Determination of some thermal characteristics of fuel pellets obtained from oil palm residues

Abstract

In this study, moisture content, calorific value and bulk density of fuel pellets produced from raw oil palm residues were determined and compared. The result of the moisture content of the various pellets is as follows: palm kernel shell (PKS) is 9.68%, palm fibre (PF) is 10.77% and empty fruit bunch (EFB) is 12.07%, while that of the raw residues is 10.23%, 11.10% and 15.10% respectively. The calorific value for the pellets is 20,988.23kJ/kg, 19,982.08kJ/kg and 18,501.29kJ/kg ^{respectively,} while that of the raw residues is 19,606.361kJ/kg, 16,518.849kJ/kg and 17,893.541kJ/kg respectively. The results show that there is a significant reduction in the moisture content of the fuel pellets and a significant increase in the calorific value compared to that obtained from the raw residues. It therefore means that fuel pellets would be more effective and sustainable during combustion. The results also show that the fuel pellets have higher bulk density of 0.698kg/m³, 0.45kg/m³ and 0.285kg/m³ while that of the raw residues is 0.503kg/m³, 0.131kg/m³ and 0.237kg/m³ respectively. In conclusion, pellets obtained from oil palm residues have better mechanical strength and could sustainably contribute to the Nigeria’s energy mix.