Impact of material composition and food waste decomposition on characteristics of fuel briquettes
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances
Abstract
This study investigated the potential of using locally available municipal solid wastes (MSW) (such as food
wastes from restaurants, charcoal dust, coconut husk and shell, and sawdust) as feedstock to produce non-carbonized fuel briquettes. A low-cost briquetting machine sourced from Alfaster Industries in Kenya served
to demonstrate the concept. Using decomposed food waste resulted in briquettes with higher bulk density (+4%),
greater net calorific value (+18%) and lower burning rate (-24%), compared to the use of regular food waste.
There was no significant difference in ash content from the two briquette types. The results also indicate that
decomposing food waste and mixing it with tree-based raw materials such as coconut waste, charcoal waste or
sawdust improves the quality of briquettes and enhances the temperatures achieved during combustion. This
recycling solution have the potential to serve multiple benefits in MSW management for sustainable cities while
reducing rural land degradation and deforestation.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Municipal solid waste, Food waste, Briquette