Blends of sugarcane bagasse with the mango tree and cashew tree's pruning: properties characterization and investigation of their energy potentials

ABSTRACT The work shows the energy potential of blends of sugarcane bagasse with the mango tree and cashew tree's pruning. The samples were characterized by gross calorific value, density, proximate analysis (moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon), elemental analysis and thermogravimetry. The blends were prepared with different mass fractions. After evaluation of the samples qualitative and quantitative analyses, it was verified which blends showed the better results and then the briquettes were prepared. The blends of sugarcane bagasse:mango tree pruning (fractions 50%:50%), sugarcane bagasse:cashew tree pruning (fractions 50%:50%), and sugarcane bagasse:cashew tree pruning:mango tree pruning (fractions 50%:25%:25%) were used to the briquettes production. The last part of the work shows the difference between the energy potential of the briquettes and the sugarcane bagasse. The energy density of the briquettes of sugarcane bagasse and mango tree pruning increased from 1.79 to 13.55 (kJ cm-3), in relation to the uncompacted material. The cashew tree pruning's briquettes varied from 1.97 to 12.75 (kJ cm-3), and the briquettes of sugarcane bagasse:cashew tree pruning:mango tree pruning varied from 2.46 to 12.18 (kJ cm-3). The sugarcane bagasse briquette showed a variation of 1.25 to 13.22 (kJ cm-3). The investigation of the energy potential of agricultural bioproducts (mango and cashew tree's pruning) in mixture with sugarcane bagasse presents to the sugar-alcohol industry a new possibility of reuse of biomass waste to obtain of energy.