DEVELOPING A PROTOTYPE OF AN AUTOMATIC CHARCOAL BRIQUETTE PRESS USING SOLAR ENERGY OF BAN NA SOM COMMUNITY, CHAI BADAN DISTRICT, LOPBURI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) develop an automatic charcoal briquette compression machine powered by solar energy for community use in producing charcoal briquettes from agricultural residues, and 2) evaluate the performance of the developed machine under actual operating conditions. The study was conducted as applied research with a research and development approach and was implemented in three phases: (i) assessment of community needs and production environment; (ii) design and development of a solar-powered automatic charcoal  briquette compression machine; and (iii) field testing with performance evaluation. The research instruments included a prototype charcoal briquette compression machine integrated with solar energy system, a performance testing records form, and a user satisfaction questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The results indicated that the developed machine achieved an average production capacity of 3,600 grams per minute, or approximately 20.4 briquettes per minute, with an average production cycle time of 1.65 minutes. The optimal mixture ratio consisted of 4 kilograms of charcoal, 4 liters of water, and 0.2 kilograms of cassava starch, yielding briquettes with an average density of 141 grams per briquette and an average length of 14.1 centimeters, with an average calorific value of 4,573.10 calories per gram, and an average burning of 24.6 minutes. User satisfaction evaluation revealed a high overall satisfaction level, with a mean score of 4.32. These findings demonstrate that the developed solar-powered automatic charcoal briquette compression machine effectively meets community production requirements by enhancing productivity, reducing energy costs, and promoting the utilization of renewable energy. The machine therefore has strong potential to support sustainable community-level development.