Techno-Economic Feasibility of Briquettes Produced from Carbonized Cordia Africana Sawdust as a Sustainable Energy Source

Abstract The heavy dependence on traditional biomass in Ethiopia is leading to different environmental and socio-economic problems. The transformation of biomass briquettes into sustainable energy solutions is essential for minimizing such issues and promoting sustainable energy use. To provide trustworthy observations and encourage the sustainable development of new products, many scholars these days have always been interested in exploring novel approaches to economic evaluation. Therefore, this study focused on the techno-economic feasibility of briquettes produced from carbonized Cordia Africana sawdust as a sustainable energy source, assessing both the technical viability and economic profitability. The findings of the profitability measures were a high IRR of 86.50%, a positive NPV of $7,930,327.80, a short PBP of 1.2 years, and a strong ROI of 64.46%, indicating the a high economic viability to use carbonized Cordia Africana Sawdust as a conventional fuel. Again, the total capital investment and the operating costs were estimated as 1,818,573.5 and 935,879.19 USD, respectively. In Ethiopia, where sawdust waste is plentiful, carbonized Cordia Africana sawdust-derived briquettes are a sustainable energy source that support a waste-to-energy endeavor, according to the profitability indicators' overall results.