Study on the Variation of Candlenut Shells, Corn Cobs, and Rice Straw as Alternative Materials for Briquette Production

The increasing demand for alternative energy sources is driven by the declining availability of fossil fuels and growing awareness of environmental impacts. Agricultural wastes such as candlenut shells, corn cobs, and rice straw are abundant biomass resources with considerable potential for use as raw materials in briquette production. This study aims to analyze the physical properties of briquettes produced from variations in the composition of these three types of agricultural waste. The evaluated parameters include moisture content, ash content, calorific value, and density. The briquettes were produced through carbonization, sieving to a particle size of 50 mesh, mixing with tapioca starch as a binder, manual molding using a cylindrical mold with a diameter of 5 cm and a height of 6 cm, and oven drying. The results indicate that variations in raw material composition significantly affect briquette quality. The optimal composition was obtained for sample S4, consisting of 25 g candlenut shells, 20 g corn cobs, and 5 g rice straw, yielding a moisture content of 5.1%, ash content of 7.4%, a calorific value of 5941 cal/g, and a density of 0.88 g/cm³. A higher proportion of candlenut shells contributed to an increase in the calorific value of the briquettes. These findings demonstrate that appropriate selection of raw material composition plays a crucial role in determining the quality and performance of biomass briquettes, indicating their potential development as an environmentally friendly alternative energy source derived from agricultural waste.