CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter of the study shows the related literatures and studies about

mango leaves as charcoal briquettes, gathered by the researchers from online sources

such as articles from journals, newspapers, encyclopedias and other reference

materials. It also includes text from published thesis and dissertations

Related Literature

Mango Leaves “Mangifera indica”

Mango is an ancient fruit and arguably the most popular in many parts of the

world. Mangoes are in the same family of plants as pistachios and cashews, which are

also tropical, fruit-bearing trees that can grow up to 100 feet in height (mercola.com).

Mango tree belongs to Evergreen, meaning they do not lose all of their leaves at the

same time. Biomass energy is the energy that is derived from organic matter of plants

and animals. Biomass in the form of dead plants, trees, grass, leaves, crops, manure,

and garbage animal wastes can be a great source of alternative fuels that can be used

to replace fossil fuels. Plants make use of process called photosynthesis that converts

energy from the sun into chemical energy. This energy gets transferred to animals when

they eat plants. When plants and animals waste are burned, the carbon dioxide and

waste stored inside them is released back into the atmosphere. This is why biomass

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energy is said to be renewable (Conserve Energy Future.com). According to Gayet

(2016), dry leaves count as carbon because at this stage of decomposition, the sources

of nitrogen are already exhausted and what remains is mostly made of carbon-rich

molecules, which like wood chunks can be used in to make homemade charcoal.

According to Britannica.com, mango belongs to the species of narrow-leaved

flower bearing evergreen plant that retains its leaves throughout the season. Its leaves

can remain on its tree for two years or longer and could fall anytime in the year. The

other species of this plant type are Connifer, Pine, Fir and etc. but mango is the most

accessible in the most places in the country.

Briquettes

Stated in the article from (fao.org), the utilization of several forms of organic

briquetting seems to have been common both during World War I and during the '30s

depression. Due to the shortage in fuels, briquetting of sawdust and other waste

material became widespread in many countries in Europe and America during World

War II. In Japan, briquetting seems to have been common. In fact, recently there is a

widespread use of "Ogalite" fuel briquettes made from sawdust. The Japanese

technology has spread to Taiwan and from there to other countries such as Thailand.

Due to the rapid increase in the need of energy source, more people start to become

interested in Biomass Briquette Business. Organic briquettes are renewable, eco-

friendly especially for agricultural countries.

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Cassava “Manihot esculenta”

Cassava plants are cultivated in over 90 countries worldwide and are able grow

even at less-than-optimal environmental conditions, the reason why they became

sustainable according to research done at the International Center for Tropical

Agriculture in Colombia. Cassava has been found to adopt carbon at very high rates

under high levels of humidity, withstand high temperatures and solar radiation, and

survive in environments whether dry or humid (ciat.cgiar.org).

Due to characteristics like having a “fine root system, long leaf life, strong root

sink and high leaf photosynthesis,” cassava helps feed millions of people every year

who are susceptible to famine and living in stressful environments. The shrubs have

been found to survive even in very poor soils and under prolonged drought conditions,

which helps cassava growers reduce their use of water while still producing a high crop

yield. (Cassava Flour: The Best Grain-Free Baking Alternative, 2016).

Romero (2017) mentioned that Cassava currently covers 25 million hectares

worldwide, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization – more

than all the land in the entire United Kingdom.

Briquetting

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 Argued by Tilala (2015), briquetting is an effective waste recycling strategy. It is a

cheap fuel source with sustainable and renewable energy. Briquetting process includes

collection of raw materials, preparation of raw materials, compaction which is the main

process where the raw materials are converted into briquettes. This time, it needs

pressure on the raw materials to bind it together, and cooling and storage. He added

that the briquettes made following the above mentioned steps are perfect for domestic

as well as industrial uses.

Charcoal

There are numerous problems that arouse from using and producing charcoals

around the globe. Zulu and Richardson (2013) revealed that large-scale charcoal

production, primarily in sub Saharan Africa, has been a growing concern due to its

threat of deforestation, land degradation and climate change impacts. It is quoted as the

most environmentally devastating phase of this traditional energy supply chain, and

despite increasing per capital income, higher electrification rates, and significant

renewable energy potential, charcoal remains the dominant source of cooking and

heating energy for eighty percent of households in Sub Saharan Africa.

The problems are not only seen in its effects to the environment but also in the

certain portions of the society. According to Sakhare, V. V., &Ralegaonkar, R. V. (2016),

the issue of the ever increasing demand for construction materials and waste

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management has created a need for the development of sustainable materials with the

appropriate utilization of wastes.

So to amend with the above mentioned issues, briquetting became one of the

answers. With the use of waste resources that could be found in surroundings, many

researchers had tried to innovate those to become useful. According to Capati et al,

(2013), the researchers need to find a sufficient and a good alternative so people will

not buy charcoal, instead they will do it on their house and cook their own food using

this dried leaves briquette. According to Aula, G. et al. (2015), due to the easy

availability of wood in Ethiopia, wood charcoal has been the main source fuel for

cooking sp they have been started on sesame stalk biomass briquetting which can

potentially solve the health problems and shortage of energy, which consequently can

solve deforestation.

Related Studies

The innovations with charcoal briquetting have been developed through the

years along with this current study to help in amending the issues of the society as well

as of the environment at the same time.

In the study titled “Environmental-friendly charcoal”(2015) , the researchers made

charcoal out of dried agricultural wastes such as dried leaves, coffee husk, sugarcane

trash, maize waste, sorghum waste, rice waste which are readily available by-product

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of crops production. They used grated cassava as the binder. They concluded that the

conversion of agricultural wastes to charcoal allows poor farmers to make a profit from

worthless crop wastes.

In the past study, “Production and characterization of briquette charcoal by

carbonization of agro-Waste” (2014), the researchers produced briquettes and were

determined through their physical and combustive properties. Furthermore, the

researchers concluded that the abundance of waste agricultural biomass resources and

as well naturally occurring binder materials which can be sourced locally, carbonized

briquetting has the potential to provide employment to the teaming restive youth in

northern Nigeria.

The study “Feasibility of biomass briquette production from municipal waste

streams by integrating the informal sector in the Philippines” (2017), took place in Iloilo

City, Philippines, by integrating a registered group of the informal sector. The study has

shown that the production of biomass briquettes obtained from the municipal waste

stream could lead to a possible on-site fuel production line after determining its usability,

quality and applicability to the would-be users. The process used for briquetting is not

complicated when operated due to its simple, yet sturdy design. Quality briquettes were

created from mixtures of waste paper, sawdust and carbonized rice husk, making these

materials flow a renewable source of cost-effective fuels. An informal sector that would

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venture into briquette production can be considered profiFigure for small business

enterprising.

Frigillana (2014), in her study titled “A feasibility study on making charcoal

briquettes out of dried mango leaves”, she mentioned that the advantages of the mango

leaves briquettes are it is not harmful to the environment, it is easier to make a fire than

the normal charcoal, and the fire lasts longer than the charcoal made out of trees. On

the other hand, the disadvantages of this are the added labor costs and higher price

than the charcoal made from wood.

Synthesis

Agreeing with mercola.com, that Mango is the most popular in many parts of the

world and that it belongs to the Evergreen, meaning it does not lose all of the leaves at

the same time, making them available throughout the year. In short, there will be a

continuous production of dried mango leaves anytime.

In relation to this, the dried leaves which are thought as wastes by many are also

considered as biomass. Biomass, according to conserveenergyfuture.com (n.d), can be

a great source of alternative fuels that can be used to replace fossil fuels.

Briquettes have been widely accepted even during World War I. In fact, Japan

discovered “Ogalite” fuel briquettes made from sawdust and its technology has been

spread to Taiwan and other countries (fao.org).

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 Making briquettes or simply briquetting is an effective waste recycling strategy,

stated by Tilala (2015).

In the study “Environmental-friendly charcoal”(2015), they made charcoal out of

the wastes and used grated cassava as a binder. In conclusion, conversion of

agricultural wastes to charcoal allows poor farmers to make a profit from worthless crop

wastes.

Also in the study, “Production and characterization of briquette charcoal by

carbonization of agro-Waste” (2014),briquetting has the potential to provide employment

to the teaming restive youth in northern Nigeria.

The same goes in the study “Feasibility of biomass briquette production from

municipal waste streams by integrating the informal sector in the Philippines” (2017),

the researchers conlcuded that informal sector that would venture into briquette

production can be considered profiFigure for small business enterprising.

It was mentioned by Frigillana (2014), that the mango leaves briquettes have

advantages and disadvantages which are It is not harmful to the environment, it is

easier to make a fire than the normal charcoal, and the fire lasts longer than the

charcoal made out of trees, and added labor costs and higher price than the charcoal

made from wood respectively.

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 The related studies and literature presented above are relatively similar to the

current study because both of the researches mainly focus on producing briquette that

will be beneficial to both humans and the environment.

However, the studies and literatures conducted by them and the existing study

are different when it comes to the instruments used and the processes in how to

construct the product.

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Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5227 | 757 5841
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