Studies the Effect of Particle Size, Binder Ratio and Pressure on Compaction Energy of Water Hyacinth Briquettes

Background and Objective: Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a fast-growing, invasive aquatic weed that causes nuisance and threat to eco-diversity. It has the potential to be used as biofuel and particleboard production. Densification of water hyacinth for briquettes will be an alternative energy source and a strategic way of managing the menace created by the weed. This study investigates the effect of binder ratio, compaction pressure and particle size on the compaction energy of water hyacinth briquettes. Materials and Methods: The water hyacinth samples were manually harvested, cleaned, sun-dried, milled and sieved. The briquettes were produced at three particle sizes of 0.5 mm (D₁), 1.6 mm (D₂) and 4 mm (D₃), four compaction pressure levels of 3 MPa (P₁), 5 MPa (P₂), 7 MPa (P₃) and 9 MPa (P₄) and five binder levels of 10% (B₁), 20% (B₂), 30% (B₃), 40% (B₄) and 50% (B₅) by weight of each feedstock using cylindrical die. A Randomized Complete Block Design experiment at combinations of D_iP_iB_i was employed. Results: The results showed that compaction energy varied from 7.42±0.66 kJ/kg (B₄) to 11.34±1.27 kJ/kg (B₃) for all the produced briquettes at all binder levels. The mean compaction energy ranged from 6.59±0.42 kJ/kg (D₁) to 13.68±1.16 kJ/kg (D₃) for all the particle sizes. Conclusion: Compaction energy of water hyacinth briquette increased with an increase in particle size, binder inclusion and compaction pressure.