Thermal Energy and Ignition Propagation Estimates of Watermelon Peel Briquettes

The idea of utilizing biomass as renewable energy source is appealing due to its accessibility, cheapness and ecological friendliness. Briquette is an alternative source of fuel to firewood and charcoal which can avoid some environmental problems that can be generated from their use. Briquettes were produced from watermelon peels with cassava starch and gum Arabic as binders, the two binders were chosen because they are naturally abundant in rural communities. The briquettes produced have favourable thermal and ignition propagation properties which are contributed by the initial raw material (watermelon peels) properties such as density, calorific value, resistance to humidity, moisture content, ash content etc. It can be concluded that the higher the ignition propagation the higher the thermal energy of the briquettes. Keywords: Briquette, watermelon, biomass fuel, binder, starch, gum Arabic