Determination of the Calorific Value of Briquettes Made from Pinus caribae and Eucalyptus citirodora Sawdust

This study determined the calorific value of briquettes made from Pinus caribaea and Eucalyptus citirodora. Sawdust samples were collected from a sawmill in Buruku, Kaduna State. The briquettes were produced in a manually operated hydraulic briquette machine with binder in percentage mixing ratio (starch: binder) 50:50, 60:40 and 70:30. Three (3) replicates of each mixing proportion were produced making a total number of eighteen products. Calorific tests were carried out on the samples using the Gallenkhamp Calorimeter to determine their energy contents. The results indicated that the addition of starch in various proportion increases the average calorific value when compared to the briquettes produced from 100% pure sawdust material (Control). Also, the result from the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that the effect of variation of the different proportion of binder on the calorific value is highly significant at P<0.05). In the briquettes, the physical properties of materials used for briquette production, also affects the physical properties of briquettes used in this study e.g moisture contents and density.