A STUDY OF BIOMASS POTENTIAL FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTE IN CHONBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objective of this study is to survey the amount and the potential of agricultural biomass waste in Chonburi province, including all 11 districts, by coordinating with concerned agricultural sectors in order to collect the survey and the amount of each type of agricultural biomass waste and by selecting the five most planted cash crops in each district based on interviewing and exchanging the information from 30 large-scale agricultures per each plant type. According to the additional field survey by attending district and provincial agricultural conventions, the most agricultural biomass waste is ranked into 10 types. The first is tips and leaves of sugarcane and the last is coconut shells. It reveals that the amounts of agricultural biomass waste of each type differ. As lower heating value (LHV) analysis, it was found that the moisture value of agricultural biomass waste is one of the properties affecting the process of converting biomass into heat energy. When the moister of biomass is higher, its heating value is lower. Therefore, the initial moisture of agricultural biomass waste is the main factor in selecting a type of the biomass waste for reuse purpose. Since the plantation proposition of rubber trees is the largest area in Chonburi, the waste from plantation increases accordingly. Moreover, the heating value of rubber leaves is up to 4,310 Kcal per Kg and the heating value of rubber branches is up to 3,910 Kcal per Kg. Consequently, reusing the biomass waste from rubber for heating value is a process for managing energy internally in Chonburi.