Estimation of Energy Requirement of Jatropha Curcas L. Seedcake Briquettes under Compression Loading

The energy requirement of Jatropha curcas L. seedcake of different dimensions (4.5, 5.6, 6.7, 8 and 10 mm) for briquette compaction was investigated under compression loading (100, 200, 300 and 400 kN) using the universal compression-testing machine. The parameters measured and/or calculated were the deformation, thickness, numerical energy and theoretical energy. The statistical analysis results show that compression forces had a significant effect (P-value < 0.05) on the amounts of deformation and thickness, while that of the dimensions of the sample did not. The increase in compression forces increased the numerical energy while that of samples dimensions caused a decrease. Using the tangent curve mathematical model; the force coefficient of mechanical behaviour (kN), the deformation coefficient of mechanical behaviour and the fitting curve function exponent were determined for describing the experimental dependency between the force and deformation curves as well as the numerical energies of densified jatropha seedcake briquettes.