Production and characterization of briquettes from invasive forest weeds: Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Production and characterization of briquettes from invasive forest weeds: Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora Ritesh Kumar1 • N. Chandrashekar1
Received: 2 August 2019 / Accepted: 28 September 2020 Ó Indian Academy of Wood Science 2020
Abstract Study on production of briquettes from two invasive forest weeds, i.e., Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora was carried out. The experiments were carried out using a 90 mm industrial briquetting unit. The optimum moisture content for briquetting was found around 10–12%. L. camara and P. juliflora biomass briquettes were found to have high density (1.2 g cm-3) and high energy density (23.05 GJ m-3). In this study, fuel properties (calorific value, proximate and ultimate analysis), combustion characteristics and ash elemental composition of L. camara and P. juliflora biomass were investigated. Both the species are found to have less ash content. Further, high CaO content in ash (47–68%) gives added advantage to these species. In this study, we have also worked out the cost involved in briquetting. The emphasis was given to these species because of the huge biomass they produce. These species are widely present in different agro-climatic zones of India and can play a major role in future bioenergy schemes. Keywords Biomass Briquettes Lantana camara Prosopis juliflora Invasive weeds
& Ritesh Kumar [email protected] N. Chandrashekar [email protected] 1
Wood Processing Division, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, 18th Cross Malleswaram, Bangalore 560003, India
Introduction Lantana camara is a noxious forest weed. It is termed as an invasive weed in many countries throughout the world. L. camara is fiercely competitive plant. It covers an open ground very quickly. It causes serious damage to ecology and local biodiversity. It is an ecologically tolerant species; however, more than its widespread distribution, it is the density of infestation which is recognized as a future threat to ecosystems (Sharma et al. 2005). There are several control measures employed to curtail its infestation in India. The mechanical methods are more effective in smaller areas and require complete removal of rootstocks (Bhagwat et al. 2012). Several chemical (Achhireddy et al. 1985) and biological control methods (Love et al. 2009; Matthew and Adele 2007) have also been suggested by researchers. In a project envisaged by Karnataka Forest Department, L. camara growing in BRT wildlife sanctuary is harvested and converted into powder for briquetting. The project aims at generating employment and income for local forest dwelling communities. The project has been flagged for job creation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) (Kumar 2017). Although the work on extraction of lantana from forest has started, its conversion and utilization as fuel briquettes have not yet been initiated. Prosopis juliflora is another invasive weed. It has covered millions of hectares of cropland and forest areas throughout the country (Kumar and Math
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