| Summary: | The research focuses on developing and evaluating the performance of low cost, low technology food residue based fuel briquettes as an alternative to the widespread use of wood fuels (charcoal and firewood) for domestic cooking applications. In view of the declining accessibility of wood fuels, inadequate electrification coverage and ever-rising prices of cooking gas and kerosene in Uganda, harnessing energy from within reach, alternative sustainable energy sources such as food residues has been regarded as a viable solution to domestic cooking energy. In this research, both desktop reviews of earlier studies and laboratory investigations of the developed food residue based fuel briquettes have been considered. Carbonized sweet potato, banana (matooke) and cassava peelings were mixed in different proportions with either sweet potato or banana stem pulp (1 or 2kgs) and later densified using a hand operated molder to develop the food residue based briquettes. The drop test method was used to determine the resilience of the produced briquettes to disintegrating forces in particular during transportation and storage. An oxygen bomb calorimeter was used to determined the Higher Heating Value (HHV) of the briquettes and it ranged from 13.6 – 26 MJ/kg with cassava peelings char: sweet potato peelings char: sweet potato stem pulp 1kg giving the lowest HHV and cassava peelings char: sweet potato peelings char: banana stem pulp 2kg giving the highest HHV. Generally the tests results revealed that the type of natural binder used had an effect on both the HHV and mechanical strength of the produced briquettes. === <p>Thesis was presented and defended via Skype</p>
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