Characterization of bio-coal briquettes blended from low quality coal and biomass waste treated by Garant® bio-activator and its application for fuel combustion

Abstract Experimental research was carried out on the manufacturing of bio-coal briquettes from a blend of two different types of low-quality coal and biomass waste in the absence of coal carbonization, where the third blend of the material was fermented by adding a bio-activator solution before pressurizing the components into briquettes. The coal samples from Caringin–Garut Regency (BB–Garut) had a low calorific value and a high sulfur content (6.57 wt%), whereas the coal samples from Bayah–Lebak Regency (BB–Bayah) had a higher calorific value and a lower sulfur content (0.51 wt%). The biomass added to the coal blend is in the form of fermented cow dung (Bio–Kohe), and it had a calorific value of 4192 kcal/kg and a total sulfur content of 1.56 wt%. The main objective of this study is to determine the total decrease in the sulfur content in a blend of coal and biomass in which a fermentation process was carried out using a bio-activator for 24 h. The used bio-activator was made from Garant® (1:40) + molasses 1 wt%/vol, and its used amount was 0.2 L/kg. Also, the total sulfur content in the blend was 1.00 wt%–1.14 wt%, which fulfills the necessary quality requirements for non-carbonized bio-coal briquettes. The pyritic and sulfate content in the raw coal was dominant, and the organic sulfur, when fermented with Garant®, was found to be less in the produced bio-coal briquettes by 38%–58%.