Evaluation of some Properties of Briquettes Produced from Rumen Residues as a Biofuel

Abstract

Most of the energy used in the world coms from such fossil fuels sources such as (coal, natural gas, and uranium). Due to the world's growing population and uncontrolled urbanization, it became necessary to search for alternative and renewable sources of fuel. Rumen waste is produced in large quantities in slaughterhouses. It causes a problem in getting rid of it because it is a source of insect contamination and leaving it also makes it a source of groundwater pollution. The rumen waste is straw and hay, and therefore the conversion of this waste into biofuel briquettes doubles the benefit of it, as it is used as a source of fuel and disposed of as a source of pollution. This research was done to study some properties of the briquettes produced from rumen waste to evaluate its performance as a biofuel. The results revealed that the average value of the loose materials density was 0.16 gm/ cm 3 whereas the average briquette density increased more than 4 times and reached 0.663 g/ cm 3. The average vertical compressive strength of the briquettes produced was 1.31 MPa. On the other hand, the generated briquettes' average longitudinal compressive strength was 0.8 MPa. The shatter index which reflects the briquettes was around 73%.