Abstract:
Rice husk and sawdust are waste generated freely in
many developing countries in the cause of rice production and
wood processing respectively. This large biomass volume can be
useful as an energy resource useful in numerous processes other
than being dumped or flared in the farms, thereby causing
health risks and having severe environmental consequences.
Biomass combustion is known for the release of pollutants such
as particulate matter and carbon monoxide. In this study, rice
husk and sawdust were prepared with starch and spent oil as
binders. The characteristic behavior of the biomass materials
was investigated. The properties of the new fuel derived from
sawdust showed moisture content of 0.93%, ash content of
16.5%, higher heating of 7808.1 kJ/kg and tensile strength of
576.8 N/mm2 were obtained and that for rice husk, moisture
content, ash content, higher heating value, and tensile strength
of 0.908%, 11.5%, 6160.7 kJ/kg and 508.7 N/mm2 respectively,
were obtained also. These results propose that the refuse derived
fuel produced in this work from rice husk and sawdust is viable
as a green fuel which will help reduce the global greenhouse gas
content.
