Biomass briquette

Last edited: 18 May 2021

Briquette press being demonstrated at Cyprus conference in 2010

Begin by collecting waste from around your home or surrounding area, including paper, cardboard boxes, sawdust, scrap wood, rice husk, fruit wastes, grass, leaves, kitchen wastes, charcoal dust, or agriculture and forest residues. Shred these and soak them. Next, squeeze the pulp in an improvised press to remove the water.

Finish drying the resultant briquettes for two to three days, and they will be ready to burn either in a three-stone fire or an improved combustion stove. The process is energy efficient, manages waste, and provides an inexpensive alternative energy source. Briquette production can also become an income source for those wishing to make the briquettes for resale.

News[edit | edit source]

August 2015: The Mount Kenya Energy Project's German organisation Lernen-Helfen-Leben e.V. has focused on the construction of gasifier/pyrolysis stoves during the past three years. These stoves perform very well when pellets or Biomass briquettes made from plant waste are used. MKICDO board members came to the conclusion that making briquettes for sale could be a viable income-generating project for the Kiini workshop. It would also be in line with plans to build gasifier stoves at the new institute and train promotors to market them. Mugo found a young entrepreneur who already had some experiences in setting up such projects. We met and came up with a basic outline for a medium-scale business. The briquettes will be made of sawdust and coffee husks. Sawdust is readily available from carpentry workshops. The husks are a waste product at coffee dry mills and are sold very cheaply. Arrangements were made at a nearby coffee cooperative to be given priority for sales.

Diagram showing the role the solar dryer plays in helping produce dried fruits, vegetables, and **briquettes** for fuel-efficient cookstoves.

December 2014: Joshua Guinto, a specialist with Appropriate Technologies has provided an update on recovery developments in the Philippines in the wake of typhoon Haiyan. Their focus has been providing solar dryers to dry fruits and vegetables, as wells to dry wood for bio-char and briquette production for use in fuel-efficient cookstoves. Read more at: The Approtech Training for Salcedo Eastern Samar - Joshua Guinto, November 2014

Constructions plans[edit | edit source]

Variations[edit | edit source]

Honeycomb biomass briquettes[edit | edit source]

Beehive briquettes and the briquettes mold (ICIMOD, 2009)

Briquettes make use of compacted agricultural wastes, including fallen dry leaves, for fuel. Beehive briquettes (a honeycomb beehive-shaped biomass briquette) are made using a hand mould. The air channels help the briquette burn more easily.