Open Access

ARTICLE

Molasses Adhesive Boosts Bio-Pellet Potential: A Study on Oyster Mushroom Baglog Waste

Sarah Augustina¹, Ananda Suci Bazhafah², Jajang Sutiawan¹, Sudarmanto¹, Eko Setio Wibowo¹, Nissa Nurfajrin Solihat¹, Alvin Muhammad Savero¹, Ismadi Ismadi¹, Jayadi Jayadi³, Agus Sukarto Wismogroho⁴, Nuniek Ina Ratnaningtyas², Sukma Surya Kusumah^1,*

1 Research Center for Biomass and Bioproducts, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
2 Faculty of Biology, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, 53122, Indonesia
3 Research Center for Advance Material, National Research and Innovation Agency, Serpong, 15314, Indonesia
4 Research Center for Nanotechnology System, National Research and Innovation Agency, Serpong, 15314, Indonesia

* Corresponding Author: Sukma Surya Kusumah. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Renewable and Biosourced Adhesives-2023)

Journal of Renewable Materials 2025, 13(9), 1765-1781. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2025.02025-0014

Received 16 January 2025; Accepted 11 April 2025; Issue published 22 September 2025

Abstract

The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has driven the exploration of innovative materials for biofuel production. This study investigates bio-pellet characteristics derived from several oyster mushroom baglog wastes with varying concentrations of molasses as an adhesive. The process began with sun-drying the baglog waste for three days, followed by oven drying at 80°C for 24 h. Bio-pellets were produced by blending baglog waste with molasses at concentrations of 5% and 10% (w/v), then subsequently fed into a pellet mill. The bio-pellets were left to rest for one hour before analysis. The quality of bio-pellets was determined by evaluating moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, calorific value, combustion rate, density, and compressive strength following SNI 8675:2018 standards. Results indicate that adding molasses as a binder significantly affected the bio-pellet quality. The optimal molasses concentration for balanced performance was found at 5%, providing a lower moisture content (6.8%), volatile matter (68.42%), and density (1.55 g·cm⁻³). In addition, the bio-pellet has a slightly higher calorific value (approximately 3614 cal·g⁻¹), compressive strength (40.68 N·mm⁻²), and ash content (18.59%). All of the parameters for the bio-pellet containing 5% molasses satisfied the standard except for ash content and calorific value.

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