Pellets From Lignocellulosic Materials: Briquetting Process Evaluation

Colombia is a palm oil producer country and the implementation of biodiesel industry has generated huge quantities of the residues. On another hand, there are several regions in Colombia without a sufficient energy supply for a better and faster development.  The purpose of this research is investigate the use of agro industrial residues coming from palm oil for obtain briquettes that can be used as fuel in remotes region in Colombia. Different parts of the agricultural waste they be employed in the manufacture of briquettes, the fibers and the seed.  The biomass was characterized by ultimate analysis and in the densification process two different levels of pressure was employed. Finally densities, mechanical strength, heat of combustion were evaluated for the briquettes. The initial results shown that the waste from the seed materials presents a better performance for the densification process than the fiber materials and the briquettes elaborated a higher pressure exhibit more elevated calorific power