Experimental Characterization of Maize Cob and Stalk Based Pellets for Energy Use

The quest for alternative energy sources is gradually shifting from natural fossil fuel to alternative bio-resources especially agricultural waste products due to their reduced pollution risk and sustainability. This study seeks to investigate the suitability of plant residue pellets to produce biomass. The plant residues investigated include; 100% granulated corn cob residues, 100% granulated corn stalks and a composite of 50:50 granulated corn cobs and stalk residues. The residues were compressed at 200 MPa and pelletized using cassava starch as a binder. The pellets were experimentally analyzed using emission, ultimate, proximate and calorimetry analyses. The result showed that the cob stalk 50:50 combination had the most desirable properties. It has 0.64% nitrogen, 48.57% carbon, 0.38% Sulphur, 6.22% hydrogen, 55.81% oxygen, 3.25% moisture content, 2.20% ash content, 80.0% volatile matter, 17.80% fixed carbon percentage, HHV of 32.9 kJ/kg, an average CO2 of 563 +/- 50 PPM, an average CO of 100 +/- 50 PPM, and an average value relative humidity of 69 +/- 4%. The study reiterates that corn residues are a good bio-fuel and should be encouraged to address the current energy shortfalls.