THE DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A BRIQUETTE PRESS USING LOCALLY AVAILABLE RAW MATERIALS IN NIGERIA: AN APPROACH TOWARDS BRIQUETTE TECHNOLOGY SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIA

The demand for energy is increasing constantly with the increasing population of the world, and the major source of energy (oil and gas) is limited. This, calls for sustainable energy production and supply such as renewable energy technologies. In this study, a manually operated briquetting machine (a screw press) was designed and fabricated using locally available materials to ensure the sustainability of production and use of briquettes which is a renewable source of energy in Nigeria. The principal parts of the machine are the stirring, screw, compaction chamber and frame. The machine is capable of producing four briquettes (measuring 5cm in length and 7cm in diameter) at a time, as well as creates a central hole on them to aid combustion. The force and compaction pressure of the machine was determined to be 205.80N and 13.4kPa respectively. Performance evaluation of the machine was done by using it to produce maize stalk briquettes. Analysis of the briquettes produced proved the performance of the machine satisfactory. It is hoped that the machine will be useful to small and medium scale briquette manufacturers. Key words: Briquettes, Screw Press, Fabrication.