What are the different composition of biomass briquettes?

briquette-composition
What is Biomass? How it Works? Is Biomass Sustainable? This post says about the benefits, processes, and sustainability of biomass energy
Since the cavemen made fire from wood to cook and keep their surroundings warm, people have explored different options. People burnt wood and biomass for heat in the pre-industrial era. Biomass could not cater to all their requirements when the human population grew. People started transitioning from wood and charcoal to coal and oil when the industrial revolution gained prominence. Since then, fossil fuels have remained the main fuel source for cooking, transportation, and heating.
Though fossil fuel usage pioneered industrialization and uplifted millions out of poverty, it has become a threat to biodiversity and human sustenance. Emission levels soared, and climate change is real. The call for shifting to alternative fuel sources like biomass is louder than ever.

What is Biomass?

Biomass refers to the fuel developed from organic materials like wood, crops, agriculture, and forestry remains. The world produces 559 billion tonnes of biomass annually, which in turn gets piled up in landfills. As the world has become conscious of the rising emission levels and is exploring alternatives to fossil fuels, biomass has gained significance.

Burning biomass in its loose form is ineffective, and the combustion efficiency is very low. When it is dried and densified into biomass briquettes, their combustion efficiency improves. As there is no moisture, biomass briquettes tend to burn longer.

Read this blog also: What is the composition of Biomass Briquettes?

What is the use of Biomass Briquettes in India?

In India, biomass briquettes are majorly made from rice husk, sawdust, groundnut, coffee husk, woodchips, etc. Biomass briquettes have evolved to be advantageous in multiple ways, and the most important of them is that they can be used as alternative sources of fuel for heating and cooking. Converting plant and agricultural residues into biomass briquettes can also help reduce landfills. As biomass is readily available, biomass briquettes are cheaper than fossil fuels. This makes biomass an affordable fuel source for poor-income households in a populous country like India.
Plants absorb carbon-di-oxide during photosynthesis. When biomass briquettes are burnt, they emit the same amount of carbon-di-oxide that was previously absorbed by the plants when they were growing. So, biomass briquettes are a form of carbon-neutral renewable energy.
India aims to achieve an emission reduction of 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. Given this, biomass has gained huge prominence, and the scope for biomass briquettes and biofuels is expanding exponentially.
Beyond, biomass briquettes are fueling India’s thermal power plants and powering industrial boilers to replace coal that has dominated the industry for ages.
Biomass briquettes are replacing conventional fuels in thermal applications. Several industries are using biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels, and the cement industry remains the most notable among them.

Biofuel – Alternative fuels for the cement and lime industry

How are cement kilns fueled?
Cement is one of the most important building materials. While producing cement, limestone and clay are crushed, ground, and mixed with water to make clinkers. This is used as a binding agent in making portland cement. Limestone, which is Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3), is burnt at high temperatures of 900°C to form clinkers, and this process is called calcination.

What is the main reason that the cement manufacturing industry is energy intensive?
When Calcium carbonate is burnt during calcination, it liberates CO2 and forms CaO or lime. This happens inside the kilns, and coal is conventionally the primary source of heating the cement kilns.

Here CO2 emission happens in both ways- from fossil fuel usage for heating the cement kilns and from the CO2 that results while burning limestone (CaCO3). This is why the cement industry is prominent in sustainability discussions.

What are the alternative fuels used in the cement industry?
Overall, the cement industry accounts for 8% of carbon-di-oxide emissions worldwide. Biomass briquettes and other biofuels are becoming the main source of alternative fuels in cement manufacturing and the use of biomass energy can help reduce carbon emissions as well as the cost of operation.

India is highly dependent on fossil fuel imports and so their prices keep fluctuating. Using biomass briquettes and pellets as alternative fuels in cement manufacturing not only reduces emissions but also drives a reduction in prices. Also, biomass is available throughout, unlike fossil fuel, which is limited in availability and subject to depletion. Biomass briquettes are produced from plants, wood, and other organic residues. Burning biomass produces ash which in turn serves as fertilizer for plants. This cycle of converting plant wastes into biomass briquettes and back as fertilizers to the plants make biomass a sustainable fuel.

Wrapping Up

Biomass briquettes are a renewable source of energy and have the power to replace fossil fuels used in cement and other emission-intensive industries. In countries like India that are dependent on fossil fuel imports, biomass has the potential to help keep the costs low and ensure continuous availability.
India is highly dependent on fossil fuel imports and so their prices keep fluctuating. Using biomass briquettes and pellets as alternative fuels in cement manufacturing not only reduces emissions but also drives a reduction in prices. Also, biomass is available throughout, unlike fossil fuel, which is limited in availability and subject to depletion. Biomass briquettes are produced from plants, wood, and other organic residues. Burning biomass produces ash which in turn serves as fertilizer for plants. This cycle of converting plant wastes into biomass briquettes and back as fertilizers to the plants make biomass a sustainable fuel.

Biomass briquettes sale in India
Buyofuel is India’s leading supplier and buyer of biomass briquettes and other biofuels. If you are looking for biomass briquettes supplier and manufactuer in tamilnadu and the whole of India, contact us at +91 86067 82055. Alternatively, you can write to us at [email protected] .

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