•  
  •  
 

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2250-1469

Abstract

The Mozambican agro-industrial sector relies heavily on various crops, with maize being the most significant. During processing, substantial waste is generated, which is often discarded as organic matter or burned, contributing to environmental pollution and the loss of potential energy resources. This study evaluated the thermal and emission performance of briquettes made from carbonized corn cob (CCC) and carbonized corn husk (CCH), using cashew nut skin as a binder for clean cooking applications. The briquettes were assessed against firewood and charcoal as control fuels, focusing on several energy performance parameters: water boiling time (WBT), combustion index (CI), thermal efficiency (TE), and emissions (E). Testing was conducted using an improved combustion stove (burn-jikokoa). Results indicated a CI of 1.06±0.04 for carbonized corn cob briquettes (BCCCNS) and 1.14±0.03 for carbonized corn husk briquettes (BCHCNS). The WBTs (in minutes) were 17 for BCCCNS, 29 for BCHCNS, and 45 for both firewood and charcoal. Thermal efficiency was notably higher for BCCCNS (45%) and BCHCNS (42%) compared to charcoal (24.13%) and firewood (21.55%), suggesting that the selected waste materials are excellent for producing high-energy briquettes. In terms of emissions, particulate matter (PM2.5) levels were measured at 80 μg/m³ for both BCCCNS and BCHCNS, while firewood produced 190 μg/m³ and charcoal 120 μg/m³. Carbon monoxide (CO) levels were all below 200 ppm. These findings demonstrate the potential of utilizing agro-industrial waste to create sustainable and efficient cooking fuels.

Publisher Name

University of Dar es Salaam

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.