Optimizing biomass pellet quality from sugarcane leaves and bamboo for sustainable biofuel production

Abstract

Sugarcane leaves, a vast but under-utilized agricultural residue in Thailand, hold significant potential for biofuel production. However, challenges such as high organic ash content and low calorific value limit their effectiveness as biomass pellet fuel. This study aims to overcome these limitations by combining sugarcane leaves with bamboo at various ratios (5:0, 1:4, 2:3, 3:2, 4:1, 0:5) to improve fuel properties. The resulting pellets were tested against ISO 17225–6:2021 standards. Findings indicate that blending sugarcane leaves with bamboo enhances key physical properties, including length, bulk density, dust content and durability. For combustion properties, sugarcane-bamboo ratios of 4:1, 3:2, 2:3 and 1:4 yielded calorific values above 14,500 J/g, meeting essential biomass fuel standards. Additionally, inorganic ash content was reduced to below 10 % in pellets with sugarcane to bamboo ratios of 3:2, 2:3 and 1:4, aligning with ISO specifications. These results suggest that a sugarcane to bamboo ratio above 3:2 produces pellets that meet ISO standards, demonstrating that biomass blending is an effective approach to optimize solid fuel properties.