CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Innovation and inventions are continuously consuming our world. In one way or another,

these phenomena are a big help in everyone's life. On the other hand, there are still problems in

our society which are needed to be solved immediately.

Nowadays, the source of fuel became one of the problems that our institution is facing off

due to its expensive cost that is rapidly increasing and affects its affordability for humankind. In

order to solve this issue, a lightweight, black residue that is made up of carbon and any

remaining ash obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and

vegetation substances was made as an alternative source of fuel, the charcoal.

According to Bogale (2014), wooden charcoal is a cheap source of fuel but it is one of the

causes why thousands of trees were damaged every year. Aside from this, based on the analysis

of Dorset Charcoal Company, 90% of the trees in rainforests prominently in Africa, South

America and Southeast Asia is the result of loss of trees because of charcoal production.

In order to find other derivation of charcoal without cutting of trees, the researchers

conduct this study. Agricultural wastes like dry leaves is an ideal source of fuel and an

alternative type of charcoal. It is way cheaper than the regular one. Thus, it helps in promoting

cleanliness in our surroundings by just collecting dried leaves. In addition, charcoal made from

dry leaves does not contribute in the decrease of the number of trees in our environment.
Background of the Study

Charcoal is one of the most needed product at home. It is used in setting fire for cooking.

Charcoal is known for its toxin absorption, when wood is burnt at 1000-1600 F degrees. For this

reason, charcoal was used in detoxitication often during addiction treatment and other instances

of toxin removal. Charcoal works as an excellent detoxifying agent. The porous surface absorbs

toxins so it is often used in personal care products (Omoni,2017).

On the other hand, different kinds of trees were found in the Philippines. Mango trees,

Tamarind trees, Acacia trees and other more are being source of the society to provide for the

people's needs. In this study, the researchers will conduct an experiment by making a bio-

charcoal made up of various types of leaves and its efficiency to the Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa)

charcoal briquette. This bio-charcoal will serve as an alternative cooking fuel. At the same time,

it is an effective and low-cost type of charcoal briquette.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to make a bio-charcoal by utilizing and comparing the fuel properties of

various types of leaves to the Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa) charcoal briquette and determine its

credibility.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. test the feasibility of dried leaves as alternative cooking fuel;

2. compare the efficiency of bio-charcoal made of Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa) dry leaves and

various types of leaves in terms of ignition time and water boiling test and

3. provide a low-cost and effective type of charcoal briquette.

Hypotheses

Null Hypothesis (Ho)

There is no significant difference between the Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa) charcoal

briquette and the various types of leaves charcoal briquette in terms of their fuel properties as an

alternative type of charcoal.

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha)

There is a significant difference between the Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa) charcoal

briquette and the various types of leaves charcoal briquette in terms of their fuel properties as an

alternative type of charcoal.

Significance of the Study

As the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dramatically increases in both local and

national market, and the sudden rise in the demand of charcoal, firewood, denatured alcohol for

cooking food of both rural and urban population, this study aims to assist human being to utilize

agricultural wastes materials available in the environment to be used as an alternative cooking

fuel.

For the students, it will give them knowledge about preserving the natural resources and

to be a responsible member of the community. For the community, dried leaves as alternative

cooking fuel is eco-friendly and the production process will not affect them because, it does not

involve use of hazardous substances that can alter our environment and lightly technical and

expensive product. This study will provide information to the people to stop cutting trees for

firewood and charcoal. Stop burning dried leaves instead, use it as an alternative cooking fuel to
minimize charcoal production. The preparation of charcoal using agricultural wastes like various

types of leaves is an ideal source of charcoal briquette. The product will be environmental

friendly and economical.

Scope and Delimitation of The Study

This study is all about the comparative studies of fuel properties between Acacia (Acacia

crassicarpa) dry leaves and various types of leaves as charcoal briquette and determine its

credibility. The researchers will collect different kinds of leaves such as Mango leaves, Acacia

leaves, Tamarind leaves etc. at Jacobo Z. Gonzales Memorial National High School's school

ground. The product or the charcoal briquette will be tested in the Department of Science and

Technology (DOST). The researchers will determine the ignition time of the bio-charcoal by

conducting a water boiling test and test for its cooking efficiency. To formulate the data,

including the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), the researchers will compute for the

burning rate and specific fuel consumption of the charcoal briquettes.

Conceptual Framework

COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF FUEL PROPERTIES BETWEEN ACACIA (Acacia

crassicarpa) DRY LEAVES AND VARIOUS TYPES OF LEAVES

AS CHARCOAL BRIQUETTE

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

-Amount of cornstarch to be added -Length of time the charcoal burns

-Number of leaves -Ash and moisture content

-Weight of charcoal briquettes -Calorific value

Definition of Terms

Briquette- a small blocked of compressed coal dust or charcoal used for fuel

Coal- a piece of burned wood or other combustible substance

Utilize- to put; to use; turn to profitable account

Fuel- combustible matter used to maintain fire as coal, wood or gas in order to create heat or

power

Acacia- a small tree or shrub of the mimosa family, having clusters of small, yellow flowers

Ignition- the process of starting the combustion of fuel in the cylinders of an internal combustion

engine

Calorific value- the energy contained in a fuel or food, determined by measuring the heat

produced by the complete combustion of a specified quantity of it. This is now usually expressed

in joules per kilogram

Burning rate- a general term used to describe the rate at which a given material is consumed by

fire
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Source of Materials

The researchers conducted an experiment for the utilization of various leaves in order to

make an alternative charcoal. Dried leaves are one of the agricultural wastes in our society that

can be turned into charcoal. The researchers used dried leaves as the main material, gloves in

picking the leaves, small metallic container for the cornstarch and mortar and pestle. The

researchers bought a one (1) kilogram of wooden charcoal at Biñan City Market in the

preparation for Treatment 1 (T1) or the controlled group. The Acacia leaves that were collected at

Jacobo Z. Gonzales Memorial National High School's school ground labeled as Treatment 2 (T2)

and the various dried leaves that the researchers will collected served as Treatment 3 (T3). All

materials are provided by the researchers such as cornstarch as the binder purchased at St.

Francis 12 San Antonio Biñan City. The amount of cornstarch is three hundred grams (300g) and

they also used scratch paper and matches to lit the fire and a small metallic container which is

about 34 cm by 12 cm in size. The researchers also bought denatured alcohol at Biñan City

Market. Aside from these, the researchers also provided an empty can that served as the molder

for the charcoal briquette to have a cylindrical shape. In order to determine the efficiency of

dried leaves as bio-charcoal in cooking and in boiling, the researchers used a stopwatch, a

thermometer for the temperature and will conduct an ignition test or burn test to determine the

moisture content, ash content and calorific value of the bio-charcoal in order for this study to be

more valid and reliable.

Collection and Drying of Raw Materials

The researchers collected different kinds of leaves such as Mango leaves, Acacia leaves,

Tamarind leaves, etc. at Jacobo Z. Gonzales Memorial National High School's school ground to

utilize as a charcoal briquette that was served as their Treatment 3 (T3). In addition, together with

various types of leaves, the researchers also collected dry Acacia leaves for the Treatment 2 (T2).

The researchers provided cleaning materials like brooms and dustpans in gathering the leaves,

sacks for the leaves, used papers and matches, mortar and pestle in crushing the burned leaves,

and pair of safety gloves.

Selection of Binder for Binder Preparation

The researchers used 300 grams (300g) of cornstarch in every kilogram of dry leaves to

produce fifty (50) pieces of charcoals at a time. They used a small container with cornstarch and

the researchers set it on fire and stirred the mixture continuously until it becomes sticky. When

the glue was already done, the researchers applied it on the crushed leaves. The cornstarch

served as the binder for this study to make a glue in compacting the leaves.

Briquetting, Drying and Packing

The researchers prepared a metallic oil drum which is about 34 cm in height and a 12 cm

on top. Second, they put the different kinds of dried leaves which they have been collected in the

drum and lit it up using used papers, matches and denatured alcohol to burn the leaves easily.

Next, when the half of the drum is now full of leaves and are already burned they pounded the

burned leaves using mortar and pestle. After that, they applied the binder to compact the leaves.

Then, the researchers molded the crushed leaves with cornstarch using a molder which is in a

cylindrical shape for the charcoal to have the same size and weight. Finally, they exposed it
under the sun for two days for the process of sun drying and will eventually provide a

secondhand oven for the oven drying in case of rainy seasons.

Determining the Ignition Time

After drying the charcoals, the researchers determined the ignition time of the bio-

charcoals by conducting a water boiling test with equal volume of water and a test for its cooking

efficiency using a stopwatch. To formulate the data, including the Independent T-test, the

researchers computed for the burning rate and specific fuel consumption of the charcoal

briquettes.

Experimental Design and Treatment

This is an experiment where the researchers manipulates one variables, and control or

randomizes the rest of the variables. It has a control group, the subjects have been randomly

assigned between the groups, and the researchers only test one effect at a time. The researchers

conducted three (3) treatments with five trials each. The first treatment (T1) was labeled as the

controlled group (wooden charcoal), second treatment (T2) as the Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa)

dry leaves only and the third treatment (T3) is the charcoal made up of different types of leaves

including Acacia (Acacia crassicarpa) dry leaves.

Data Gathering

The researchers conducted an experiment about the effectiveness of various types of dry

leaves as charcoal briquette from June 2018 to March 2019. The researchers used stopwatch in

determining the lifespan of charcoal when boiling water and cooking. They provided five (5)

trials for every treatment: Treatment 1 (T1) as the commercialized charcoal, Treatment 2 (T2) as
the Acacia dry leaves and Treatment 3 (T3) as the various types of dry leaves. The researchers

also conducted an ignition test or burn test of the charcoal to determine its ash content, moisture

content and calorific value of both T2 and T3 by the help of Department of Science and

Technology (DOST). Camera and project data book are the main gathering instruments for this

study in securing the data.

Statistical Analysis

The researchers used mathematical formula in computing the burning rate and specific

fuel consumption for determining the ignition time of the charcoal briquettes.

To make it more valid and reliable, they also used the tool One-way Analysis of Variance

(ANOVA) where basic statistical calculations are made to determine Sx, Sx2 and n for each

group.

1. Calculating the correction factor:

2. Calculating the Sum of Squares Total value (SS Total)

SS Total = Sx2 - CF

3. Calculating the SS Group value

4. Calculating the SS Error value

 SS Error = SS Total - SS Group

5. Calculating MS Group value

6. Calculating MS Error value

7. Calculating F value (V.R.)

In additional, An ANOVA table is made as shown below.

Where:

N : the total number of measurements

k : the total number of groups

df : degrees of freedom

SS: sums of squares

MS: mean squares

F: the variance ratio

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Acacia is a huge umbraculiform tree growing to a height of 20-25 meters. Leaves are

evenly bipinnate and hairy underneath. Acacia is a name shared by many species of Philippines

plants,both scientific and common names : (1) Acacia concinna, acacia, a pricky shrub found in

La Union, Benguet, and Ilocos Sur provinces of Northern Luzon; (2) Albizzia lebbect, acaci;

Langil, mimosa; Samanea saman, rain tree, acacia, for Acacia concinna; (4) Acacia farnesiana,

aroma; (5) Acacia glauca, ipil-ipil; (6) Acacia niopo, kupang; (7) Acacia crassicarpa

(Stuart,2015).

The Acacia's distinctive leaves make the tree highly distinguishable. While there are

more than 800 species of the Acacia trees around the world, most feature small, finely divided

green leaflets that give the stalk a fernlike appearance. Meanwhile, in other species, which grow

in the desert and see very little rain, leaves are absent all together. Instead, the stalks perform the

functions of leaves and can appear as sharp spines or large thorns. Most Acacia trees have short

life spans of 15 to 30 years. Consequently, they tend to grow quickly and can reach heights in

excess of 40 feet. In addition to the stunning yellow and white blooms, the Acacia produces a dry

seedpod as its fruit. Each pod is about three inches long and contains five to six brownish black

seeds. The combination of its feathery leaves, globular flowers and dry seedpods creates a

dramatic appearance during the tree's peak growing years (Srinivas, 2015).

Charcoal is a desirable fuel because it produces a hot, long-lasting, virtually smokeless

fire. Combined with other materials and formed into uniform chunks called briquettes. Basic

charcoal is produced by burning a carbon-rich material such as wood in a low-oxygen

atmosphere. This process drives off the moisture and volatile gases that were present in the

original fuel. The resulting charred material not only burns longer and more steadily than whole

wood, but it is much lighter, one-fifth to one-third of its original weight (Walter, 2017).

Briquettes are made from agro-waste drawn from villages and their surrounding fields.

Just like sesame straw, or corn stocks, rice straw is burned after harvest. By carbonizing the rice

straw, and combining the ensuing material with manioc glue, a locally available adhesive, the

mixture is then put through a manual press. The charcoal briquettes that come out of the press are

left to dry in the sun for a couple of days to harden. Once the briquette is dry, it is ready to be

sold and used for cooking. Briquettes are very similar to wood charcoal both in form and in the

rate at which they burn making them a perfect alternative to the current source. The production

of charcoal directly addresses employment. As a main source of income, the money flow coming

from the charcoal business is very important for many villagers. With briquettes, the gathering

and the production offer an alternative activity and income for villagers. While some work on the

carbonization process in villages, others at our central production point work on pressing the

carbonized paste. Once the briquettes are made and dried, they are ready to be sold on the

market. Charcoal briquettes from agricultural waste is not new. Many institutions have

experimented on different agricultural residues to find out which raw materials are possible for

charcoal making. They encourage the use of dry organic material (also called biomass) that is

unsuitable for animal or human consumption , or for composting such as sugar cane, palm leaves

or bamboo, coconut shells and husks, straw and reeds, corn cobs and other farm crop wastes

(Envodev, 2013).

Mangifera indica (MI), also known as mango, aam, it has been an important herb in the

Ayurvedic and indigenous medical systems for over 4000 years. Mangoes belong to
genus Mangifera which consists of about 30 species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering

plant family Anacardiaceae. According to ayurveda, varied medicinal properties are attributed to

different parts of mango tree.

Mango is one of the most popular of all tropical fruits. Mangiferin, being a polyphenolic

antioxidant and a glucosyl xanthone, it has strong antioxidant, anti lipid peroxidation,

immunomodulation, cardiotonic, hypotensive, wound healing, antidegenerative and antidiabetic

activities.

Various parts of plant are used as a dentrifrice, antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic,

stomachic, vermifuge, tonic, laxative and diuretic and to treat diarrhea, dysentery, anaemia,

asthma, bronchitis, cough, hypertension, insomnia, rheumatism, toothache, leucorrhoea,

haemorrhage and piles. All parts are used to treat abscesses, broken horn, rabid dog or jackal

bite, tumour, snakebite, stings, datura poisoning, heat stroke, miscarriage, anthrax, blisters,

wounds in the mouth, tympanitis, colic, diarrhea, glossitis, indigestion, bacillosis, bloody

dysentery, liver disorders, excessive urination, tetanus and asthma.

Ripe mango fruit is considered to be invigorating and freshening. The juice is restorative

tonic and used in heat stroke. The seeds are used in asthma and as an astringent. Fumes from the

burning leaves are inhaled for relief from hiccups and affections of the throat. The bark is

astringent, it is used in diphtheria and rheumatism, and it is believed to possess a tonic action on

mucus membrane. The gum is used in dressings for cracked feet and for scabies. It is also

considered anti-syphilitic. The kernels are converted into flour after soaking in water and

eliminating the astringent principles. Most parts of the tree are used medicinally and the bark

also contains tannins, which are used for the purpose of dyeing (Shah et. all.,2014).
 In any animal or vegetable matter with a limited supply of air, as is the case inside a

wood pile, and you are left with charcoal, essentially carbon mixed with some mineral ash. The

fact that charcoal burns better than wood was probably noted soon after man learned to control

fire over a million years ago. The first use of charcoal for purposes other than providing heat was

around 30,000 BC when cavemen used it as a pigment for drawing on the walls of caves.

Then around 4000 BC came a monumental discovery, probably by accident, when a

piece of ore fell into a charcoal fire and began to ooze metal. When naturally occurring ores of

copper, zinc and tin oxides are heated with charcoal, the carbon strips away the oxygen, leaving

the pure metal behind. Alloying copper with tin forms bronze. The Bronze Age was followed by

the Iron Age, characterized by the smelting of iron from iron oxide with charcoal. That same

technology is still used today. But it wasn’t only through the smelting of metals that charcoal had

an impact on history.

Sometime in the 9th century a Chinese alchemist discovered that blending charcoal with

saltpeter (potassium nitrate) and sulphur resulted in a mixture that would combust readily.

“Gunpowder” would eventually be used to create explosives that gave access to coal and

minerals, making huge engineering achievements possible. Of course gunpowder also made

possible the easier destruction of life, casting a dark shadow on charcoal.

Around 1500 BC, Egyptian papyri recorded the use of charcoal to eliminate bad smells

from wounds, the first mention of a medical application of charcoal. By 400 BC, the Phoenicians

were storing water in charred barrels on trading ships to improve its taste. It seems they had hit

upon one of charcoal’s most important properties, the ability to bind substances to its surface, a

phenomenon known as “adsorption.” That application lay more or less dormant until the late
18th century, when Europeans developed a taste for sugar. Raw sugar from sugar cane or sugar

beets is tainted by coloured impurities that can be removed by passing sugar extract through beds

of charcoal.

The rapid growth of the sugar refining industry led to a search for charcoal with

improved adsorption properties and resulted in the development of “activated” charcoal, also

referred to as “activated carbon.” In this process, carbonaceous matter such as wood, coal or

nutshells is first heated in the absence of air, followed by exposure to carbon dioxide, oxygen or

steam. This has the effect of increasing the surface area and establishing a network of

submicroscopic pores where adsorption takes place. Later, it was determined that impregnation

with chemicals like zinc chloride or phosphoric acid prior to heating improved the adsorption

properties. Today, a variety of activated carbon products are available for use in various

applications.

Activated charcoal is used in water filters, air purification systems, gas masks and even

underwear. Yes, flatulence filtering undergarment for people suffering from various gastric

problems really works. But in order to avoid flatulence escaping around the filter, the patient is

recommended to stand with legs together and let the wind out slowly.

Because of its amazing adsorptive properties, activated carbon is a staple in emergency

rooms. In cases of suspected drug overdose or poisoning, it is administered orally to bind the

toxins before they have a chance to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It isn’t surprising that

inventive marketers have absorbed this information and have started to roll out various foods and

beverages containing activated carbon with promises of “detoxing.” “Black Magic Activated

Charcoal” a “zesty lemon detox and purification elixir,” invites you to “come over to the dark
side.” A very apropos invitation. Just what sorts of toxins are this beverage supposed to remove?

And since activated carbon isn’t very specific in what it adsorbs, it is as likely to remove

vitamins, polyphenols and medications as those unnamed toxins. Of course it is made with

“alkaline water,” catering to the nonsense that cancer is caused by an acidic pH. Any alkaline

water is of course immediately neutralized by stomach acid. Believe it or not, you can also get

“activated carbon ramen noodles.” The only thing these will eliminate is your appetite

(Schwarcz, 2017).

One small field of sugar cane or corn can generate tons of leaves and stalks that, for the

most part, are discarded as useless waste when harvest season has ended. These materials can,

however, be used to produce fuel for heating and cooking. The discarded plant material is

naturally rich in carbon, which like wood chunks can be used in to make homemade charcoal.

Making your own charcoal can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, make heating and cooking

cheaper and reduce the waste in landfills (Roberts, 2018).

How to Make Charcoal Briquettes: Ingredients and Composition Make Reasonable

Income Selling Charcoal Briquettes Making fuel briquettes is a tedious and messy work not

suitable for everyone. If you are one of those people seeking high-paying dirty jobs, then, you

may consider making charcoal briquettes to sell to your neighborhood. The demand for

briquettes is there and there is money to be made. Once the charcoal briquettes have been made,

they are cleaner and smokeless than the lump charcoal; - that is the reason many people like

them. You will save a lot of your money by making fuel briquettes for use in your home and in

addition you should be able to make a reasonable income by selling excess briquettes to other

people in your city. Defining Briquettes A briquette is a block of compressed coal dust, charcoal

dust, sawdust, wood chips or biomass, and is used as a fuel in stoves and boilers. Charcoal is not
like clay. Charcoal is a material without plasticity and cannot be mold into shape without adding

a binding material. To form charcoal dust into briquettes, an agglomerating material is added to

the charcoal dust and then pressure is applied to the mixture to form a briquette (Ngureco, 2016).

Technically, charcoal briquettes aren't actual charcoal, but a combination of charcoal and

other ingredients molded into easy-to-light lumps. Kingsford Charcoal, for example, by far the

most popular brand in the US, is made up of bits of charcoal, coal, starch (as a binder), sawdust,

and sodium nitrate (to make it burn better). For the same reason that SPAM is cheaper than a

whole ham, briquettes are cheaper to make than all-wood charcoal.

First, briquettes are more consistent in their burn, since they're all of uniform size.

Second, briquettes have no distinct flavor of their own. Third, and maybe most importantly, all

the binders and additives in the briquettes make for a much ashier burn. What this means for

cooking is that the briquettes tend to top out at a lower heat than hardwood lump, as the ash acts

to slightly suffocate and insulate the coals. The volume of ash that briquettes produces also

means that you can't use them effectively in ceramic grills like the Big Green Egg. If you're

using a Weber kettle, or a similar brand with a ton of extra room for ash, briquettes work just

fine (Dean, 2014).