Making Charcoal Briquettes From Agricultural Waste

Charcoal Briquettes from Agricultural Waste

Charcoal briquettes is powdered or crushed charcoal mashed and molded using binder which can either be cassava, corn or camote powder. As fuel, charcoal briquettes gives more heat than ordinary charcoal or wood. It is almost smoked-free and heat is consistent. The fire lasts longer than ordinary charcoal and can be easily stored or transported because it is lighter in weight.

The briquettes which are hard can be used in industrial ovens instead of using carbon in melting the metal from iron ore or stone.

Charcoal briquettes can be made from rice hull, coconut barks, twigs or shells or husk and powder from husk and wooden saw dust, wood trimmings, twigs, branches and the like.

Aside from fuel, the briquettes can be used in different industries such as in making carbon disulfide, carbon electrodes, carbon tetrachloride, carbon carbide, sodium cyanide and activated charcoal. Activated carbon is used in filtering air or water.

Materials Needed, Tools Needed

Smoke free charcoal Hammer

Cassava, corn or Pail

camote starch Molds

Jar or drier

Procedure:

The briquettes can be made manually or by machine. The method is easy specially in places where coconut is abundant.

Procedure (briquettes made manually)

1. Prepare a smoke free charcoal - can be determined when it is shiny and has metal-like sounds when it falls.

2. Crush the charcoal by the use of a hammer.

3. Cook the cassava powder (or camote or corn) in a moderate heat. The starch that will be released must be syrupy but not thick. This will serve as binder.

4. Mix well the powdered charcoal and the binder in a pail or container.

5. Knead this as in bread-making.

6. Place in corresponding molds.

7. Let it dry under the sun. Oven drying is preferable.

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