FUEL BRIQUETTES

Introduction

The quality of life for both the rural and urban population across East Africa, like others in the developing world, is difficult by high cost of fuel wood and oil based products (paraffin and gas) used in cooking. For this majority the problem of obtaining fuel wood should come as a secondary priority to obtaining food. The high cost is as a result of unprecedented destruction of forests and bushes that were the traditional source of wood fuel and charcoal. However fuel briquettes-made by compacting agricultural and commercial waste materials such as dried leaves, sugar bargasse, sawdust, scrap paper, and even charcoal dust into a small cake(briquettes) that can be used for cooking –is being considered as a viable alternative.

The potential of fuel briquettes

The quality of life and the choice of fuel for cooking in the both rural and urban regions across East Africa, like elsewhere in the developing world, is affected by the high cost of fuel wood, paraffin and gas. The high cost of fuel is as a result of unprecedented destruction of forests and bushes that were the traditional source of wood fuel and charcoal. A viable alternative fuel for cooking that is increasingly popular is fuel briquettes made by compacting agricultural and commercial residues such as dried leaves, sugar bargasse , sawdust, scrap paper, and even charcoal dust into a small cake or briquettes. The briquettes can be produced locally using simple hand operated tools.

Available estimates indicate that fuel briquettes can reduce the demand for firewood by more than 200,000 kilograms per year, helping to degrease deforestation (McDoughal Owen, 2001.’A Unique approach to conservation; Chemical society).Fuel briquettes have been successfully utilized in many parts of the world including Malawi, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Peru, Mali, and Kenya. However, there is great need to increase awareness on the value of briquettes as an alternative fuel in East Africa as a means of reducing local dependence on fuel wood and as a tool for teaching the community about forest conservation.

According to the World Bank and the Paris based SEED organization, 1200 grams of wood are burned per person per day in the typical cooking situation in third world countries using  the three stone stove. This is equivalent to using 400 kilogram of wood each year to satisfy the energy needs of one person. In contrast, a typical person consumes only 140 kilograms worth of fuel briquettes made of agricultural and commercial residues, in one year. Therefore, using fuel briquettes dramatically reduces the strain on forest resources.

Usage of briquettes

Briquettes can be used in almost every application where firewood and charcoal is traditionally used, even in a typical three-stone stove. They are most applicable in areas where access to firewood is limited, such as the arid lands or in densely populated areas. In these areas, fuel briquettes can compete favorably with traditional solid fuel (firewood, charcoal, and cow dung). In northern Kenya and in the country’s urban centres, the price difference is already in favor of fuel briquettes. In Mbale, Uganda, the Uganda United Woman’s Association (UUWA) is making fuel briquettes as part of their income generating strategy. The woman collect residues such as leaves, scrap paper, charcoal dust and sawdust and use a press to make fuel briquettes, which they bring to the market to sell alongside firewood and charcoal. Since traditional fuel sources are becoming more expensive in Mbale due to deforestation and increased demand, the UUWA is able to make a reasonable profit. The income generated from the sale of briquettes is either divided among the women or invested in other income generating activities. The UUWA project demonstrates that production and marketing of fuel briquettes using agricultural and commercial residues can provide a sustainable alternative to fuel wood, helping to reduce deforestation and contribute to protection of vital natural resources for future generations. In Kenya briquette business is becoming popular particularly in the arid lands and other regions adversely affected by deforestation.

Briquettes as a means of protecting Forest

Forests play a vital role in stabilization of soils and ground water, thereby sustaining agricultural activity. Forests also play a crucial role in protection of water catchments an in climate moderation by absorbing greenhouse gases. They also contribute immensely to biological diversity and are a major habitat for wildlife. In the developing world, forests also provide valuable raw materials such as timber and fuel wood.

In Kakamega, Western Kenya for example, the use of briquettes has added significance in Kakamega forest. The forest, which is situated 418 kilometres west of Nairobi, is the only tropical rainforest in Kenya and the source of four rivers. To arrest the high rate of deforestation that endangers the rainforest, the Kakamega Environmental Education Programme (KEEP) is teaching the local people how to make charcoal briquettes as a means of arresting dependency on the rainforest. KEEP conducts formal classes during the weekends at its resource centre at Isecheno. The classes help the community understand briquette technology in an established educational setting, giving them the knowledge required to produce and ultimately use this new technology.

Community members can collect raw materials such as dried leaves from their compound or sawdust from splitting of timber and bring them to the KEEP resource centre to produce briquettes using the organization’s briquette press. In additional, KEEP trains school communities in the region as well as community groups visiting the organization to learn about forest conservation.

KEEP also distributes information packets to supplement these workshops/training sessions .KEEP members have been able to produce over 1000 briquettes per day , and sell them at US$ 0.2 per sachet containing three briquettes .They  market  the briquettes by visiting schools, conducting field demonstrations and through the direct demonstration site, which is located at their Resource centre.

Ms Consolata Musanga joined the KEEP in 2008 and was among those trained on making charcoal briquettes. She used to collect firewood from Kakamega forest for cooking or buy charcoal. Since the forest is a protected reserve, she would sometimes get arrested. The forest is a protected reserve, she would sometimes get arrested. The forest has a large snake had never bitten Ms Musunga. She feared that if she continued fetching wood from the forest, someday this would happen. She now produces fuel briquettes and sells them at US$ 0.2 for a batch of three pieces. Using briquettes has changed her family’s cooking style. Meals are cooked faster and her house is more habitable since there is less smoke. She also saves close to three dollars per week, which she would have used to purchase charcoal, and saves time that she would otherwise have spent in the forest searching for fuel wood. Briquette technology has helped Ms Musunga to improve her perception of different types of residues, which her family now views it as important since they can be recycled into briquettes.

Making sugarcane Bagasse Briquettes

1. Size reduction: The sugarcane is chopped, rolled through sequencing machine or hammered against a hard base to remove the moisture content.
2. Drying: The bagasse is dried in the hot sun for two to three days or forced through heated air in a large rotating drum to remove any remaining moisture.
3. Carbonisation: The dried bagasse is combusted under limited oxygen conditions in a buried pit or trench until it carbonises into charcoal.
4. Preparation for feedback: The carbonised bagasses are mixed with a binder.
5. Compaction and extrusion: The bagasse and the binder are passed through a machine or manually operated extruder to form rolls of charcoal.
6. Drying the rolls: The rolls are dried for between one to three days, causing them to break into chunks.
7. Packaging and marketing: The packaged briquettes of different sizes and weight are sold at retail outlets at a price of Kenya shillings 30(US$0.40). The product is sold under the trade name cane coal.

Advantages and challenges of producing and using briquettes

o   Recycling of organic waste into fuel briquettes can be an income generating venture, leads to efficient waste disposal and maintenance of environmental aesthetic quality. Enhancing the process of recovery of organic residues can restore various natural cycles, thus preventing the loss of raw materials, energy and nutrients.

o   Fuel briquettes are regarded as a viable answer to the urgent need for climate –friendly technologies in developing countries. The market prices of briquettes are cheaper than wood fuel and charcoal and they offer greater opportunity for environmental protection and sustainable development due to the following reasons:

Ø  Using briquettes made from organic materials and other biological residues helps conserve the vegetation cover in the environment by reducing community reliance on forests.

Ø  Briquettes emit little smoke in comparison to other sources of energy for domestic consumption and hence there is reduced pollution.

Ø  Briquettes offer a safe and financial way of disposing organic residues and by-products, which would otherwise pollute the environment.

Ø  Briquettes offer alternative source of fuel, which is cheap, easily available and accessible; they reduce the long hours community members, especially girls and women, would otherwise spend in search of fuel

Conclusion

Although briquettes are a viable and sustainable alternative to firewood and charcoal, there are several challenges to overcome before development of a successful briquette project. Perhaps the biggest challenge is convincing community members that briquettes can actually replace traditional fuels such as firewood and charcoal. The transition from firewood to briquettes can be difficulty, particularly in areas where fuel wood is readily accessible.

Article by Andrew Nyamu

Project Officer Inades formation Kenya