Production and Characterisation of Pellets from Agricultural Waste: Dry Leaves, Castor Shell and Soyabean

Abstract

Biomass substitution for conventional fossil fuels can contribute to the production of cleaner energy. Woody biomass pellets are increasingly gaining popularity in the primary energy sector. The study aims to evaluate whether locally available agricultural biomass waste (dry leaves, castor shells, and soybean waste) can be converted into pellets and used as an efficient, cleaner alternative to conventional fossil fuels. Agricultural biomass waste is often either burned on farms or used as animal fodder, which can release toxic chemicals into the environment. However, locally cultivated crop residues have the potential to serve as a more environmentally sustainable and benign alternative to imported biomass resources. As a result, agricultural waste of locally grown Dry leaves, Castor shell and Soybean waste were used for pelleting in this study. The collected biomass was ground to particle sizes less than 3 mm. Pellets were prepared without the use of any binder using a pelleting machine. Proximate analysis of the agricultural waste and the produced pellet samples was carried out to evaluate their applicability and characteristics as a bioenergy source. The calorific values obtained for dry leaves, castor shell, and soybean waste pellets were 3995.79, 3715.83 and 3538.79 kcal/kg, respectively. The moisture content of all three types of pellets was found to be below 10 %. The results indicate that pellets produced from agricultural waste have the potential to serve as an alternative to conventional fuel sources, offering improved economic and environmental benefits. The findings demonstrate that pellets produced from agricultural waste exhibit promising fuel characteristics and can serve as a viable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The utilisation of locally available biomass not only reduces environmental pollution caused by open burning but also promotes sustainable energy generation.