Production of Coconut Shell (Cocos nucifera) and Empty Palm Oil Fruit Bunch Briquettes Using Banana Pseudostem Starch as Binding Agent

Abstract

Briquettes are solid fuels produced as an alternative energy source, derived from biomass after undergoing a series of processes, including carbonization, molding, and the addition of a binding agent. The objective of this research were to analyze the financial feasibility of briquette production and to determine the characteristics of briquettes with varying ratios of coconut shell charcoal and empty palm oil fruit bunch charcoal mixtures: 100%:0% (control), 75%:25% (P1), 50%:50% (P2), 25%:75% (P3), with a binding agent concentration of 15% banana pseudostem starch. The testing methods used in this study were moisture content, ash content, burn rate, drop test, yield, and financial analysis in the form of profit margin, payback period, B/C ratio, break-even point (BEP) of selling price, and BEP of production volume. The results showed that the best concentration ratio for coconut shell and empty palm oil bunch briquettes with banana pseudostem starch binder was 75%:25% (P1), yielding 5.06% moisture content, 5.96% ash content, a drop test failure index of 0.70%, a burn rate of 0.14 g/min, and from a financial feasibility perspective, a profit margin of 68.64%, a payback period of 21 days, a net B/C ratio of 3.19 (>1), a selling price BEP of IDR 5,644, and a production volume BEP of 1,468 kg, making this business viable to pursue.