Characterization of biomass fuel pellets made from Malaysia tea waste and oil palm empty fruit bunch

Tea waste (TW) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) are some of the biomass resources in Malaysia. Both biomass has the great potential of a bioenergy resource due to its natural properties such as good calorific value, etc. The usage of biomass pellets creates new market opportunities in the agricultural sector and it will reduce the depended on fossil fuels. Thus, in this study, the fuel pellet was prepared by mixing both local TW and EFB fibers. The effect of different types of biomass on the pellet properties was investigated. Properties of raw fibers and fuel pellets were characterized by different analysis method. Pellet made from 100% TW showed the highest calorific value (17.393 MJ/kg), durability index (99.93%) and good pellet moisture content (9.581%). The results show the TW has the great potential to be a good resource for fuel pellets.