The global energy consumption increased sharply and is
predicted to continuously boost for the next 50 years, caused
by the industrialization growth both in developed and developing
countries [1]. Indonesia, as a developing country, has
vast potential resources for renewable energy, of which only
a small portion has been utilized [2]. For example, agricultural
and agro-industrial waste which is gradually increasing due to
more agricultural production. Currently, biomass is the only
clean renewable energy source that can help to significantly
diversify fuels throughout the world.
Briquette is a means to convert biomass residues through
simple technology that is inexpensive and suitable to be
managed by small communities or private firms [3]. Previously,
the study of briquetting conducted with wheat straw [4]
and agricultural residues such as mustard stalk, maize stalk,
and groundnut shells [5]. In Malaysia, palm oil residues, such
as shell and fiber, were transformed into briquettes with
a gross calorific value of 16.4 MJ kg1, the ash content of 6%,
and the moisture content of 12% [6].
Recently, many studies have been conducted on the
production of fuel briquettes from industrial waste. For
instance, briquettes from waste paper and coconut husk
which had moisture content from 5.4% to 13.3% [7], rice straw
and rice bran were feasible to be converted into solid biomass
fuel using a hot-pressing temperature [8], pelletized waste
(including refuse derived fuel or RDF, wood and paper)