Technical Feasibility of Sorghum Biomass for Briquettes Production

Abstract

Vegetable biomass has been widely used for bioenergy generation, including sorghum, which has been the object of research for presenting high biomass productivity in the field in a short period of time and its in natura form is an option in sugar and energy plants during the off-season. The use of raw biomass has a number of disadvantages and its densification, through the production of briquettes, improves its energy and physical-mechanical characteristics. The objective of this study was to characterize the in natura biomass and briquettes of two hybrids of biomass sorghum: the commercially used BRS 716 and CMSXS 7016 still in test phase. The cultivation of the two hybrids was carried out at the experimental station of Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, located in the municipality of Sete Lagoas, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the 2016/2017 crop, with conventional cultural management for sorghum. The values found for the two hybrids of sorghum biomass are quite satisfactory compared to the values found in the literature for forest and agricultural species that are normally used for energy purposes, except for the ash content, being a viable alternative for energy production. The in natura biomass of hybrid CMSXS 7016 presents similar characteristics to the commercial hybrid BRS 716, and can be used commercially energetic applications. The briquettes of sorghum hybrids biomass are technically feasible for energetic generation, with energy and physical-mechanical characteristics superior to the biomass in natura, with apparent and energy density about 7-8 times higher.