Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the physical and thermal properties of briquettes made of faecal sludge (FS) charcoal. FS charcoal was produced by pyrolysis of the dry FS at 400 degrees C and subsequently was briquetted with rice starch and different ratios of rice husk (RH) powder, corncob powder (CP), wheat powder (WP) and cow dung (CD). The ratios of FS charcoal and binding materials were chosen as 80 : 20, 75 : 25 and 70 : 30 for RH, CP and WP briquettes. For CD briquettes, the ratios were 70 : 30, 50 : 50 and 30 : 70. The bulk density and the compressive strength of all briquettes were in the ranges 1990-2150 kg/m(3) and 172-815 kPa, respectively. The moisture contents of all briquette samples achieved 5-8%. The ash content in briquettes was comparatively higher, achieving 29-46%. The energy contents of all briquette samples were above 12.0 MJ/kg. The briquettes made of FS charcoal and CD were found to be suitable, having a low cost (US$0.18-0.28 per kg), sufficient compressive strength (>375 kPa) and desirable energy content (>13.40 MJ/kg). The FS charcoal briquettes showed a potential alternative to manage human waste for sustainable environmental protection.