TY  - JOUR
AU  - Akhator, Peter Ebhodaghe
AU  - Unueroh, Ufuoma Georgina
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - Development of Binderless Waste-Derived Briquettes: Effect of Plastic Content on Combustion Performance and Kinetics
JO  - Journal of Energy and Power Technology
SP  - 009
VL  - 08
IS  - 02
AB  - Waste-derived briquettes offer a promising alternative to fossil fuels and are characterised by low production costs, high volumetric calorific value, robust mechanical strength, and excellent durability. To optimize their adoption, four variants of waste-derived briquettes were produced with different mass ratios of sawdust to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, and 70:30) using high-pressure compaction without binders. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the Coats-Redfern method were employed to investigate the impact of PET content on the combustion behavior and kinetics. In contrast, the water-boiling test was employed to identify their fuel efficiency and energy consumption. The ash content of the briquettes decreased with increasing PET content, reatching 2.62% in BR-D (30% PET plastic). The plastic-based briquettes contained significant amounts of alkali metal oxides, which were synergistically active in catalysing the combustion of the briquettes as indicated by decreases in the ignition temperature of 6-25°C and the burnout temperature of 88-165°C. The briquettes met the European Pellet Council (EPC) requirements of densified solid fuels in terms of heavy-metal concentrations, except for the cadmium limit in BR-D, which was a little higher than the set limit. Moreover, the kinetic study indicated that briquettes containing PET exhibited lower activation energies (Ea) than those briquettes without PET. Notably, BR-D had the lowest Ea value of 18.67 kJ/mol. BR-D also had the highest energetic density (16.93 GJ/m3) and fuel value index (6.46 GJ/m3%), making it the most favourable for energy applications. This implies that blending waste PET plastics with sawdust could enhance the thermal efficiency and fuel quality of the resulting briquettes, making them potentially sustainable energy sources, both on their own and in combination with traditional fuels.
SN  - 2690-1692
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/jept.2602009
DO  - 10.21926/jept.2602009
ID  - Akhator2026
ER  -