The Effect of Raw Material Composition on the Quality of Briquette Made from Matoa (Pometia pinnata) Leaves Using Organic Adhesive

The use of fossil fuels as the primary energy source continues to increase, but their availability in nature is limited. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels by using alternative fuels such as briquettes. This study focuses on fabricating briquettes from matoa (Pometia pinnata) leaves using two types of natural adhesives, wheat and tapioca flour, and characterizing them. The composition of raw materials and adhesives was varied with ratios of 50:50, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10 to assess the quality of the briquettes and their calorific values. Briquette fabrication involved several stages: carbonization using an oven, grinding and sieving, adhesives preparation, mixing raw materials with organic binders, molding briquettes into blocks with dimensions of 3.4×3.4×3.2 cm3, and drying. Briquette testing followed the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) No. 01-6235-2000. The results showed that the type of organic adhesives did not significantly affect briquette quality. However, variations in the composition of raw materials and adhesives resulted in differences in briquette quality. The optimal raw material-to-adhesive ratio was 80:20 (matoa leaves: organic adhesive) for wheat flour and tapioca. The briquette tests for the 80:20 (matoa leaves flour) composition showed a moisture content of 6.03%, a density of 0.56 g/cm³, a calorific value of 4083.35 cal/g, a combustion rate of 0.16 g/min, an ash content of 5.60%, and a weight loss at 950 °C of 63.30%. Meanwhile, the briquettes with an 80:20 (matoa leaves) composition had a moisture content of 5.23%, a density of 0.47 g/cm³, a calorific value of 4088.48 cal/g, a combustion rate of 0.15 g/min, an ash content of 6%, and a weight loss at 950 °C of 70.30%.