Utilization of Coconut Residue Waste from Coconut Vendors in Tabalong Regency as Alternative Fuel Briquettes

Abstract

Coconut residue waste generated by coconut vendors at Pasar Raya Banua Tanjung, Tabalong Regency, has not been managed optimally and poses a potential threat of environmental pollution. This study aims to (1) analyze the production process and daily volume of coconut residue waste from vendors in Tabalong Regency, and (2) compare the quality of the resulting coconut residue charcoal briquettes with national and international biomass briquette quality standards. The research used a quantitative method with a laboratory experimental approach. A 5 kg sample of coconut residue was collected from grated-coconut vendors at Pasar Raya Banua Tanjung. The briquette-making process included drying, weighing, grinding, sieving, mixing with cornstarch adhesive, molding, carbonization, and laboratory testing, covering moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon, calorific value, total sulfur, ignition time, and burning duration, referring to ASTM D3172-D3175, ASTM D5865M, and ASTM D3177, and compared against SNI 01-6235-2000. The results show that the potential coconut residue waste at the research site reaches tens of kilograms per day, with an average of 10-15 kg per vendor. The resulting briquettes exhibit excellent quality, with an average calorific value of 6,518 cal/g, an ash content of 0.09%, a moisture content of 5.52%, an ignition time of 8 seconds, and a burning duration of 32 minutes. The calorific value exceeds the SNI 01-6235-2000 standard (minimum 5,000 cal/g), and the ash content is far below the maximum limit of 8%. In conclusion, coconut residue waste from vendors in Tabalong Regency has great potential to be utilized as an eco-friendly, economical alternative fuel briquette that meets national quality standards.