Physical Characterization of Briquettes Composed of Corn Cob and Sawdust Waste Mixtures

Corncobs were agricultural waste, while sawdust was waste of furniture industries. Both materials can well decomposition naturally, but it was still time-consuming. The aim of this research to provide both wastes by converting them into sustainable and worthwhile solid-fuels briquettes format. In this research, variation of mixture ratio of corn cob powder and sawdust in briquettes used was 50:50, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10. 1:1 ratio of tapioca starch and water was used as the adhesive to bond the briquette mixture well. Compaction process used hydraulics by 2 tons pressing load. Testing of physical characteristics includes calorific value, moisture, and ash content. The lowest calorific value was 4589.94 kCal/g, which was achieved in the 50:50 mixture of corn cob and sawdust. The highest calorific value was 6579.87 kCal/g, which was achieved in the combination of a corn cob and sawdust ratio of 90:10. The calorific value continued to increase with more mixture of corn cob. Highest moisture content was 20.00%, achieved in 50:50 combination mixture of corn cob and sawdust. Moisture content decreased as the ratio of corn cobs used in the briquettes increased, with the lowest content obtained at 8.88% using a 90:10 mixture of corn cobs and sawdust. Highest ash content on this research 16.85%, was achieved in the 50:50 combination of corncob and sawdust. Ash content also tended to decrease with the increase of corn cob powder used in the briquettes. Lowest ash content was obtained at 10.10% using a mixture of corn cob and sawdust 90:10.