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Abstract Briquettes made from carbonized agricultural residues present sustainable material alternatives to wood charcoal and firewood for commercial and industrial applications. However, these briquettes are plagued by property weaknesses including low drop strength and thermal efficiency. Therefore, this study focuses on enhancing the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of composite briquettes produced from carbonized banana peels and waste glass. Composite briquettes comprised of banana peels biochar and waste glass powder (0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) were developed, characterized, and evaluated using thermo-gravimetric analysis and bomb calorimetry to determine thermo-physical properties and higher heating values, respectively. The thermal efficiency and emissions (CO, CO2, and PM2.5) were assessed using the water boiling test and an emissions monitoring system. Proximate analysis revealed that moisture content, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash content of the developed briquettes ranged from 2.5 to 9.7%, 19.2 to 37.2%, 28.7 to 55.6%, and 7.2 to 44.9%, respectively. Drop strength for the briquettes was 84% without waste glass in the composite, increasing to 94–98% with waste glass included in the composite matrix. Higher heating values ranged from 20.1 to 35.8 MJ/kg. Thermal efficiency rose from 22% with no waste glass powder to 40% with 50% waste glass powder addition, while CO and CO2 emissions decreased from 41 to 11 ppm; and 50 to 15 ppm, respectively. PM2.5 remained constant across all banana peel biochar waste glass composites. Notably, even a modest 10% waste glass composition significantly improved drop strength and thermal efficiency, but higher waste glass percentages correlated with elevated ash values and reduced higher heating values. Therefore, the developed composite briquettes can be used in commercial and industrial applications including in some industrial boilers.

Briquettes made from carbonized agricultural residues present sustainable material alternatives to wood charcoal and firewood for commercial and industrial applications. However, these briquettes are plagued by property weaknesses including low drop strength and thermal efficiency. Therefore, this study focuses on enhancing the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of composite briquettes produced from carbonized banana peels and waste glass. Composite briquettes comprised of banana peels biochar and waste glass powder (0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) were developed, characterized, and evaluated using thermo-gravimetric analysis and bomb calorimetry to determine thermo-physical properties and higher heating values, respectively. The thermal efficiency and emissions (CO, CO2, and PM2.5) were assessed using the water boiling test and an emissions monitoring system. Proximate analysis revealed that moisture content, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash content of the developed briquettes ranged from 2.5 to 9.7%, 19.2 to 37.2%, 28.7 to 55.6%, and 7.2 to 44.9%, respectively. Drop strength for the briquettes was 84% without waste glass in the composite, increasing to 94–98% with waste glass included in the composite matrix. Higher heating values ranged from 20.1 to 35.8 MJ/kg. Thermal efficiency rose from 22% with no waste glass powder to 40% with 50% waste glass powder addition, while CO and CO2 emissions decreased from 41 to 11 ppm; and 50 to 15 ppm, respectively. PM2.5 remained constant across all banana peel biochar waste glass composites. Notably, even a modest 10% waste glass composition significantly improved drop strength and thermal efficiency, but higher waste glass percentages correlated with elevated ash values and reduced higher heating values. Therefore, the developed composite briquettes can be used in commercial and industrial applications including in some industrial boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron ore pellets are goods produced by AO Stoilenskii Mining and Milling Operation from iron ore concentrate with bentonite as a binding agent. The influence of the unit concentrate surface on the properties of green pellets is examined in a laboratory setting. It is established that, with an expansion of the unit concentrate surface, the prime yield and porosity of green pellets increase and their strength improves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expediency of applying the test methods for sinter and pellets to determine the mechanical strength of blast-furnace briquettes is considered. Based on numerical modeling, the behaviors of pellets and briquettes under shock and abrasive loads in a rotating drum, static compressive loads, and when dropped from a height are compared. It is shown that due to the fundamental difference in the physical and mechanical properties of agglomerated products, corrections are needed for adequate assessment of the mechanical strength by conventional methods. Numerical modeling reveals a significant difference in the maximum stresses in a pellet and a briquette in the charge, which justifies the decrease in the compressive strength rejection limits for briquettes. When testing briquettes in a drum, their behavior when dropped on a metal surface should be taken into account. The rejection limits for testing briquettes in a drum should be adjusted. It is substantiated that the drop strength test method is fundamentally important for assessing the strength of blast-furnace briquettes because it is the most appropriate to the way they are delivered to the blast furnace. For the first time, the need to test briquettes for strength when exposed to gas flow is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly developed stress profile of chemically strengthened glass for smartphone cover glass is demonstrated in this study. This innovative stress profile, named as EICS profile, improves the durability to the drop breakage. With this EICS profile, high strength cover glass, such as the glass, which is 2 times or more stronger than ever to the rough ground, can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to develop briquettes from coffee and rice husks agricultural wastes as sustainable fuel sources for domestic cooking applications. Clay and cassava starch were used as binders. Physical properties of the coffee husks and rice husks as well as the developed briquettes were determined using Thermogravimetric analysis. Higher heating value (HHV) results were determined using bomb calorimetry. Drop test method was used to determine the mechanical and storage integrity of the developed briquettes. The results showed that the type of binder used in the development of the briquettes significantly affected both their physical properties and calorific values. Average higher heating values for briquettes developed with cassava starch binder ranged from 21.9 to 23.0 MJ/kg for coffee husks and 15.9–16.6 MJ/kg for rice husks. For coffee and rice husk briquettes developed with clay binder, average higher heating values ranged from 13.0 to 19.5 MJ/kg and 9.5–13.8 MJ/kg, respectively. Generally, cassava starch binder imparted higher drop strengths (over 95%) onto the briquettes than clay binder material. The characteristics were influenced by the physical properties of the raw biomass material as well as the high SiO 2 ash in the clay binder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study groundnut shells and bagasse briquettes from agricultural wastes were developed with cassava and wheat starch binders using low pressure and high pressure techniques. In the low pressure technique, briquettes were produced after carbonization of groundnut shells and bagasse. The resulting bio-char was mixed with 30, 50, 70 and 90 g of cassava and wheat flour starch binder for each 1000 g of groundnut shells and bagasse bio-char. Groundnut shell briquettes were also developed under high pressure (230 MPa) using groundnut shells (1000 g) without a binder, groundnut shells (1000 g) with cassava flour starch binder (250 g) and groundnut shells with wheat flour starch binder (250 g). Thermo-physical properties of the briquettes were determined using thermo-gravimetric analysis. A Bomb calorimeter was used to determine the higher heating values of the briquettes. Thermal characteristics were determined by observing the flame temperature during combustion. The mechanical integrity of the briquettes was determined using the drop test method. The higher heating values for groundnut shell and bagasse briquettes developed using low pressure techniques were between 21 and 23 MJ/kg for both cassava and wheat starch binders. The results were all above the 16 MJ/kg average recorded for non-carbonized groundnut shell briquettes developed under high pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]