Binderless briquetting technology for lignite briquettes: a review

Abstract

Briquetting process offers unique advantages such as uniformity in briquette size and shape, easy storage and transportation, thanks to the influence of binders which ensures good bonding and combustion performance. Recently, much has been discussed about the briquettes-binders system and the influence of binders on the resulting physical and combustion properties of briquettes. However, the present knowledge is insufficient on the binderless briquetting technology which is commonly used for producing lignite briquettes, as well as the resulting properties and beneficial effects when compared to briquettes produced with binders. The present review discusses the binderless briquetting technology in detail and its influence on the combustion and mechanical properties of the lignite briquettes. To a large extent, some properties of the lignite like hardness, surface structure, plasticity and elasticity can influence the binderless briquetting process. Reducing the plasticity or increasing the elasticity of lignite is advantageous to binderless briquetting. The various forms/theorems of binderless technology including capillary, adhesion, bituminous and humic acid, colloidal, denser water and cation membrane theorems were discussed. Under binderless briquetting system, the influence of briquetting parameters (temperature and pressure) and lignite coal properties (particle size distribution, moisture content, and hydrogen bonding) on briquette strength was extensively analyzed and discussed. This review study is concluded by presenting a comprehensive overview on the bonding mechanisms and several points of interest for future studies as regards the binderless technology for producing lignite briquettes.

Keywords

Binderless technology / Lignite briquettes / Moisture content / Hydrogen bonding / Energy content

References

[1] Akinnuli BO, Olugbade TO. Development and performance evaluation of piggery and water hyacinth waste digester for biogas production. Int J Eng Innov Technol, 2014, 3: 271-276

[2] Altun NE, Hicyilmaz C, Kök MV. Effect of different binders on the combustion properties of lignite part I. Effect on thermal properties. J Therm Anal Calorim, 2001, 65: 787-795

[3] Bika D, Tardos GL, Panmai S, Farber L, Michaels J. Strength and morphology of solid bridges in dry granules of pharmaceutical powders. Powder Technol, 2005, 150: 104-116

[4] Chang HY. The research on the briquetting mechanism of fine coal [dissertation], 2002 Taiyuan Taiyuan University of Technology

[5] Chen L, Cai Y, Zhu C. Study of micro-structure of briquette. J China Coal Soc, 1997, 22: 304-306

[6] Cheng W, Xue J, Xie J, Zhou G, Nie W. A model of lignite macromolecular structures and its effect on the wettability of coal: a case study. Energy Fuels, 2017, 31: 13834-13841

[7] Chou CS, Lin SH, Peng CC, Lu WC. The optimum conditions for preparing solid fuel briquette of rice straw by a piston-mold process using the Taguchi method. Fuel Process Technol, 2009, 90: 1041-1046

[8] Clark K, Meakins R, Kalb GW, Mathieson G, Pearson C (1998) Thermal drying and binderless briquetting of low rank coals in the Collie Basin of Western Australia. In: 13th ICPC Brisbane Australia, pp 222–229

[9] Clarke DE, Marsh H. Influence of coal/binder interactions on mechanical strength of briquettes. Fuel, 1989, 68: 1023-1030

[10] Cronauer DC, Ruberto RG. Liquefaction of partially dried and oxidized coals: 2. Coal characteristics. Fuel, 1983, 62: 1124-1132

[11] Demirbaş A. Evaluation of biomass materials as energy sources: upgrading of tea waste by briquetting process. Energy Sour, 1999, 21(3): 215-220

[12] Demirbas A. Relationships between lignin contents and fixed carbon contents of biomass samples. Energy Convers Manag, 2003, 44: 1481-1486

[13] Demirbaş A, Şahin A. Evaluation of biomass residue: 1. Briquetting wastepaper and wheat straw mixtures. Fuel Process Technol, 1998, 55: 175-183

[14] Ellison G, Stanmore BR. High strength binderless brown coal briquettes part I. Production and properties. Fuel Process Technol, 1981, 4: 277-289

[15] Ellison G, Stanmore BR. High strength binderless brown coal briquettes part II. An investigation into bonding. Fuel Process Technol, 1981, 4(4): 291-304

[16] Emerhi EA. Physical and combustion properties of briquettes produced from sawdust of three hardwood species and different organic binders. Adv Appl Sci Res, 2011, 2(6): 1-5

[17] Galina NR, Luna CM, Gretta LA, Avila AI. Comparative study on combustion and oxy-fuel combustion environments using mixtures of coal with sugarcane bagasse and biomass sorghum bagasse by the thermogravimetric analysis. J Energy Inst, 2018, 92: 741-754

[18] Gilli G, Gilli P. Towards a unified hydrogen-bond theory. J Mol Struct, 2000, 552: 1-15

[19] Gilli P, Pretto L, Bertolasi V, Gilli G. Predicting hydrogen-bond strengths from acid–base molecular properties. The pKa slide rule: toward the solution of a long-lasting problem. Acc Chem Res, 2008, 42: 33-44

[20] Grover PD, Mishra SK (1996) Biomass briquetting: technology and practice. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States, Bangkok Thailand, pp 1–10

[21] Gürbüz-Beker U, Küçükbayrak S, Özer A. Briquetting of Afşin-Elbistan lignite. Fuel Process Technol, 1998, 55: 117-127

[22] Han Y, Tahmasebi A, Yu J, Li X, Meesri C. An experimental study on binderless briquetting of low-rank coals. Chem Eng Technol, 2013, 36: 749-756

[23] Han H, Duan D, Yuan P. Binders and bonding mechanism for RHF briquette made from blast furnace dust. ISIJ Int, 2014, 54: 1781-1789

[24] Huang G, Hao Y. Preparation and principle of Shenmu bituminous coal gasification briquette. China Coal, 2012, 38: 83-90

[25] Huang X, Jiang X. Effect of particle size on hydroxyl of coal surface. J Combust Sci Technol, 2009, 15: 457-460

[26] Israelsen M, Israelsen M, Busk J, Jensen J. Pelleting properties of dairy compounds with molasses, alkali-treated straw and other byproducts. Feedstuffs, 1981, 7: 26-28

[27] Iyengar MS, Sibal DN. Role of hydrogen bonds in the briquetting of lignite. Fuel, 1957, 31: 76-80

[28] Kaliyan N, Morey RV. Factors affecting strength and durability of densified biomass products. Biomass Bioenergy, 2009, 33: 337-359

[29] Kaliyan N, Morey RV. Natural binders and solid bridge type binding mechanisms in briquettes and pellets made from corn stover and switchgrass. Bioresour Technol, 2010, 101: 1082-1090

[30] Kang TL. Research and development of coal briquette bond and formed coke bond. Trans CSAE, 2006, 22: 259-262

[31] Khan MR, Usmen R. E.s.r. spectroscopic study on the chemistry of coal oxidation. Fuel, 1988, 67: 1668-1673

[32] Kou J, Bai Z, Li W, Bai J, Guo Z. Effects of aromatic solvents and temperature on rearrangement of hydrogen bonds in brown coals. Energy Fuels, 2013, 27: 6419-6429

[33] Kou J, Bai Z, Li W, Bai J, Guo Z. Effects of mineral matters and hydrogen bonding on rheological behaviors of brown coal–oil slurries. Fuel, 2014, 132: 187-193

[34] Ku J, Ca JDH. Mechanisms of particle transfer from a continuous oil to a dispersed water phase. J Colloid Interface Sci, 1987, 116: 414-422

[35] Kudo S, Mori A, Hayashi G, Yoshida T, Okuyama N, Norinaga K, Hayashi J. Characteristic properties of lignite to be converted to high strength coke by hot briquetting and carbonization. Energy Fuels, 2018, 32: 4364-4371

[36] Kural OO, Savasci T, Eskikaya S. APP, a new binder for briquetting lignites. Fuel, 1989, 68: 404-407

[37] Lee MCH. Effects of polymer-filler adhesion on the properties of polychloroprene elastomers filled with surface-treated fillers. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010, 33: 2479-2492

[38] Lepersa B, Seitz T, Link G, Jelonneka J, Zink M. Development of a 10 kW microwave applicator for thermal cracking of lignite briquettes. Front Heat Mass Transf, 2015, 6(1): 20

[39] Li DX, Wu JS, Song YW. Studies of the relation between the wetting property of coal and compressive strength of briquettes. Coal Convers, 1992, 15: 76-81

[40] Li D, Li W, Li B. A new hydrogen bond in coal. Energy Fuels, 2003, 17: 791-793

[41] Li D, Li W, Chen H, Li B. The adjustment of hydrogen bonds and its effect on pyrolysis property of coal. Fuel Process Technol, 2004, 85: 815-825

[42] Li W, Bai Z, Bai J, Guo Z. Decomposition kinetics of hydrogen bonds in coal by a new method of in situ diffuse reflectance FT-IR. J Fuel Chem Technol, 2011, 39: 321-327

[43] Li N, Ma Z, Zhu Y. Experimental study on drying and agglomerating moulding of lignite. Adv Mater Res, 2011, 158: 64-70

[44] Liu Z, Quek A, Balasubramanian R. Preparation and characterization of fuel pellets from woody biomass, agro-residues and their corresponding hydrochars. Appl Energy, 2014, 113: 1315-1322

[45] Liu X, Hirajima T, Nonaka M, Mursito AT, Sasaki K. Use of FTIR combined with forms of water to study the changes in hydrogen bonds during low-temperature heating of lignite. Drying Technol, 2015, 34: 185-193

[46] Liu I, Hirajima T, Nonaka M, Sasaki K. Investigation of the changes in hydrogen bonds during low-temperature pyrolysis of lignite by diffuse reflectance FT-IR combined with forms of water. Ind Eng Chem Res, 2015, 54: 8971-8978

[47] Machado AS, Mexias AS, Vilela ACF, Osorio E. Study of coal, char and coke fines structures and their proportions in the off-gas blast furnace samples by X-ray diffraction. Fuel, 2013, 114: 224-228

[48] Machnikowski J, Kaczmarska H, Gerus-Piasecka I, Díez MA, Alvarez R, García R. Structural modification of coal-tar pitch fractions during mild oxidation—relevance to carbonization behavior. Carbon, 2002, 40: 1937-1947

[49] Mangena SJ, Cann VMD. Binderless briquetting of some selected South African prime coking, blend coking and weathered bituminous coals and the effect of coal properties on binderless briquetting. Int J Coal Geol, 2007, 71: 303-312

[50] Mangena SJ, Korte GJD, McCrindle RI. The amenability of some Witbank bituminnous ultrafine coals to binderless briquetting. Fuel Process Technol, 2004, 85: 1647-1662

[51] Marzec A. Towards an understanding of the coal structure: a review. Fuel Process Technol, 2002, 77–78: 25-32

[52] Miura K, Mae K, Li W, Kusakawa T, Morozumi F, Kumanno A. Estimation of hydrogen bond distribution in coal through the analysis of OH stretching bands in diffuse reflectance infrared spectrum measured by in situ technique. Energy Fuels, 2001, 15: 599-610

[53] Miura K, Mae K, Hasegawa I, Chen H, Kumano A, Tamura K. Estimation of hydrogen bond distributions formed between coal and polar solvents using in situ IR technique. Energy Fuels, 2002, 16: 23-31

[54] Mohammed TI, Olugbade TO. Characterization of briquettes from rice bran and palm kernel shell. Int J Mater Sci Innov, 2015, 3(2): 60-67

[55] Mohammed TI, Olugbade TO. Burning rate of briquettes produced from rice bran and palm kernel shells. Int J Mater Sci Innov, 2015, 3(2): 68-73

[56] Muazu RI, Stegemann JA. Biosolids and microalgae as alternative binders for biomass fuel. Fuel, 2017, 194: 339-347

[57] Murray JB, Evans DG. The brown-coal/water system: part 3. Thermal dewatering of brown coal. Fuel, 1972, 51: 290-296

[58] Ndiema CKW, Manga PN, Ruttoh CR. Influence of die pressure on relaxation characteristics of briquetted biomass. Energy Convers Manag, 2002, 43: 2157-2161

[59] Nelson CR (1989) Coal weathering: chemical processes and pathways. In: Nelson CR (ed) Chemistry of coal weathering, coal science and technology, vol 14, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 1–26

[60] Nour AM (1987) Rice straw and rice hulls in feeding ruminants in Egypt. Utilization of Agricultural By-Products as Livestock Feeds in Africa, Food and agricultural organization (FAO) corporate document repository, pp 53–61

[61] Ogedengbe TI, Adamolekun TM, Olugbade TO (2016) Strategies for enhancing management of cell-phone waste in Nigeria. In: Proceedings of the 2016 annual conference of the school of engineering and engineering technology (SEET), The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, pp 470–477

[62] Oke PK, Olugbade TO, Olaiya NG. Analysis of the effect of varying palm kernel particle sizes on the calorific value of palm kernel briquette. Br J Appl Sci Technol, 2016, 14(2): 1-5

[63] Olugbade TO, Mohammed TI. Fuel developed from rice bran briquettes and palm kernel shells. Int J Energy Eng, 2015, 5(2): 9-15

[64] Olugbade TO, Ojo OT. Development and performance evaluation of an improved electric baking oven. Leonardo Electron J Pract Technol, 2018, 33: 189-206

[65] Olugbade T, Ojo O, Mohammed T. Influence of binders on combustion properties of biomass briquettes: a recent review. Bioenerg Res, 2019, 12(2): 241-259

[66] Park J, Lee Y, Ryu C, Park Y. Slow pyrolysis of rice straw: analysis of products properties, carbon and energy yields. Bioresour Technol, 2014, 155: 63-70

[67] Perotti NI, Molina OE. Corn cob as a bacterial substrate for the production of forage protein. Biol Wastes, 1988, 26: 125-131

[68] Pinto J, Cruz D, Paiva A, Pereira S, Tavares P, Fernandes L, Varum H. Characterization of corn cob as a possible raw building material. Constr Build Mater, 2012, 34: 28-33

[69] Plancher H, Agarwal PK, Severns R. Improving form coke briquette strength. Fuel Process Technol, 2002, 79: 83-92

[70] Qiao XX, Zhang YF, Wang Q. Research progress of bonding force and mechanism of adhesion bonding powdered coal briquetting. Coal Technol, 2015, 34: 295-297

[71] Rahaman SA, Abdul Salam P. Characterization of cold densified rice straw briquettes and the potential use of sawdust as binder. Fuel Process Technol, 2017, 158: 9-19

[72] Rhys Jones DCR (1963) In chemistry of coal utilization. In: Lowry HH (ed) Wiley, New York

[73] Rubio B, Izquierdo MT, Segura E. Effect of binder addition on the mechanical and physicochemical properties of low rank coal char briquettes. Carbon, 1999, 37: 1833-1841

[74] Saǧlam M, Yüksel MM, Yanik J, Tutaş M, Karaduman M, Üstün G. Production of water-resistant briquettes from Turkish lignites using sulphite liquor binders. Fuel, 1990, 69(1): 60-64

[75] Schafer HNS. Pyrolysis of brown coals. 1. Decomposition of acid groups in coals containing carboxyl groups in the acid and cation forms. Fuel, 1979, 58: 667-672

[76] Shi Q, Qin B, Bi Q, Qu B. Changes in the surface structure of coal caused by igneous intrusions and their effect on the wettability. Energy Fuels, 2018, 32: 9371-9379

[77] Singh A, Singh Y. Briquetting of paddy straw. Agricultural mechanization in Asia. Afr Latin Am, 1982, 13: 42-44

[78] Sotannde OA, Oluyege AO, Abah GB. Physical and combustion properties of briquettes from sawdust of Azadirachta indica. J For Res, 2010, 21(1): 63-67

[79] Sun BL. The study of mechanism of lignite binderless briquetting [dissertation], 2013 Anshan University of Science and Technology Liaoning

[80] Sun Q, Wang G. Force distribution in static granular matter in two dimensions. Acta Physica Sin, 2007, 57: 4667-4674 (in Chinese)

[81] Sun B, Yu J, Tahmasebi A, Han Y. An experimental study on binderless briquetting of Chinese lignite: effects of briquetting conditions. Fuel Process Technol, 2014, 124: 243-248

[82] Tabil L, Sokhansanj S. Process conditions affecting the physical quality of alfalfa pellets. J Appl Eng Agric, 1996, 12: 345-350

[83] Thakur AKR, Gupta AK. Water absorption characteristics of paddy, brown rice and husk during soaking. J Food Eng, 2006, 75: 252-257

[84] Tian B, Xu DP, Pang YH, Yang FF, Wang YG. Insights into the mechanism of briquetting production and thermal performance of anthracite-briquettes for Lurgi gasification. China Coal, 2013, 37: 80-84

[85] Vadiveloo J, Nurfariza B, Fadel JG. Nutritional improvement of rice husks. Anim Feed Sci Technol, 2009, 151: 299-305

[86] Wang Y, Bai X. Research progress on briquetting mechanism clean. Coal Technol, 2014, 20: 8-11

[87] Wang WD, Liu H. Summation and discussion on the fundamental theory of coal briquette. Coal Proc Comput Util, 2004, 5: 38-41

[88] Wang B, Wang L, Zhang R, Ling L. The role of CS2 in CS2/NMP mixed solvent in weakening the hydrogen bond of OH–N in coal: a DFT investigation. J Mol Model, 2012, 18: 921-927

[89] Willett CD, Adams MJ, Johnson SA, Seville JPK. Capillary bridges between two spherical bodies. Langmuir, 2000, 16: 9396-9405

[90] Williams PT, Nugranad N. Comparison of products from the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of rice husks. J Energy, 2000, 25: 493-513

[91] Xiao L. Research on briquetting mechanism and its characteristics of bio-briquette made from lignite and biomass [dissertation], 2011 Beijing China University of Mining Technology

[92] Xiao L, Yao J, Wan Y, Tao X, Liu J. Briquetting mechanism and parameters optimization of the lignite/biomass. J China Univ Min Technol, 2010, 39: 352-356

[93] Xie J, Wu J. Introduction to coal processing and utilization, 2010 4 Xuzhou China University of Mining and Technology Press

[94] Xu Z, Liu S. Coal briquette technology, 2001 4 Beijing China Coal Industry Press

[95] Yaman S, Sahan M, Haykiri-Acma H, Sesen K, Kucukbayrak S. Fuel briquettes from biomass–lignite blends. Fuel Process Technol, 2001, 72: 1-8

[96] Yildirim M, Özbayoǧlu G. Production of ammonium nitrohumate from Elbistan lignite and its use as a coal binder. Fuel, 1997, 76: 385-398

[97] Yu E. Theoretical base of lignite briquetting without binder. Coal Proc Comput Util, 1988, 2: 53-58

[98] Zhang YR, Zhao HJ, Tang K, Ma J, Fan HJ. The research on principal process conditions of lignite briquetting. Environ Prot Sci, 1991, 48: 32-36

[99] Zhang X, Xu D, Xu Z, Cheng Q. The effect of different treatment conditions on biomass binder preparation for lignite briquette. Fuel Process Technol, 2001, 73(3): 185-196

[100] Zhang Y, Ghaly AE, Li B. Physical properties of corn residues. Am J Biochem Biotechnol, 2012, 8: 44-53

[101] Zhang Y, Ghaly AE, Li B. Physical properties of rice residues as affected by variety and climatic and cultivation conditions in three continents. Am J Appl Sci, 2012, 9: 1757-1768

[102] Zhang Y, Chen X, Wu J, Wang S, Shao Z, Miao Z, Xiao L. Binderless briquetting of lignite by the mechanical thermal expression process. Int J Coal Prep Util, 2017

[103] Zhang G, Sun Y, Xu Y. Review of briquette binders and briquetting mechanism. Renew Sustain Energy Rev, 2018, 82: 477-487

[104] Zhao YL, Chang HY. The research progress on the briquetting mechanism of fine coal. Coal Conv, 2001, 24: 12-14

[105] Zhongqing MA, Dengyu C, Jie G, Binfu B. Determination of pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics of palm kernel shell using TGA–FTIR and model-free integral methods. Energy Convers Manag, 2015, 89: 251-259

[106] Zhou G, Zhang Q, Bai R, Ni G. Characterization of coal micro-pore structure and simulation on the seepage rules of low-pressure water based on CT scanning data. Minerals, 2016, 6: 78-79