Indonesia, the world's leading nickel producer with 1.6 million tons produced and 55 million tons in reserves as of 2023, relies heavily on Rotary Kiln-Electric Furnace (RKEF) methods for processing its nickel ore, where coal serves as reductant and energy source, contributing to high CO2 emissions. To support net-zero emissions by 2060, biomass charcoals from agricultural wastes (coconut shells, palm kernel shells, rubber wood, and mixed wood) offer a potential renewable alternative to coal. However, dust explosion risks in high-temperature RKEF environments necessitate evaluation. This study assesses explosibility parameters of these charcoals, pure and mixed with electrostatic precipitator (ESP) dust, using a 20 L explosion chamber per ASTM E1226-19 and E1515-22. Results indicate minimum explosible concentrations (MEC) of 155 g/m3 for pure rubber wood charcoal (Kst = 35 bar·m/s, weak explosion) with reductions upon Dust ESP mixing. Coconut and palm kernel shell charcoals showed no explosibility. Compared to coal (MEC ~60 – 100 g/m3), biomass charcoals generally pose lower risks, supporting safer integration in nickel processing.
Dewanto et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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