Fuel Briquettes from Southern Pine Sawdust

Abstract

The object of this investigation was to find a method for the profitable disposal of the large amounts of wood wastes from the saw mills of our Southern States. As a result of this investigation, a process has been developed for the manufacture of a high grade fuel briquette involving the following steps: 1. The wood waste in the form of sawdust, is preheated to destroy the elasticity of the wood. This preheating also eliminates moisture and considerable combined oxygen and hydrogen from the wood with the result that the weight is decreased about one-third and the heating value per pound almost doubled. 2. The preheated sawdust is then moistened and briquetted hot without addition of a binder. The resulting briquettes are firm and strong enough to stand rough handling and they resist weathering to an extent which should permit shipment and storage if protected from rainfall. 3. The optimum conditions of carrying out the various steps in the process have been determined and a study made of costs of plant and operation for a 20 ton per day plant.