Characteristics Of Oil Palm Shell Briquettes Under Varying Burning Times And Cornstarch Binder Concentrations

Abstract

Charcoal briquettes are a solid alternative fuel with potential as a renewable and environmentally friendly energy source. The quality of briquettes is highly influenced by several factors, including the concentration of adhesive used and the carbonization time. This study aimed to determine the effect of cornstarch adhesive concentration and carbonization time on the characteristics of oil palm shell charcoal briquettes and to obtain the best treatment in accordance with SNI 01-6235-2000. The study used a factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors: carbonization time (2 and 3 hours) and cornstarch adhesive concentration (10%, 15%, and 20%). The observed variables included yield, moisture content, ash content, and calorific value. The results showed that carbonization time and cornstarch adhesive concentration significantly to highly significantly affected all characteristics of the charcoal briquettes. The best treatment was obtained at 3 hours of carbonization time and 10% cornstarch adhesive concentration, with moisture content of 3.73 ± 0.20%, ash content of 3.50 ± 0.10%, calorific value of 5110.40 ± 0.65 cal/g, and yield of 40.23 ± 0.25%. These results indicate that the produced charcoal briquettes met the quality standards based on SNI 01-6235-2000. Further research is recommended to investigate variations in carbonization temperature and the use of different types of binders to improve the quality of charcoal briquettes.