Briquetting machine report for phase-1

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF LOW-COST BRIQUETTING MACHINE
Department of Mechanical Engineering PESIT-BSC 2018-19 Page | 1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT
The above project focusses on the briquetting process of biomass which is a physical
method of biomass conversion techniques. Briquetting is done by compressing the biomass
into densified briquettes either by using pneumatic compressors or screw compressors. The
moisture content of the briquettes is less than 4 percent. The briquettes are better when they
are compressed with the help of screw compressors. Hence, they are compressed using this
mechanism.
First the biomass raw materials are sun-dried to reduce the moisture content to about 20%.
Then they have to be ground to a particle size of about 3-5mm to ensure proper binding and
mixing of the composition. After the grinding process, the powdered raw materials are
compressed using the compressor unit, removing greater amounts of moisture in the
process. The biomass samples are analysed for their calorific value using a bomb
calorimeter. These calorific values are compared with those of various grades of coals. And
the suitable alternatives are found.
The project also involves the design and fabrication of a single, low cost machine
that can perform the briquetting operation since there are only separate units available for
grinding and compressing. For the grinding unit, a hopper, grinding blades, sieve plates and
a high-speed motor is used. The compression unit consists of a screw, barrel and a die. The
design specification for the same are found out using design data handbook and using data
obtained from previous papers.
Over-utilisation of fossil fuels is one of the biggest problems that the current world
faces. It comes with two risks, exhaustion of resources and pollution. This leads to a number
of bad consequences. Pollution causes various health problems and it poses a threat to
humanity itself. Air pollution in India continues to be a serious issue with major sources
being fuelwood, fossil fuels, direct biomass burning, fuel adulteration, vehicle emission
and traffic congestion. Exposure to particulate matter present in polluted air for a long time
can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer
and heart attacks.
Fossil fuel depletion is another major issue the world is currently facing. With the
current at which fuel is being consumed and the slow rate at which it is being created, the
global reserves are likely to vanish within the next century. Which could affect the world

economy in every aspect. The Petroleum Industry will collapse and there could be an
energy crisis. As we move closer to that bridge, the cost of fuel goes on increasing which
is already affecting the current world markets. In India, coal is the most abundant fossil
fuel. While, it does have vast reserves of fossil fuels, it is the second most populous country
whereas its coal reserves are much lower than the global reserves. Theoretically speaking,
if the coal reserves get exhausted, then that will be another resource that we will have to
import from other countries along with fossil fuels. It is reported by Greenpeace in 2013
that Coal India Limited (CIL)’s reserves are fast depleting. The report said that CIL is left
with just 18.2 billion tonnes of extractable coal, according to United Nations reserve
classification system. Even these resources would exhaust in about 17 years.
Households in rural India are highly dependent on firewood as their main source of
energy, partly because non-bio fuels tend to be expensive, and access to affordable fuel
alternatives to coal, gas, kerosene and electricity for cooking and heating is limited.
Approximately 96% of rural households are estimated to be using bio fuels. These fuels
dominate the domestic sector and are primarily used for cooking. Fuel wood is the primary
energy source for cooking used by rural households (78%) In actual volumes as well, fuel
wood ranks first, at 252.1 million tonnes, followed by dung-cakes, at 106.9 million tonnes
and agricultural residue, at 99.2 million tonnes of annual consumption. Similarly, the per
capita consumption figures are also high for fuel wood at 250 kg, 50 kg for animal dung
and 134 kg for crop residues This is further corroborated by the energy consumption
estimation given by NCAER.
Many of the developing countries produce huge quantities of agro residues but they
are used inefficiently causing extensive pollution to the environment. The major residues
are rice husk, coffee husk, coir pith, jute sticks, groundnut shells, mustard stalks and cotton
stalks. Sawdust, a milling residue is also available in huge quantity. Apart from the
problems of transportation, storage, and handling, the direct burning of loose biomass in
conventional grates is associated with very low thermal efficiency and widespread air
pollution. The conversion efficiencies are as low as 40% with particulate emissions in the
flue gases in excess of 3000 mg/ Nm2. In addition, a large percentage of un burnt
carbonaceous ash has to be disposed of. In the case of rice husk, this amounts to more than
40% of the feed burnt. As a typical example, about 800 tonnes of rice husk ash are generated
every day in Ludhiana (Punjab) as a result of burning 2000 tonnes of husk. Briquetting of
the husk could mitigate these pollution problems while at the same time making use of this
important industrial/domestic energy resource. The briquettes can be used for domestic
purposes (cooking, heating, barbequing) and industrial purposes (agro-industries, food

processing) in both rural and urban areas. Thus, biomass briquetting is the densification of
loose biomass material to produce compact solid composites of different sizes with the
application of pressure. Briquetting of residues takes place with the application of pressure,
heat and binding agent on the loose materials to produce the briquettes. The potential of
biomass briquetting in India was estimated at 61,000 MW, while the estimated employment
generation by the industry is about 15.52 million and the farmers earn about $ 6 per ton of
farm residues.
The end use of briquettes is mainly for replacing coal substitution in industrial
process heat applications (steam generation, melting metals, space heating, brick kilns, tea
curing, etc) and power generation through gasification of biomass briquettes. There has
been a recent push to replace the burning of fossil fuel with biomass. The replacement of
this non-renewable resources with biological waste would lower the overall pollution of
world. We often see the dry wastes getting burned on the roadside, dump yard, polluting
the atmosphere and causing many problems. Here we have taken initiative to turn waste
biomass into a source of energy. And also, to reduce the volume of shredded waste and
hence decrease the cost of waste management. To achieve this, we fabricate a briquetting
machine at low cost.
This machine efficiently produces briquettes by compressing the grinded dry waste.
These briquettes are very different from charcoal because they do not have large
concentration of carbonaceous substances and added materials. Compared to fossil fuels,
the briquettes produce low net total greenhouse gas emission, because the materials used
are already a part of the carbon cycle. Hence these briquettes are good replacement for
fossil fuel such as oil or coal 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. Biomass Briquettes are a renewable source of energy and avoid fossil carbon to the
atmosphere. Biomass briquettes also provide more calorific value/kg and save around 30
to 40% of boiler fuel costs. Burning of wood briquettes is far more efficient than burning
firewood. Moisture content of a briquette can also be as low as 4% whereas green firewood
may be as high as 65%.

1.1 Alternatives to Fossil fuel: -
While resources keep on getting depleted, the usage of these resources cannot be
reduced. The only way around it is to use alternative sources of energy. These energy
sources should be created at the same rate it is being used. i.e., Renewable energy sources.
There are such alternatives such as solar energy, wind energy, hydro-electric energy, geo-
thermal energy tidal energy, wave energy, biomass, etc. Solar energy is an important
alternative. The Sun is indirectly responsible for the synthesis of all the present energy
sources. It is therefore a primary energy source. According to a study given by Daniel Stan,
University of Sydney on September 20,2012, about 101000 terawatts of power reaches the
earth’s surface from the sun. However, solar energy is geographically diffuse. Photovoltaic
cells have efficiencies of around 15-20% for converting light to electricity and can only
reach up to 30% largely because we only have technology to convert some parts of the
spectrum to electricity. Energy derived from hydro-electric power plants, wind plants, tidal
plants, geo-thermal plants, wave plants depend on geography of land and require huge
investments to set up in addition to its high maintenance costs. These are not something
the farmers of India can afford. Biomass however, is comparatively much cheaper and
easier to find as they are just agricultural by-products and plant matter.
1.2 Biomass: -
Biomass is any sort of organic matter. It can be easily found and by far it costs very
little to almost nothing depending upon the type of organic waste. Biomass combustion
does not require photovoltaic cells, Huge wind mills, massive dams or any such large or
expensive structure to convert it to usable energy, It can be burnt almost as easily as any
fossil fuel. Research is taking place for making bio-fuels more consumable nature-friendly,
vehicular-friendly and efficient. But the most easily available type of biomass is the solid
type which mainly consists of agricultural waste. India produces nearly 350 million tonnes
of agricultural waste per year (Naidu, 1999). It has been estimated that 110-150 million
tonnes crop residue is surplus to its present utilization as cattle feed, constructional and
industrial raw material and as industrial fuel. Rice husk, saw dust, wheat flour, molasses,
bagasse, coffee husk, dry leaves, cow dung, resin, etc. are some the agricultural by-products
that are described as wastes. Due to their heterogeneous nature, biomass material possesses
inherently low bulk densities and thus it is difficult to efficiently handle large quantities of
most feedstock. Therefore, large expenses are carried during material handling,
transportation, storage, etc. Apart from transportation, storage and handling, the direct

burning of biomass in conventional grates is associated with very low thermal efficiency
and widespread air pollution.
Figure 1.2.1 Biomass consumption in the world during
the period 1990 to 2010 (source: IRENA).
1.3 Raw material for Briquette: -
Biomass briquettes are a bio fuel substitute to coal and charcoal. Biomass briquettes
are made from agricultural and forestry waste. The low-density biomass (agricultural and
forestry waste) is converted into high density biomass briquettes with the help of a
briquetting machine that uses binder or binder less technique, without using any type of
chemical so it is 100% natural. The major raw material for biomass briquette is, Mustard
Stalks, Sawdust, Rice Husk, Coffee Husk, Coir Pitch, Jute Sticks, Sugarcane Bagasse,
Groundnut Shell, Cotton Stalks, Caster Seed Shells / Stalk, Wood Chips, Bamboo Dust,
Tobacco Waste, Tea Waste, maize stalks, bajra cobs, Arhar stalks, Paddy Straw, Wheat
Straw, Sunflower Stalk, Palm Husk, Soya bean Husk, Veneer Residues, Barks & Straws,
Leaves, Pine Niddle, Seeds Cases etc. Biomass Briquette are widely used for any type of
thermal application like steam generation in boilers, in furnace & foundries (It can be used
for metal heating & melting where melting point is less than 1000Degree/Celsius.), for
heating purpose (Residential & Commercial Heating for winter, heating in Cold areas and
Hotels, Canteens, Cafeterias and house hold kitchen appliances etc), drying process and in
gasification plant replacing conventional solid fuels like Coal and Firewood and liquid
fuels like Diesel, Kerosene, Furnace Oil (FO), etc.
A popular form of biomass briquettes emerging in developed countries is called
Sawdust Briquettes. It takes the waste by-product of saw mills such as sawdust,

compressed it in the cylinder and is extruded out of the cylinder to make a reconstituted
log that can replace firewood. The process is carried out in two phases i.e. with and without
the binding agent. In the process of without binding agent the natural lignin in the wood
binds the particles of wood together to form a solid. Burning a Sawdust Briquettes is far
more efficient than burning firewood. Moisture content of a briquette can be as low as 4%,
whereas that of firewood may be as high as 60%.
Origin Raw materials that can be used
Cassava stalk, coconut frond, cotton stalks, corn stalks, straw,
Agricultural wastes
millet, oat straw, frond palm oil, rice straw, rye straw, sorghum
straw,
soybean straw, sugar reed leaves, wheat straw
Industrial processing
residues from
agriculture
Cocoa beans, coconut shells, coffee husks, cotton seed hulls,
peanut shells, cobs and wrap corns, oil palm stalks, waste from
olive
pressing, rice ball, sugar cane bagasse
Forestry development Leaves, branches and twisted trunks.
Plantation and forestry
residues Leaves, branches, stumps, roots, etc.
Wood industry wastes Sawdust
Bioenergy crops
Acacia spp, Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus spp, Pinus spp.,
Populus spp., Platanus spp., Robinia pseudoacacia y Salix spp.
Source: FAO,2014
Table 1.3.1: Most common materials used for briquette production.

1.4 Properties of Biomass: -
Agro wastes Cal./kg Ash content
Babool Wood
4707 K. 0.90%
Bagasse 4700 K. 1.80%
Barks Wood 3900 K. 4.40%
Bamboo Dust 3700 K. 8.00%
Castor Seed Shells 3860 K. 8.00%
Coir Pitch 4146 K. 13.60%
Coffee Husk 4200 K. 5.30%
Cotton Stalks / Chips 4200 K. 3.01%
Forestry Waste 3000 K. 7.00%
Groundnut Shell 4500 K. 3.80%
Jute Waste 4800 K. 3.00%
Mustard Shell 4300 K. 3.70%
Mustard Stalk 4200 K. 3.40%
Paddy Straw 3469 K. 15.50%
Palm Husk 3900 K. 4.90%
Rice Husks 3200 K. 22.20%
Saw Dust 4400 K. 1.20%
Soya bean Husk 4170 K. 4.10%
Sugarcane Waste 3700 K. 10.00%
Sunflower Stalk 4300 K. 4.30%
Tea Waste 4000 K. 6.70%
Tobacco Waste 1100 K. 49.40%
Wheat Straw 4000 K. 8.00%
Wood Chips 4300 K. 1.20%
Table 1.5.1 Properties of biomass

1.5 Biomass Compacting: -
But compacting the biomass into briquettes can solve the issues of managing
wastes, Transportation, storage, material handling and low thermal efficiency. Compacting
requires the biomass materials to be ground to fine particles (about 3-5mm). Technologies
that can make grinding and Compacting possible, exist and the process is very cheap in
comparison to the technologies required for other alternative Energy sources. However, the
cost of current processes can be further reduced with the help of existing technologies and
the thermal efficiency of biomass combustion can be further increased.
The process can also be automatized to reduce manual labour. As an added benefit,
the calorific value of the biomass briquettes can exceed the calorific value of low-grade
coal which means that it can be used in furnaces. The biomass materials have to be dried
and then ground to fine particles which can later be compressed into dense biomass
briquettes. The analysis of calorific values of the briquettes is done using a bomb
calorimeter. Further research could possibly find replacement for all grades of coal.
1.6 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 rupee than coal when used for firing industrial 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.
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 SO2 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.
1.7 Briquette Competitiveness: -
1.7.1 Environmental benefits:
 Using renewable energies can contribute to sustainable forest management.
 Neutral CO2 emissions balance.
 Low sulphur emissions (which usually causes acid rain).
 If it has a forest origin under a proper management scheme, it contributes to forest
regeneration and prevention of forest fires.
 If it is sourced from agricultural or industrial waste, it enables a residue with a
second life.
 Ash from briquettes burning can be used as fertilizer.
1.7.2 Socialbenefits:
 Creates jobs throughout the supply chain, especially in rural areas, thus preventing
rural migration to urban areas.
 If it has a forest origin, it will promote its sustainable management, improving the state
of forests.
 With direct incidence to the decreased risk of fire and the corresponding damages to
human health and properties.
 With indirect incidence in perception of the forest as a source of jobs and wealth
creation (e.g. tourism).
It promotes confidence in renewable energy at local and rural levels.
1.7.3 Economic benefits:
 Positive life cycle economic balance, cost €/kWh lower than fossil fuels.
 Decreases the dependence on energy imports, thus favouring greater energy price
stability by not depending on international markets volatility.
 Local added value, fostering local or regional businesses along the supply chain (forest
operators, transportation and warehousing, briquette manufacturers, dealers, installers
and maintenance services providers, etc.).
 Enables the valorisation of sub-products and even waste.

1.7.4 Advantages:
 High calorific fraction.
 Moisture content, density and constant and homogeneous
granulometry.
 Lower ash content.
 International marketing with standardized composition.
1.7.5 Disadvantages:
 Potentially higher price conditioned by the manufacturing (compaction) process and
the availability of other cheaper biofuels closer to the customer premise.

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Production of fuel Briquettes from waste paper and coconut husk
admixtures- A Olorunnisola,2017
In the paper “Production of fuel Briquettes from waste paper and coconut husk
admixtures” written by A Olorunnisola in the year 2007, waste papers used for
photocopying, printing, etc. was obtained and manually shredded into bits and soaked
in cold water at room temperature for three days to obtain pulp. Sieves of 600 micro
meters were used to separate the fine particles. The coconut husk moisture level was
found to be 26.4% by the method of dry oven which was thoroughly mixed with the
paper bits and the pulp and the ratios were 0:100, 5:95, 15:85, 27:75. These ratios were
supplied to the compacting machine as an input at the pressure of 1.2*103 N/m2. The
output was measured at the rate of 50 briquettes per batch. The briquettes were selected
at random ad were soaked in glass containing distilled water foe 72 hrs and the changes
in the length and the diameter were measured.
According to the results studied by him, the briquettes were durable and storable
which made it easier for transporting it to long distances without disintegrating it.
2. Production Analysis and Optimisation of Low-cost Briquettes from
Biomass residues- Ajit Kaur, Arvind Kumar, Puneetpal Singh and
Krishnedu Kundu, 2011
In the paper “Production Analysis and Optimisationof Low-cost Briquettesfrom
Biomass residues”, written in 2011, Three biomass residues were chosen, namely, dry
leaves, peanut shell and paddy straw due to their large abundance in Ludhiana. These
materials were sun-dried for about 2 days to vaporize the moisture present in them. The
materials were then pulverized using a food pulveriser to a particle size of about1mm.
Molds and Plungers were used to compress the pulverized particles to briquettes.
In the above paper, we see that a separate machine was used to pulverize the
materials to small particles and the whole system was manually operated which is
laborious

3. Performance of Briquetting machine for Briquette fuel - S.H Sengehar,
A.G. Mohod, Y.P. Khandetod, S.S. Patil and A.D. Chendake, 2012
S.H Sengehar et.al., have written a paper, “Performance of Briquetting machine
for Briquette fuel”, in the year 2012 where they used de-oiled cashew shells, rice husk,
grass, glyricidia, saw dust and cow dung to make the biomass briquettes. They have divided
all the raw materials into three portions: one portion was to be carbonized, one to be
hydrolysed and the third portion contained raw biomass. From the results obtained from
raw biomass briquettes, the calorific value obtained from raw cashew shell briquettes was
4683.59 kcal/kg, whereas 3108.52kcal/kg and 3267.03 kcal/kg were found in grass and rice
husk materials. From all the samples of raw biomass, cashew shell briquette was observed
to possess a higher calorific value. From the portion of carbonized biomass, the calorific
values ranged from 3021.10 to 4877.29 kcal/kg and the briquette made of de-oiled cashew
was found to have the maximum calorific value of 4877.29 kcal/kg. In the portion that was
to be hydrolysed, it was found that only sawdust and dung cake could be used for making
the briquettes. The maximum calorific value of the briquettes obtained from hydrolysis was
found to be 5154.58 kcal/kg and the minimum value was found to be 4188.64kcal/kg.
Analysing the paper, we see that although the carbonized briquette and the raw
briquettes had nearly the same calorific value, the carbonized biomass samples needed
additional heat energy for burning them in a kiln. While hydrolysed samples gave
maximum calorific value, they were prepared by hydrolysing the samples with water for
two to three months which is a lot of time.
4. Production of Biomass Briquetting using various agro-wastes residue
and waste paper-Tamilvanan A, 2013
In the paper, “Production of Biomass Briquetting using various agro-wastes
residue and waste paper” written in the year 2013, The authors have used various agro-
residues such as corn straw, leaves of various species, coconut husk, and saw dust from
industry, are used. Many materials contain naturally occurring binders such as resin wax
and wood lignin where plant biomass is concerned, under approximate compression
situation and these binders, hold the resin material together. Waste paper was used as a
partial binder.

Two types of compression processes were used, one with a continuous and the other
with a semi-continuous extrusion process. At first, the waste paper is shred into small pieces
and transferred to a water bucket. After two days, it is converted into paper pulp with more
content and then placed outside the bucket for some time in order to drain the excess water.
The agro-residues are ground into small particles and mixed with paper pulp on different
volume fractions such as 80:20,70:30,60:40, 50:50. Load is applied by means of hand
plunger. The excess water present in pulp comes out through the holes present in the sides
of the cylindrical mould. After taking the briquettes out of the mould, it is dried in open air.
5. Physical and combustion propertiesof briquettes produced from sawdust
of three hardwood species and different organic binders -Emerhi, E.A.,
2015
In this paper “Physical and combustion properties of briquettes produced from
sawdust of three hardwood species and different organic binders”, written by Emerhi,
E.A. in the year 2015, Briquettes produced from three tropical hardwood species (Afzelia
Africana, Terminalia superba, Melicia elcelsa) bonded with different binding agents such
as starch, cow dung and wood ash. Combustion related properties namely percentage
volatile matter, percentage ash content, percentage fixed carbon and calorific value of the
briquettes where determined. The result shows that briquette produced from sample of
Afzelia africana and Terminalia superba combination bonded with starch had the highest
calorific value of 33116kcal/kg while briquette produced from sample of Afzelia Africana
and Terminalia superba bonded with ash had the least calorific value of 23991kcal/kg.
Here, starch is used as a binder which is not readily available as an agricultural
waste. Also, the hardwood species used is not found in India.
6. Evaluation of different binding materialsin forming biomassbriquettes
with sawdust-DahamShyamalee, A.D.U.S. Amarasinghe and N.S.
Senanayaka, 2015
In the paper “Evaluation of different binding materials in forming biomass
briquettes with sawdust”written by DahamShyamalee et.Al., in the year 2015, Biomass
briquettes were used for cooking purposes and for use in brick baking industries. The
briquettes were produced by densification of waste biomass using various processes.

Briquettes were produced with three different binding agents namely, dry cow dung,
wheat flour and paper pulp. It was concluded that a minimum of 30% of mixture was to
comprise of binding agents to get successful results.
7. Comparativeanalysisof calorificvalueof briquettes produced from the
sawdust of Daniella oliveri and afzelia Africana combinations with
binary and tertiary levels with rice husk-Ogwu I.Y, ET Tembe and SA
Shomkegh., 2016
In the paper written by Ogwu I.Y, tembe E.T and shamkigh S.A “Comparative
analysis of calorific value of briquettes produced from the sawdust of Daniella oliveri
and afzelia Africana combinations with binary and tertiary levels with rice husk” in
year 2016, the briquettes were produced in forestry, fisheries and in the mechanical
engineering laboratory in Nigeria, the sawdust of both the species of tree were collected
in a timber shade .the sawdust and rice husk were dried in the air to reduce the moisture
content present in it to acceptable level and a sieve of 1.18 mm were used to refine it
.Cassava starch was used as a binder for the briquettes and three starch ratios by weight
were used to study the changes in the physical and chemical properties of the briquettes
were determined. A grinding machine was used to bring down the particles to smaller
size. The binary ratio of the mixture and sawdust was 1:1 and the tertiary ratio was 1:1:1.
The pressure was 19.62KN/m2.
The conclusion was that the heating values of the briquettes was high in binary
and tertiary levels as the levels of starch binder increased. The high volatile matter which
were discharging from the briquette could pose high climate and health issues when
burnt in the closed environment due to the liberation of increasing levels of CO2. The
briquettes were not feasible for burning it n closed chambers if the binders were added
at the rate of 20-40% by weight.
8. Effects of binder types and amount in physical and combustion
characteristics-David. K. Chirchir, Daudi. M. Nyaaya and Jason. M.
Gttheko, 2016
In the paper written by David. K. Chirchir, Daudi. M. Nyaaya, Jason. M. Gttheko
“Effects of binder types and amount in physical and combustion characteristics” in
year 2016, the dry gas and the bagasse were dried in the sun and using digital weighing

machine the weights were determined and put into crucibles. The crucible was loaded
into muffle furnace and ignited at a temperature of 450 degree Celsius. The crucibles
were unloaded and placed into desiccators for fully cooling it down. The carbonised
bagasse and rice husk were put into plastic bags to avoid the moisture content to affect
the mixture.
The molasses, cow dung and clay binders were varied at 10, 15 and 25% by weight
of the mixtures. The mixtures of the raw materials were maintained at 6:1:3 ratio. The
moulds were 40mm in diameter and 100mm high made from mild steel by drilling the
required diameter and polishing to achieve smooth internal surfaces. The ignition time
was taken as the average time to achieve steady glowing fire. The 200g of briquettes
were put into charcoal stoves.
The result was the calorific value of the briquettes made by molasses and clay
binders was found to be 25.2-26.8MJ/Kg and 11.3-14.6MJ/Kg respectively and with
cow dung it was found to be16.1-18.5MJ/Kg. The conclusion was that compared to other
binders then briquettes the briquettes with molasses as the binder was found to be more
and had better physical and combustion properties.

CHAPTER 3
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
From the Previous works done by researchers and market survey conducted, the
following limitations and problems were observed and the solutions were discussed.
 Generally, for grinding of biowastes, separate pulverized machines are used.
 The machines which are existing now are expensive.
 The briquettes require additional thermal energy for drying.
A low-cost briquetting machine, which converts easily available biomass waste into
briquettes at higher efficiency can be made.
3.1 OBJECTIVES
 To design and fabricate a Briquetting machine whose manufacturing cost is low and,
in a way, affordable to the people in rural areas as a onetime investment.
 Producing biomass briquettes with various agricultural wastes like saw-dust, coffee
husk, wheat flour, rice husk, dry leaves, etc. at different compositions and
combinations and estimating its calorific value.
 Comparing the calorific values of all briquettes with various grades of coal to find the
most suitable alternatives possible.
3.2 SCOPE
 The machine is low cost and hence can be used by rural people to make briquettes as a
substitute for fuel wood.
 The calorific value of the obtained briquettes is greater than that of low-grade coal.
Hence, it can be used in furnaces in industries.
 Even though the process is automated, labour work is required to collect and dry the
biomass. Efforts can be made to automate this aspect as well.
 The whole machine could be made portable for easy transportation and usage.

CHAPTER 4
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, the steps involved in making of the automated biomass briquetting
machine from the conceptualization to the final testing and validation is discussed. The
processes involved start with project planning and design of the machine, calculating the
required data for modelling the machine to take it to the fabrication stage. After the
completion of fabrication of the machine, the briquettes can be produced using the machine
for testing and analysis.
 Market Survey and study of existing briquetting machine:
In this step, the existing Briquettes available in markets were studied and the cost of the
machine was taken into account. We have contacted the machine manufacturers in Gujarat
and asked about existing machine’s cost, manufacturing methods, type of briquettes made
and scope of the machines in the market. The problems with existing machines were
identified and a study of solutions were carried out to overcome the issues in the literature
survey. We conducted the market surveys to find out the feasibility of the product and its
success since we were making changes in the existing product. As discussed above, the
survey might be conducted to find out additional features for the product and features which
are most preferred.
We spent a few days to conduct the market research survey. The first step was to determine
the objective of the study. This gave us an idea of the features we needed to focus on. Once
the objectives of the market survey, we found out about the existing machines.
 Identification of problems in existing machines:
From the market survey it was found that there was no single unit to carry out all the
task simultaneously. The machine units had to be separately purchased. Furthermore, the
cost of the entire setup was over 2 lakhs. The existing machines only manufacture briquettes
using single agricultural waste, so there was a need of a machine uses different agricultural
wastes and manufacture briquettes. The cheaper variants required more intensive labour for
compacting the biomass as the compacting unit was hand-driven.

 Solving existing problems and improvements:
A compacting mechanism involving screw extrusion principle was carried out to find
an automated process for compressing the biomass materials. The design incorporated the
integration of the grinding unit and the compacting unit to make a single machine that could
produce 50 kg of briquettes in an hour.
 Preparation of project plan:
After carefully observing the current problems and finding a solution to them, a
sequence of operations to be carried out for the success of the project was planned. A plan
was made to design and fabricate the machine and to test and analyse the biomass briquettes
that were to be produced by the fabricated machine. The estimated time for the completion
of the entire project along with the documentation is 858 hours. Out of this, the required
number of man hours was planned to be 108. The Literature review and market survey took
around 30 hours. The design and calculations for the project was 120 hours. The material
procurement was to take over 100 hours. The fabrication of the machine was estimated to
take around 250 hours. The drying of biomass was assumed to take over 140 hours. Testing
was estimated to be 50 hours. The result and documentation was estimated to take 60 hours.
 Design calculation:
Based on the conceptualized design, chosen mechanisms and referring to various paper-
work done previously, the design calculations of the various machine components like
screw, die, shaft, power input, pressure, etc. were done in order to get a clear picture of the
design of the whole machine and to get a sketch of the same.
The calculations for the specifications of the briquetting machine are done in order to
achieve the aim and objectives of the project. Data such as what amount of force is applied,
power required and the parts are obtained from the calculations.
The calculations are constrained by the objectives, assumptions, availability of machine
parts and the standards. It is important to be aware of the tolerances of various components
in the assembly. These tolerances affect the working and the success of the machine. We
also need to find out the degree to which tolerance is important for the machine.

 3-D modelling:
Based on the calculations, 3-D modelling was done using CATIA V5 software. We
have created 4 parts individually i.e., hopper, grinding blades and sieve plate, barrel, screw
compressor. This gave a clear pictorial representation of the model that was needed to be
fabricated helping us to identify and fix the problems that will be encountered while
manufacturing the machine assembly.
 Fabrication and assembly:
In this stage fabrication of the various parts were carried using operations like foundry,
forging, casting, etc, the hopper is made of sheet metal and joined by riveting and the parts
were assembled and joined together using welding operations. The manufactured parts
were assembled and were checked for compliance with the design requirements.
Fabrication is the building of metal structures by cutting, bending and assembling
processes. It is a value-added process that involves creation of machines, parts and
structures from various raw materials. Fabrication will be based on engineering drawings.
It includes welding, cutting and machining. Metal fabrication jobs usually start with sharp
drawings including precise machining. Then they move to the fabrication stage and finally
on to the installation of the final project. Typical projects include loose parts, structural
frames for buildings and other equipment.
Assembling is done by welding, riveting, threaded fastening etc. structural steel and
sheet metals are the usual starting materials for the fabrication along with the welding wire,
flux and fasteners that will join the welded pieces.
 Collection of Biomass:
After fabricating the machine, The Briquetting process was to be carried out. The first
step was to collect all the raw materials required for briquette manufacture. Raw materials
such as saw dust, rice husk, coffee husk, wheat flour, etc. were purchased from go downs
in the city. The process was estimated to take 100 hours of time to collect and assemble all
the materials.

 Sun-drying of Biomass materials:
After procuring the raw materials, the high moisture content of the materials must be
reduced to about 20%. For this procedure, the raw materials are sun-dried for 2-3 days
before they are fed into the machine to make high quality briquettes and also to reduce the
risk of corrosion of the metal parts.
The final dried quality of biomass is enhanced by direct exposure to solar radiation. For
most energy applications low moisture content is desirable for wood fuel and biomass.
The below basic principles are to be followed for proper drying of biomass:
 Ensure good airflow making use of natural ventilation, any prevailing airflow and any
convection
 Attempt to rise the material off the ground on the structure that allows airflow.
 Attempt to expose the largest surface area as possible to airflow, spreading out the
material if necessary.
 Design and position the store where it minimises additional ingress of water, allows
any released water to drain it to suitable receptacle or sink and where it receives the
most natural exposure to the sun.
 Production of Briquettes:
Once the materials have been properly sun-dried, they can be fed into the Briquetting
machine to convert them into densified mass. This procedure is carried out repeatedly for
a combination of raw materials and binders to obtain various samples for testing.
Briquetting is brought about by compression and squeezing out moisture and breaking
down the elasticity of the wood and bark. If the elasticity is not sufficiently removed, the
compressed wood will regain its pre-compression volume. Densification is carried out by
compression under a die at high temperature and pressure. It is a process similar to forming
a wood pellet but on a larger scale.
Saw dust briquettes have developed over time with two distinct types: those with holes
through the centre, and those which are solid. A solid briquette is formed using a piston
press, which sandwiches the layer of sawdust together. The one with a hole is produced
using a screw press. The hole may be formed due to screw press passing through the centre.
The screw press briquettes are more homogeneous, have better crushing strength and better

storage properties with extraordinary combustion properties due to large surface area per
unit weight. Hence, our project is mostly based on using the screw press
 Estimation of Calorific value:
Once various samples of briquettes are produced by the machine, the calorific value of
all the combinations are analysed using the bomb calorimeter and the results are compared
with the standard values of various grades of coal to suggest suitable alternatives.
Bomb calorimeter is used to find the calorific value of raw materials and briquetted
fuel. It consists of a strong cylindrical stainless-steel bomb in which the combustion of fuel
was made to take place. The bomb has a lid, which the combustion of fuel is made to take
place. The bomb has a lid, which can be screwed to the body of the bomb so as to make the
make the perfect gas tightly sealed. The lid is provided with two stainless steel electrodes
and an oxygen inlet valve. To one of the electrodes, a small ring was attached. In this ring,
a nickel or stainless crucible can be supported. The bomb was placed in copper calorimeter
that was surrounded by an air jacket and water jacket.

4.1 Flowchart: -
Market survey and study of existing machines
Identification of Problems in existing machines
Solving existing problems and improvements
Preparation of Project plan
Design Calculation
3D Modelling
Fabrication and Assembly
Collection of Biomass
Sun-drying of biomass
Production of Briquettes
Estimation of Calorific Values of Briquettes
Figure 4.1.1 Flow chart of process

4.2 BRIQUETTING MACHINE
Working:
The raw materials are purchased from go-downs and are dried in the sun for 2-3
days. The dried materials are then fed into the grinding unit of the machine.
The Grinding Unit:
It consists of a hopper, cutting blades, sieve plate and a high-speed motor. The raw
materials are fed into the hopper, which contains the cutting blades coupled to the high-
speed motor. The cutting blades rotate at a high speed and grind the raw material to fine-
sized particle. The sieve plate consists of mesh with hole size of about 3mm-5mm to allow
only fine particles to pass through them. Once the material size is of the required size, it
passes through the mesh and is guided by a pipe to the Compacting unit.
The Compacting Unit:
The compacting unit contains a screw, outer barrel, high-torque motor and a die
with 50mm diameter hole. The unit works on the principle of screw extrusion. Here, the
material travels through the length of the barrel along the pitch of the screw as the screw
rotates. Once, the material reaches the end of the screw, it is pressurized with the help of
the die and the end of the screw. Once the pressure is high enough, the biomass powder
densifies to form the briquettes of the required diameter, i.e. The diameter of the die hole.
Figure 4.2.1 Model of Briquetting Machine
Grinding Unit
Compacting Unit

4.3 Machine Components:
The major components of a briquetting machine as shown below:
 Grinding blades with Sieve plate:
This is only one integrated part consists of grinding blades, whereas the sieve plate is
attached below blades. The grinded particles of biomass of certain size are made to allow
to carrier unit.
Figure 4.3.1 Grinding blades with sieve plate
 Screw Compressor:
It is another major part of the machine which compresses the powdered biomass
into briquettes.
Figure 4.3.2 Screw compressing
unit
98

 Hopper:
Hopper is a funnel shaped element which transfer the material from large
openings to small opening. Where at the bottom grinding blades and sieve plate is fitted.
Figure 4.3.3 Hopper
 Electric Motor
For grinding process and for the compacting process, two separate motors are used. For
grinding process, a high-speed motor is used to rotate the cutting blades. The specification
for the motor used for grinding is 1/8 hp 7000 rpm. For the compacting process, a high-
torque low-speed motor is used to deliver power to the screw. The specification of the
selected motor for compacting process is 80-120 kg-cm torque, 24 volts DC motor.
 Barrel
Barrel is a component that acts as a housing for the screw compaction unit. The barrel
should be able to withstand the pressure developed for the compaction of biomass.
Although, the pressure developed for the process is less than 1 ton, the barrel is made to
withstand a pressure of 2 ton.

4.4 CAD MODELLING: -
Modelling of the setup was done using CATIA V5 software
4.4.1 2D Draft Model:
Figure 4.4.1 Front View

Figure 4.4.2 Top View
Figure 4.4.3 Isometric View

Figure 4.4.4 Section view

4.5 DESIGN
4.5.1 Design Considerations and Assumptions
1) Output of the Briquetting Machine
Calculations are done to get an output of 50kg/hr of briquettes. Since the main aim of the
project is to get the required output, it is one of the main constraints.
2) Diameter of the briquettes
The other most important constraint is the dimension of the briquettes. Since the diameter
is taken as 50mm, the design calculations are done with this constraint in mind.
3) Dimensions of the screw
The dimensions of the screw are more of an assumption than a constraint as it does not
affect the rate of briquette production. The Helix angle is assumed to be 150, shaft diameter
is 19mm and the screw diameter is assumed to be 54mm.
4) Dimensions of the Hopper
The hopper is a temporary storage for the raw materials to be placed for grinding. The
capacity of the hopper doesn’t play an important role in determination of the output, but
more the capacity of the hopper, lesser will be the labour required to reload the raw
materials onto the hopper.
5) Specifications of the motor
Two motors are required for the machine, one is a high-speed motor for the grinding
process and the other is for the compression process which requires a high torque. Since
the choice of motors are subjected to availability in market, the specification is an
assumption. The specification for the motor used for grinding is 1/8hp 7000rpm. The
specification of the selected motor for compacting process is 80-120kg-cm torque, 24
volts DC motor.

4.5.2 Calculations
Volume of Hopper
The shape of the hopper is to be of a frustum of cone.
Upper diameter: 500mm
Lower Diameter: 100mm
Volume, V =
1
3
× 𝜋 × ((
500
2
)
2
+ (
500 +100
2
)
2
+ (
100
2
)
2
) × 500
V= 0.1457m3
Screw Extruder Calculations
Helix angle (with vertical), θ = 150
Shaft diameter d = 19mm
Screw diameter D2 = 54mm
θ = tan-1(
p
π×D2
)
15= tan-1(
P
π×0.054
)
Pitch, p = 0.0454m
Screw pitch lies between 0.03 to 0.06
Number of turns of screw, n = 5
Length, 𝑙 = 5 × 0.0454
l= 0.227m
Hence, Screw Extruder length, l = 227mm
Pressure Calculation:
𝑃 =
𝐺1 × 𝑁 × 𝐹𝑑𝑡
𝑘
µ
−
𝐺2 × 𝐹𝑑𝑡
µ × 𝐿
k =
π×P4
8×ld
, Geometric Constant (k) for circular cross-section
Diameter of die = 50mm (Diameter of Briquettes)
Length = 0.2m

k =
π(0.025)4
8 × 0.2
k = 0.7666 × 10−7
Geometric Constant
𝐺1 =
𝜋2
𝐷1
2
2
+ (1¬
𝑒𝑝
𝜋𝐷1 sin 𝜃
) sin 𝜃 cos 𝜃
e – Thickness of screw
e = 5mm = 0.005m
p – single channel screw
p = 1
H – clearance between top of screw and barrel
H = 1.5 mm = 0.0015m
Dimensions of barrel
𝐷1 = 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 + 2 × 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑝 2 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙
D1 = 54 + 2 × 1.5
D1 = 0.084m
𝐺1 =
𝜋2
2
(0.089)2
× 0.0175 × (1 −
0.003 × 1
𝜋 × 0.089 × sin 15
)sin 15cos15
𝐺1 = 1.2088 × 10−4
𝐺2 =
π
2
D1
2
H3
× (1 −
ep
πD1 sin 15
)sin 152
=
𝜋
2
× 0.0842
× (0.015)3
× (1 −
0.003 ×1
π×0.089×sin 15
)sin 152
𝐺2 = 2.7647 × 10−8
Viscosity of mix at the die, µ= 49.7Ns/m
Fdt – Correction factor = 0.98
Speed of rotation of screw N =140rpm
P =
G1N𝐹𝑑𝑡
𝑘
µ𝐷2
−
𝐷2 𝐹𝑑𝑡
µ𝐿

=
1.2088 × 10−4
× 140 × 0.98
1.7044 × 10−8
49.7 × 0.084
−
2.7647 × 10−8 × 0.98
49.7 × 0.227
P = 4.0523MPa
Force:
F = 𝑃 × 𝐴
= 𝑃 ×
𝜋
4
( 𝐷1)2
= 4.0523 × 109
×
𝜋
4
× (0.084)2
F = 22456.91N
Power
𝑃 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 × 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
Capacity of Briquetting m/c = 50kg/hr
Density of fresh briquettes, þ = 750kg/m3
Velocity
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 𝑁𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 × 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑒 × 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 × 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑠
50 = 1 ×
𝜋
4
(0.05)2
× 𝑣 × 50
𝑣 = 0.01088𝑚/𝑠
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, 𝑃 = 𝐹 × 𝑣
= 22.45 × 0.01088
P = 0.244256kW
Friction will be present due to material combination, thread efficiency of order of 40%
could be reasonable.
Consider thread efficiency of 40%
𝑅𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑃 =
0.244256
0.4
P = 0.61064kW
Then Considering 20 % friction loss
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑃 = 0.61064 × 1.2
P = 0.732768kW

REFERENCES
1. S.H. Sengehar, A.G. Mohod, Y.P. Khandetod, S.S. Patil and A.D. Chendake,
“Performance of Briquetting Machine for Briquette Fuel”. International Journal of
Energy Engineering,2012.
2. Emerhi, E.A., “Physical and combustion properties of briquettes produced from
sawdust of three hardwood species and different organic binders”, Advances in
Applied Science Research, 2011.
3. DahamShyamalee, A.D.U.S. Amarasinghe and N.S. Senanayaka., “Evaluation of
different binding materials in forming biomass briquettes with sawdust”,
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 2015.
4. I Y Ogwu, ET Tembe and SA Shomkegh., “Comparative analysis of calorific value
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combinations with binary and tertiary levels with rice husk” Journal of Research in
Forestry, Wildlife and Environmental Volume 6, September, 2014.
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Characteristics of Briquette Prepared from Sawdust”, International Journal of
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residue and waste paper”, Journal of Biofuels, Vol. 4Issue 2, July-December
2013pp. 47-55.
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types and amount in physical and combustion characteristics”, International
Journal of Engineering Research and Science & Technology,2013.
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Analysis and Optimisation of Low-cost Briquettes from Biomass residues”,
Advances in Research, 6 December, 2017.
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Briquetting Machine- Rural Use”, Global Academy of Technology.
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guideline report”, UNEDP-CEDRO publications, October, 2016.
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Balaveera Reddy,4th Edition, CBS Publishers and Distributors.
13. http://www.google.co.in/amp/s/wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/for-
efficient-energy-do-you-want-solar-panels-or-biofuels-9160.
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policy/coal-india-s-reserves-depleting-113092300560_1.html.

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