Wombo N.P
Federal University Lafia, Nigeria
Title: Comparative characterization of biomass-refuse derived composite briquettes for energy generation
Biography
Biography: Wombo N.P
Abstract
Establishing a sustainable renewable energy system is a challenge to most developing countries. There has been a consistent budgetary and policy initiatives to boost power generation but without significant outcomes. Various kinds of energy generation systems exist but for a viable approach, it has to be renewable and sustainable. Proven technology has shown that for most developing countries, hydrothermal, solar, wind and biomass alternatives are the best options while geothermal, tidal and nuclear alternatives are feasible options for the technologically developed countries. Emerging technologies options to power generation is the establishment of pockets of steam driven turbine electricity generators using co-firing i.e., involving combustion of coal and biomass as fuel. In this work, briquettes made as composites from the combination of waste materials (cocoa pod, palm kernel shell, rice husk, kola nut pod, castor seed shells and refuse derived fuel (RDF) materials like waste paper, discarded textile materials and waste plastic bags and containers) and tar sand are used as fuel in a locally designed and fabricated electricity generator housing a turbine system. The briquettes are characterized by determining the ultimate analysis, ash fusion temperature, volatile matter, fixed carbon, heavy metal composition, calorific value, bulk density, moisture content and Chlorine and Alkali contents. Compressive strength, particle size of component materials as well as combustion and ignition temperatures was also determined. Using Design of Experiment (DOE) software, optimal material composition ratio for optimization of the production of briquette was carried out. The results present to the scientific and industrial world an optimized composite material for use in cottage/pocket turbine driven energy generating systems. This is expected to boost the supply of electrical energy to the rural populace and the excess power can be fed into the national grid.