Unlocking the Biorefinery Potential of Corncob Briquettes: A Systematic Review of Renewable Energy Pathways Dwiky Dewanda, Farhan Ilham Wira Rohmat*
Agroindustial Technology Education, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229, Bandung 40154, Indonesia
*Email: farhanrohmat[at]upi.edu
Abstract
Corncob briquettes have emerged as a promising renewable energy source, yet research in the past decade has largely focused on technical optimization without integrating broader biorefinery concepts. This study systematically reviews global literature from 2016 to 2025 to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for positioning corncob briquettes within an integrated biorefinery framework. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, peer reviewed articles were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using predefined search strings. Inclusion criteria targeted studies reporting technical, environmental, or socioeconomic performance of corncob briquettes, with or without reference to co product pathways. Data were synthesized across three dimensions: (1) technical performance (e.g., calorific value, density, mechanical strength), (2) environmental impact (e.g., life cycle assessment, emissions), and (3) socio economic viability. The review identified relevant studies, revealing significant advances in briquette densification and calorific performance (up to 3,700 kcal/kg), but limited exploration of heat integration, full life cycle assessments, and co product valorization. The proposed integrated biorefinery model links carbonization with briquetting, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion with cross cutting evaluation layers in heat recovery, environmental impact, and socioeconomic analysis. By synthesizing the technical, environmental, and socioeconomic dimensions, this review highlights critical research gaps and proposes a standardized key performance indicator (KPI) reporting framework to accelerate the adoption of corncob briquettes in sustainable energy systems. The findings position corncob briquettes not merely as a fuel, but as a central node in rural scale biorefinery development.
