Abstract

Green fuel is a combination of methods to solve the problems related to production, transportation, storage and use of biomass for household energy. This research was to study the green fuel production from manila grass and use of cassava mucilage as a binder. The fuel as briquettes, which is compressed, easy to handle and take little volume for storage. Experiments were conducted to determine the heating value and other physico-chemical characteristics of the fuels.

The results show that the 5 formulae of grass and cassava mucilage have heating values in the range of 3,761.14 - 3,941.65 kcal/kg. The content of fixed carbon, volatile matter and ash were between 32.78 - 24.56 %, 48.86- 59.29% and 8.52- 10.69% respectively. Fixed carbon and ash decreased when the proportion of cassava mucilage was increased. Concerning physical characteristics, it was found that the mixing ratio between grass and cassava mucilage of 1:2 to 1:3 can make briquettes quite well. The cost increased when the proportion of cassava mucilage increased; the lowest was 15.58 baht/kg from ratio 1:1, the highest was 18.1 baht/kg from ratio 1:3.