IJISET - International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology, Vol. 3 Issue 11, November 2016 ISSN (Online) 2348 – 7968 | Impact Factor (2015) - 4.332 www.ijiset.com Development of a Biomass Briquetting Machine Suited to Rural Communities Debasish Padhee 1,a , Jageshwar Komra 2 , Roopnarayan Patel 3 and Divyanand Verma 4 1 Assistant Professor, BRSM College of Agricultural Engineering &Technology and Research Station, Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Mungeli (C.G.), India 2,3,4 UG Students, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur (C.G.), India Abstract In this study an appropriate commercial biomass briquetting machine suitable for use in rural community was fabricated. The performance of the developed machine was evaluated using sawdust and cow dung as raw material for briquetting. The properties like compressed density, shattering resistance, water resistance and water boiling test of the developed briquettes were determined at two biomass binder (sawdust : cowdung) ratios of 25:75 and 50:50 using cow dung as the biomass cum binding agent. Results of the study showed that both the physical and combustion properties of the briquettes were significantly affected by the binder level. The study indicated that briquettes having more cow dung content i.e. 25:75 mixture briquettes gave better results for compressed density, shattering indices test and resistance to water penetration as compared to 50:50 mixture briquettes. In case of calorific value and water boiling test, 50:50 mixture briquettes performed better compared to 25:75 mixture briquettes. The study concluded that briquettes produced from mixture of saw dust and cow dust at different proportion could be serve as alternative source of energy for domestic cooking. Keywords: Briquetting Machine, Saw Dust, Cow Dung, Shattering Resistance, Compressed Density Introduction Environmental pollutions, present energy crisis, and unavoidable oil depletion are some of the major aspirations for research and development in the work for alternative fuels. During the past decade, interest in biomass came back on international stage since it is the most trusted alternative to fossil fuels and it is increasingly used as it is considered carbon neutral, since the carbon dioxide released is already part of the carbon cycle. Biomass being a Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: itsmedebu@gmail.com, Tel.: +91- 9754431936. Assistant Professor at BRSM CAET&RS, IGKV Mungeli. 128