Effect of Hot Water Extracts on Bio-coke Molding Properties

Bio-coke is solid biofuel and can be made from any biomass. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between main components and the moldability of bio-coke. In this study, we focused on the hot water extract. The hot water extract from bamboo improves thermal fluidity. Thermal fluidity is closely related to the apparent density and compressive strength because the softening component acts as an adhesive during bio-coke production. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of hot water extract on the molding properties, apparent density, and compressive strength at room temperature for green tea bio-coke. Green tea contains a large amount of hot water extract. We used green tea which removed the hot water extract. The results of this study show that the bio-coke apparent density was constant (around 1.35 g/cm3) regardless of the bio-coke molding conditions. Therefore, the result suggests that the hot water extract increases the apparent density. Furthermore, we found that removing the hot water extract increased the compressive strength at room temperature 1.3—1.8 times.