| dc.description.abstract | Sugar Corporation of Uganda limited produces large quantities of bagasse which is used for cogeneration but about 700tonnes remain unused and due to rapidly increasing interest in bioenergy, environmental concerns, technological changes and rising prices of fossil fuels, the bagasse can be used for formulation of charcoal briquettes. Bagasse is a fibrous material of sugarcane which remains after juice extraction. The bagasse samples were obtained from Sugar Corporation of Uganda limited bagasse yard. Samples were collected from all points in the yard for uniform representation of the bagasse. The bagasse samples obtained were dried under direct sunlight to reduce its moisture content from about 50% to less than 18%. The dried bagasse was then carbonized in a carbonizer to increase the calorific value of the final product. The carbonized material was then densified into briquettes which were dried and then taken to the lab for testing. The fuel characteristics (calorific value, ash content and volatile matter) were determined. The values obtained were compared to the characteristics of other fuels such as briquettes made by UIDC (from banana fibers, leaves and peelings) and charcoal made from trees. The average calorific value of briquettes made from bagasse was 20282J/g and the average calorific value of briquettes made by UIDC was 16410.5J/g. Finally, the calorific value of charcoal made from trees was 31380J/g. It was observed that the briquettes made by UIDC which are currently on the market had a lower calorific value compared to that of briquettes made from bagasse, thus briquettes from bagasse give off more heat energy on combustion than those made by UIDC. This implied that less fuel can be used for the production of the same amount of energy and therefore the briquettes made from bagasse are more technically feasible. Therefore, briquettes can be obtained from bagasse and have a higher calorific value than those made from banana residues. If a law is implemented to stop use of charcoal from cutting down trees and briquettes from bagasse adopted, the rate of pollution can be greatly reduced since they are environmentally friendly. | |
