohol lamp, 600Ml beaker, u tube, and another 50Ml
beaker that will hold the moist coming out from the tube.
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Data Analysis
The data of measurements were recorded and analyzed. The burning rate and
the moisture content was calculated, summarized and interpreted. The results were
prepared afterwards.
The lower the burning rate the more effective the briquette will be (Nazari, M. M.,
2015).
of each fuel briquette. The lower the percentage level the more ideal briquette it will
be (Mkini, R. 2015).
The researchers used a scale based on the standard charcoal moisture quality to
interpret the different percentage level of the briquettes, the scale used is:
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Chapter 3
This chapter represents the results and findings of the study and tests
Mixture A (75% Dried Banana Leaves, 25% 6cm 348 sec. 0.017cm/s
Waste Papers)
Mixture B (50% Dried Banana Leaves, 50% 6cm 516 sec. 0.012 cm/s
Waste Papers)
Mixture C (25% Dried Banana Leaves, 75% 6cm 663 sec. 0.009 cm/s
Waste Papers)
laboratory and time required for the briquette started to burnt was recorded. After that,
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the measurement data of afterglow time for each briquette was measured by recording
the time within which a glow is visible. Afterglow time can be defined as estimation
on how long the briquette will burn before restocking when it is used in heating and
cooking process. Burning rate can be defined as ratio of the distance burnt to the total
time. In this study, briquette was placed on the wire gauze and the burner starts to
ignite. The time is measured from the ignition time until the fire extinguished. Burning
Based on the results obtained, it shows that the lowest burning rate was
obtained from Mixture D (100% Paper) with 0.06m particle size with the average
burning rate of 0.007cm/s. Whereas the longest burning rate of briquette was obtained
in the Mixture A also with 0.06m particle size with average burning rate of 0.017 cm/s.
Lower burning rate is more effective because the briquettes can be used for a longer
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Content Level
Mixture A (75% Dried Banana Leaves, 25% 1ml 0.01% Very Low
Waste Papers)
Mixture B (50% Dried Banana Leaves, 50% 0.5ml 0.005% Very Low
Waste Papers)
Mixture C (25% Dried Banana Leaves, 75% 0.38ml 0.0038% Very Low
Waste Papers)
combustion of briquettes, the elongation was reduced as the initial moisture content
increased. Cracks and porosity will decrease as the moisture content increase.
Based on the result obtained, it shows that Mixture D (100% Waste Papers)
has the lowest moisture content whereas Mixture A (75% Dried Banana Leaves, 25%
Waste Papers) has the highest. This shows that banana leaves have higher moisture
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CHAPTER 4
Summary
biomass fuel and thermal properties used as the main material in creating the fuel
briquettes. Using organic material such as dried banana leaves, together with waste
materials such as printing papers, the researchers made fuel briquettes as alternative
test) and the results showed that the most effective briquette is the mixture (3) and
Conclusions
Based on the results and findings, the following conclusions were drawn;
1. After doing and performing series of experiments and analysis of the data
gathered, the researchers concluded that dried banana leaves together with
and charcoal.
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2. This study showed that the different concentration of raw materials used
affect the physical and combustion properties (burning rate and moisture
3. The researchers concluded that the most effective briquette were the
Recommendations
dried banana leaves together with the waste materials as fuel briquettes
4. To try different raw materials aside from just papers and banana leaves in
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REFERENCES
de Oliveira, A.P., de Oliveira Maia, B., Hotza, D., Marangon, C., Sellin, N.,
10.3303/C ET1437074
Sellin, N., De Oliveira, B. G., Marangoni, C., Souza, O., De Oliveira, A. P. N.,
https://doi.org/10.3303/cet1332059
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Suzuki, K., Yamashita, M. 2014. Human Society Viewed from the Perspective
between the Use of Waste Paper, Recycling of Used Paper, and Environmental
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APPENDICES
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Appendix A
Product Making
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Appendix B
Product Testing
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CURRICULUM
VITAE
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CURRICULUM VITAE
JONALYN A. DE LEON
Prk. 5, Old Cabalan, Olongapo City, Zambales
jonalyndeleon92@gmail.com
09455882247
PERSONAL DATA
PERSONAL DATA
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CATHLEEN H. GANDIONGCO
#55 Mercurio St. Mabayuan, Olongapo City
cathleen_gandiongco@yahoo.com
09996730127
PERSONAL DATA
LESLIE LACAP
#58 Graham St., East Bajac-Bajac, Olongapo City
leslielacap2018@gmail.com
09484330606
PERSONAL DATA
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