1. EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE, HARNESS AND CONSERVE ENERGY FROM ARECA SHEETS AND COCONUT LEAVES BY THE TECHNIQUE OF BRIQUETTING-AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY. COLLEGE:VIVEKANADA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHONOLOGY , NEHRU NAGAR PUTTUR GUIDE: Mr. DEEPAK K B SCHOOL STUDENTS: ASHIQ, CHINTHAN 9th STANDARD, GOVT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL , KOMBETTU PUTTUR COLLEGE STUDENTS: VIYON ROBIN VEIGUES, SANDESH B, GAUTHAM ACHARYA, SHRINIDHI C H ABSTRACT: In this work, investigations were carried out to analyse the briquetting characteristics of briquettes produced from areca sheets and coconut leaves; with a view to find out which of them would make the best biomass fuel, when compared with the commercial available sawdust briquette. To determine the composition of biomass briquettes ultimate and proximate analyses were carried out. A simple prototype briquetting machine was fabricated to facilitate compaction of this biomass into briquettes. Areca sheets and coconut leaves were collected from a farm, dried, reduced and sieved into sizes of 850µ. These biomass materials were mixed with paper, sawdust and coconut coir, which acted as binders, in 1:2 ratios, and densified using a piston type briquette machine. Results after analysis showed that, briquettes made from coconut leaves using sawdust as a binder had a calorific value of 3672.45KCal/ gm, which was higher than other briquettes made from areca sheets, using paper, sawdust and coconut coir as binders, though less than the commercially available sawdust briquette (4451.37KCal/ gm). But there was a decrease in percentage of moisture content, ash content and increase in percentage of volatile matter, when compared with the commercial sawdust briquette, which is of significant importance. Other properties like percentage of fixed carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen were approximately same as that of commercial sawdust briquette. For the two biomass material used, coconut leaves with sawdust as binder exhibited most positive attribute. METHOD: Biomass materials, coconut leaves and areca leaves as shown in fig 1, were utilized in this experimental analysis. These were obtained from a farm. These materials were chosen, as they are available aplenty in and around Dakshina Kannada, and most of them are dumped, used to make brooms, temporary roofing or flared, if burnt in loose form resulting in environmental pollution. The selected biomass were individually chopped into small pieces, sun-dried for a couple of days and then fed into a mill having a sieve opening of 0.6mm. A particle size of 850µ was chosen for the purpose of briquetting; the chosen particle size was selected according to ASTM E11 [18]. In this work, paper, sawdust and coconut coir was used as binding agents. These binders were mixed with biomass materials in 1:2 ratios, i.e., 100gms of biomass and 50gms of binders Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 1 along with the required quantity of water. The blend of biomass, binders and water were stirred rigorously to ensure a proper mix. The blended mixture was kept in a container for couple of days, so that the whole mixture softens. After softening, the mixture was fed into a mould of briquetting machine and compressed by a hydraulic press. The briquetting machine is as shown in fig 2. The machine is based on hydraulic principle and consists of one mould, where biomass feedstock is fed. Per batch, one briquette was produced, as shown in fig 3 and 4. A holding time of 5 minutes (duration of load application) was observed, and the briquettes were ejected after the holding time [19]. After the wet briquettes were taken out of the mould cavity, they were dried in the sun for 19 days [20]. The wet weight and dry weight of the briquettes before and after drying are as shown below in Table 1 and 2. Table I Wet Weight and Dry Weight of Coconut Leaves Briquette S.No Type of Wet Dry briquette weight weight (kg) (kg) Binder used: Paper 1 Coconut 0.225 0.158 leaves 850 µ Binder used: Saw dust 2 Coconut 0.230 0.152 leaves 850 µ Binder used: Coconut coir 3 Coconut 0.217 0.152 leaves 850 µ Table II Wet Weight and Dry Weight of Areca Sheets Briquette S.No Type of Wet Dry briquette weight weight (kg) (kg) Binder used: Paper 1 Areca Sheets 0.267 0.153 850 µ Binder used: Saw dust 2 Areca Sheets 0.252 0.160 850 µ Binder used: Coconut coir 3 Areca Sheets 0.274 0.156 850 µ Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 2 III RESULTS and DISCUSSION: Result of gross calorific value done as per IS1448-7 [21], proximate and ultimate analysis done as per IS 1350 [22] on biomass materials are presented in the Table 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Table IV Coconut Leaves briquette, when Sawdust is used as Binder Binders: Sawdust S.No Parameters Coconut leaves 850 µ 1 Gross calorific value kcal/ gm 3672.41 Proximate analysis 1 Moisture content, % 6.90 2 Ash content, % 3.33 3 Volatile matter, % 85.05 4 Fixed carbon, % 4.72 Ultimate analysis 1 Hydrogen, % 7.31 2 Nitrogen, % 0.40 3 Sulphur, % 0.59 4 Oxygen, % 20.92 The main purpose of conducting this experiment was to compare the biomass briquettes made with paper, coconut coir and sawdust as binders, with a commercially available sawdust briquette. The analysis result of commercially available sawdust briquette is as shown in table 9. Table V Coconut Leaves briquette, when Coconut Coir is used as Binder Binders: Coconut coir S.No Parameters Coconut leaves 850 µ 1 Gross calorific value kcal/ gm 3243.13 Proximate analysis 1 Moisture content, % 7.46 2 Ash content, % 13.42 3 Volatile matter, % 76.77 4 Fixed carbon, % 2.35 Ultimate analysis 1 Hydrogen, % 6.41 2 Nitrogen, % 0.56 3 Sulphur, % 0.58 4 Oxygen, % 19.07 Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 3 Table VI Areca Sheet briquette, when Paper is used as Binder Binders: Paper S.No Parameters Arec sheets 850 µ 1 Gross calorific value kcal/ gm 3295.31 Proximate analysis 1 Moisture content, % 17.12 2 Ash content, % 8.58 3 Volatile matter, % 63 4 Fixed carbon, % 11.30 Ultimate analysis 1 Hydrogen, % 4.23 2 Nitrogen, % 0.54 3 Sulphur, % 0.61 4 Oxygen, % 21.94 Table VII Areca Sheet briquette, when Sawdust is used as Binder Binders: Sawdust S.No Parameters Arec sheets 850 µ 1 Gross calorific value kcal/ gm 2835.31 Proximate analysis 1 Moisture content, % 11.64 2 Ash content, % 3.58 3 Volatile matter, % 78.99 4 Fixed carbon, % 5.52 Ultimate analysis 1 Hydrogen, % 6.59 2 Nitrogen, % 0.52 3 Sulphur, % 0.57 4 Oxygen, % 21.69 Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 4 Table IX Analysis Result for Sawdust Briquette Available in Market Saw dust S.No Parameters briquette Gross calorific value 1 4451.37 kcal/gm Proximate analysis Moisture content, 1 9.44 % 2 Ash content, % 3.36 3 Volatile matter, % 83.43 4 Fixed carbon, % 3.37 Ultimate analysis 1 Hydrogen, % 7.03 2 Nitrogen, % 0.43 3 Sulphur, % 0.58 4 Oxygen, % 21.77 After comparing the analysis results, coconut leaves using sawdust as binders showed the most promising one, when compared with the commercial sawdust briquette. The gross calorific value calculated for briquettes produced from coconut leaves with sawdust as binders was 3672.45 Kcal/gm, which was less than that of commercial sawdust briquette 4451.37 Kcal/gm. These energy values are sufficient enough to produce heat required for household cooking and small scale industrial cottage applications. The moisture content for coconut leaves briquette with sawdust as binders was 6.90% and that for commercial sawdust briquette 9.44%. High percentage of moisture in biomass materials prevents their applications for thermo-chemical conversion processes including combustion similarly the water content has an influence on the net calorific value, the combustion efficiency and the temperature of combustion was noticed. Baxter (1993) stated: “Ash behaviour of agro-waste during thermochemical conversion is one of the most important matters to be studied” [23]. The percentage of ash content for coconut leave briquettes with sawdust as binder was 3.33%, whereas that for commercial saw dust briquette 3.36%. The amount of volatile matter strongly influences the thermal decomposition and combustion behaviour of solid fuels. Fuels with lower volatiles, such as coal, need to be burnt on a grate as they take a long time to burn out if they are not pulverized to a very small size. From analysis coconut leaves briquettes with sawdust as binder had volatile matter of 85.05%, and commercial sawdust briquette 83.43%. The percentage of fixed carbon recorded for biomass coconut leaves briquette, using sawdust as binder was 4.72% and that for commercial sawdust briquette 3.37%. The low fixed content making it tend to prolong cooking time by its low heat release (bake-oven effect)It also reduced the calorific energy of the briquettes by causing what is called fuel-saving effect [24]. Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 5 From the result of ultimate analysis, for coconut leaves briquette, using sawdust as a binder, the percentage of hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, and oxygen were 7.31%, 0.40%, 0.59% and 20.92% respectively, while the corresponding values for commercial sawdust briquette were 7.03%, 0.43%, 0.58% and 21.77% respectively. The amount of hydrogen content in the biomass briquette examined is very satisfactory as they contribute immensely to the combustibility of any substance in which they are found, [25]. The low sulphur and nitrogen contents in are welcome development as there will be minimal release of sulphur and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere and that is an indication that the burning of briquettes from the examined in this work will not pollute the environment, 26]. IV COMPARISON GRAPHS The comparison graphs obtained after the comparison between coconuts leaves briquette, using sawdust as binder and commercial available sawdust briquette are as shown: 4000 eu 3000 laV cifirolaCmg/laCK 2000 1000 0 Commercial sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.5 Calorific Values of briquettes, with various binders 20 18 16 eru14 tsioM12 % 10 8 6 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.6 Moisture Content of briquettes, with various binders Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 6 14 12 10 h sA 8 % 6 4 2 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.7 Ash Content of briquettes, with various binders 86 84 82 re ttaM80 e lita78 lo V %76 74 72 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.8 Volatile Matter of briquettes, with various binders 6.0 5.5 5.0 no4.5 b raC4.0 d e xiF3.5 % 3.0 2.5 2.0 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.9 Fixed Carbon of briquettes, with various binders Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 7 7.4 7.2 7.0 6.8 neg6.6 o rd6.4 y H %6.2 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.4 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.10 Hydrogen Content of briquettes, with various binders 0.70 0.65 0.60 n eg 0.55 o rtiN % 0.50 0.45 0.40 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.11 Nitrogen Content of briquettes, with various binders 0.63 0.62 ru0.61 h p lu S0.60 % 0.59 0.58 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.12 Sulphur Content of briquettes, with various binders Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 8 23.0 22.5 22.0 21.5 neg21.0 y x O20.5 % 20.0 19.5 19.0 Commercial Sawdust Paper Sawdust Coconut coir Binders used Fig.13 Oxygen Content of briquettes, with various binders SUMMARY The findings of this study have shown that, the briquettes produced from coconut leaves, with sawdust as a binder would make good biomass fuels and during comparison with commercial sawdust briquette the following observations were made:  percentage of moisture content is less, resulting in favourable compaction process,  percentage of volatile matter more , aids in faster combustion,  percentage of nitrogen content less, resulting in less environmental pollution  The value of other parameters like percentage of oxygen, carbon, sulphur and ash were approximately same. The equipment’s used for fabrication of briquetting machine are locally available, briquetting an appropriate technology for production and use in rural areas. Finally the study also concluded that large amount of biomass available in Karnataka can be used to produce clean and cheap energy at an affordable cost. Machine and Briquette Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 9 2. FUTURE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM USING MAGNIFICATION COLLEGE: Dr. M V SHETTY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, THODAR, MOODBIDRI GUIDE: BHARATESH B, ASST. PROF., ECE DEPT., SCHOOL STUDENTS: MOHAMMED SIYABUDDIN AND MOHAMMED SHAFIQ, 9TH STD., GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, MIJAR COLLEGE STUDENTS: CHETAN P M AND UMESH SANADI, 5THSEM ECE ABSTRACT: In this project an efficient method of producing electrical energy is developed by installing magnifying glass on solar panel. A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. We believe solar energy as the ultimate renewable energy. This project presents magnification of solar units (panel) energy to enhance the load driving capability up to 60% thereby improving the efficiency. Here more electrons will be generated by solar panel using concentrators and the output power is produced more than normal. Also this project operates a solar panel to constantly face sun to produce maximum output. The automated system controlled by a microcontroller is able to move the solar panel for the durational movement of the sun in the sky using the set of light dependent resistors (LDR). Together safety of the system is ensured by installing the efficient cooling sub-system to main unit to avoid overheating during magnification. HYPOTHESIS: The existing system receives sun energy only for few hours, which is not economical when compare to cost of the system. Photovoltaic cells, by their very nature, convert radiation to electricity. This phenomenon has been known for well over half a century, but until recently the amounts of electricity generated were good for little more than measuring radiation intensity. Most of the photovoltaic cells on the market today operate at an efficiency of less than 15%; that is, of all the radiation that falls upon them, less than 15% of it is converted to electricity. The maximum theoretical efficiency for a photovoltaic cell is only 32.3%, but at this efficiency, solar electricity is very economical. Most of our other forms of electricity generation are at a lower efficiency than this. To get maximum efficiency, the solar panels must remain facing the sun whole day. But due to rotation of earth those panels can’t maintain their position always facing the sun which results in decrease of their efficiency. Here the proposed system is designed to observe the sun for the available maximum hours using solar tracking system. Focusing collectors are essentially flat-plane collectors with optical devices arranged to maximize the radiation falling on the collector Anveshana’15 – Bangalore-Abstract Book 10