PROPERTY EVALUATION OF BIOMASS BRIQUETTES FROM CACAO (Theobroma cacao) POD HUSK USING CACAO PULP AND CASSAVA STARCH AS BINDERS

This study investigated the potential use of cacao pod husk to make briquettes for energy generation. It was carried out to produce briquettes using a briquetting machine capable of producing nine briquettes at a time. The binding agents were cassava starch and cacao pulp. The different Treatments are the T1 (control)75%:25% which means 75% carbonized cacao pod husk (CPH) and 25% cassava starch; T2(70%:30%); T4 （65%:35%) and T4 (60%:40%) carbonized CPH with cacao pulp as a binder. The study was performed in accordance with Complete Randomized Design CRD)with four treatments and three replications. The data were analyzed using ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and the Least Significant Difference was used for the mean comparison. After molding and drying of briquettes, their physical properties were determined by direct measurement and calculations. According to the proximate analysis results, T1 got the lowest moisture content; however, T3 got the highest heating value of 20.49 MJ/kg and fixed carbon of 46.06%. Results from different tests and analyses show that the T4 briquette would not easily crumble and hence can withstand shattering during transportation and handling. Moreover, the result of the study shows that it is good to use cacao pod husk as an alternative fuel in household cooking.