Group 5 DEL MUNDO
Despite contributing heavily to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fossil fuels, mainly coal, persist as the Philippines’ main source of energy at an increasing rate. (Mondal et al., 2018; US Energy Information Administration, 2020). Coal also produces energy at a low cost, placing it at an advantage in countries with high electricity rates (Energiewende Team, 2016). Furthermore, the Department of Energy (DOE) Coal Roadmap 2017-2040 states its long-term plan to boost its production, contradicting the country’s commitment in the Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions (DOE, 2017; CCC, n.d.).
The abundance of agriculture in the Philippines provides a great supply of biomass, which are widely used renewable energy sources and alternatives to coal in heating and electricity production (Zafar, 2021; Batidzirai et al., 2013). Through the process of drying, heating, and compressing, it can be converted into solid fuel as briquettes, with the addition of a binder to hold it together. This process, along with its composition, plays a role in its characterization and affects different properties of the briquette as a whole (Inegbedion & Ikpoza, 2022). The densification significantly increases bulk density for easier transport and calorific value for higher energy content and reduces moisture content in the briquettes (Arellano et al., 2015). Likewise, the type and amount of binder is crucial in production as it can significantly affect its mechanical strength, thermal stability, and water resistance (Obi et al., 2022). A commonly used binder is cassava starch, which is convenient for its price and high bonding strength (Zhang et al., 2018). Lastly, biomass briquettes stand to be cleaner and cost-competitive, making them sustainable resource options (Romallosa & Kraft, 2017).
Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) is a lignocellulosic biomass and an abundant grass species in the Philippines (Khalid et al., 2021). It is also recognized as invasive for its ability to spread, adapt to, and disrupt various ecosystems. Moreover, its lignocellulosic components can be used to convert to biofuels, which researchers have used to create biosorbents and bioethanol (Promdee & Vitidsant, 2013; Khalid et al., 2021; Haque et al., 2015).
The continuous consumption of fossil fuels as the country’s primary energy source creates a need for more sustainable alternatives to respond to climate change and energy scarcity (DOE, 2012). With the rise of biomass briquettes as a significant energy supply, exploring other possible biomass sources will open more opportunities for its development. A prospect material and existing biomass is CG, although its current data as a briquette is limited. Promdee et al. (2015) have synthesized biochar from CG through pyrolysis, however, the study only focused on assessing its morphology. Moreover, most studies assess briquettes only by their
combustion properties (Romallosa & Kraft, 2017; Kongnine et al. 2021), despite its environmental performance being a relevant support for its sustainability (Carnaje et al., 2018). For these reasons, this study developed briquettes using CG as biomass and cassava starch (CS) as a binder, and evaluated it based on proximate analysis, calorific value, ignition time, burning rate, and gas emission analysis. It aims to utilize an invasive species and assess its potential as a sustainable alternative energy source by comparing it with another biomass material, water hyacinth briquettes. The researchers also determined how the resulting CG briquette is influenced by its two major components; their impact on the effectiveness of CG as a biomass briquette will be explored through three biomass:binder ratios with varying concentrations.
-
Is there a significant relationship between the following briquette characteristics:​
-
Proximate Analysis
-
Calorific Value
-
Ignition Test
-
Burning Rate​
-
-
Is there a significant difference between the effectiveness of Cogon Grass made with cassava starch binder of different ratios?
This study aims to develop an ecologically sustainable biomass briquette using Cogon grass as the primary biomass component and Cassava starch as the binder.
Four tests will be conducted to find the optimal ratio of these two components: calorific value, ignition test, burning rate, proximate analysis.
This study will make use of a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) to randomly assign the briquettes to the different ratios.
The researchers limited this study to assessing
three ratios of carbonized CG to cassava
starch binder: CG1 (1:2.1), CG2(1:1.75), and
CG3(1:1.87).
​
The researchers assumed that the collected data are normally distributed.
​
CG briquettes were analyzed together with the control group of WH briquettes and were not compared to any other carbon charcoals.
​
This study did not take into account other factors that might affect the briquettes' effectiveness, such as bulk density, compression strength, infrared spectroscopy, and SEM microscopy due to budget constraints.
The CG briquettes will be a better investment for consumers due to its enhanced proper-ties compared to com-mercial charcoal, such as easier ignition and longer burn time. Also, since these briquettes are made more eco-friendly than standard charcoal, there will be lesser byproducts from harmful substances.
CG briquettes will be-nefit the environment as it reduces carbon emissions compared to commercial charcoal. Environmentalists can utilize this study as a foundation to create efficient ways of pro-ducing alternative fuel sources to lessen our society's dependence on non-bio-degradable fuels.
This study will support farmers because it will create a market for CG that is typically detrimental to surroun-ding crops as it leeches off their nutrition. As the farmers remove cogon grass for their crops, they can also sell this to potential producers of biochar, which could give them extra profit
This paper will provide a more in-depth find-ings about the proper-ties of cogon grass as biomass briquettes. In addition, since biomass briquettes have not a-chieved their maximum potential economically and environmentally, it is imperative to study more options to attain the best material for briquette production.
