Abstract
The paper investigated the effects of binders (molasses and gum Arabic) on rice husk in briquette production. A fixed quantity of rice husk was combined with varying binder proportions (10%, 20%, and 30%) and compressed using a low-pressure fabricated briquetting machine. The briquettes were sun-dried to minimize moisture content before analysis. Proximate analysis revealed moisture content of 1.9–3.5%, ash content of 16.7–20.5%, volatile matter of 55.4–62.8%, and fixed carbon of 16.3–22.2%. Physical properties recorded values ranging from 0.71–0.77 g/cm³ (compressed density), 0.30–0.38 g/cm³ (relaxed density), 1.55–1.82 (compaction ratio), 1.85–2.36 (relaxation ratio), 15.0–38.5% (durability), and 10.5–36.0 sec (water resistance). An increase in binder percentage generally improved physical properties, except for compaction and relaxation ratios, which decreased. Fuel properties included ignition time (6.1–14.8 sec), afterglow (2.4–18.1 sec), water boiling time (6.02–8.20 min), and calorific value (25,770.59–27,014.91 KJ/kg). Higher binder content increased calorific value and ignition time but reduced water boiling and afterglow times. Overall, the findings indicate that rice husk briquettes bonded with gum Arabic demonstrated superior performance compared to molasses, making it a more effective binder for briquette production.