Dried Leaves and Haystack as Charcoal Briquettes
A Research Study
Presented to the Faculty of David Moises Memorial High
School
Balit Mambusao, Capiz
As a Partial Requirement in the
Subject Research Project
Submitted by:
Kent Jay L. Abaracoso
Khem L. Banjao
Mark Laurence D. Labao
James Andrei L. Leonida
Jet Maceda
Researchers
Dried Leaves and Haystack as Charcoal Briquettes`
Chapter 1
Introduction
Fossil fuels are the leading sources of fuel energy,
since they generate a large amount of energy from a minimal
quantity, have high heating power and good quality
combustion characteristics (Riddell et al., 2018).
The scarcity of affordable and clean energy in domestic
and industrial sectors has become a major issue in every
country. This scenario has resulted in over-exploitation of
forest in most developing countries like India (Nwabueze et
al., 2017).
Being an agricultural country, the Philippines
generates a substantial number of bio-residues
(biomass) with promising potentials when properly utilized
as renewable sources for industrial,
commercial and household purposes. Especially, its use as
alternative fuel for cooking is relevant for
poorer households. This includes among others rice husk,
residues from coconut use, forestry residues
and urban wastes. Biomass is any organic matter that is
available on a renewable or recurring basis, including
dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed
crops, agricultural crop wastes, wood wastes, aquatic
plants, animal wastes, municipal wastes and other waste
materials, and is recognized as one of the major potential
sources for energy production. It is a renewable energy
source that could significantly improve our environment,
economy and energy security and, hence, is considered as a
basic energy source in many developing countries. When
biomass wastes are converted to energy, they can
substantially replace fossil fuel, reduce the emission of
greenhouse gases (GHG), while closing the carbon cycle loop
and providing renewable energy to people in developing
countries, like the Philippines. As raw materials, biomass
wastes are attractive for large-scale industries and
community-level enterprises. At small-scale levels, biomass
is recognized as capable of meeting both heat and
electricity demand most effectively in the form of combined
heat and power, contributing towards international
commitments to minimize environmental damage (Romallosa &
Kraft, 2017).
Briquetting involves the compression of a material into
a solid product of higher bulk density, lower moisture
content and uniform size, shape and materials; properties
that would allow them to be used as fuel just like wood or
charcoal. It is noted that one of the major challenges for
SWM in developing countries is how to enable the informal
sector to improve livelihoods, working conditions and
efficiency in recycling materials found in the waste stream.
Organizing and training informal recyclers into micro and
small enterprises is a very effective way to upgrade their
ability to add value to collected materials. By
circumventing intermediate dealers, their income can be
significantly increased, and their activities become more
legitimized and socially acceptable. Likewise, forming
cooperatives and associations that involve them can aid in
the improvement of their position in the hierarchy of the
waste recycling chain. The integration of the informal
sector in this study means the incorporation of UCLA into
the city’s SWM by allowing them to test the viability of
briquette production in a simulated operation with the
utilization of biomass wastes found at the dumpsite using
appropriate technologies. UCLA, being a key player in the
diversion of these wastes from the municipal waste stream,
is investigated in its capacity to perform feasible
briquette production with regards to relevant technical and
socio-economic considerations (Romallosa and Kraft, 2017).
The production of briquettes from sawdust and other
agro-residues exemplifies the potential of appropriate
technology for the utilization of biomass residues which
abound in large quantities in developing countries. However,
compared to developed countries where successful briquette
operations are mostly found, briquettes have not been widely
adopted in developing countries due to the high cost of
production, lack of awareness on its sustainability, lack of
ready market and poor packaging and distribution systems for
the product. In Ghana, commercial production of sawdust
briquette started in 1984. The production could not be
sustained due to operational, marketing and standardization
challenges, though the briquettes had high prospect as an
alternative to firewood and charcoal. However, according to,
besides overcoming marketing and operational challenges, if
agro-waste briquettes are to be used efficiently as fuel,
they must be characterized by determining their physic-
chemical parameters such as moisture content, ash content,
density, volatile matter and heating value among others.
According to, moisture content is a very important property
which affects the burning characteristics of biomass.
Volatile matter content has also been shown to influence the
thermal behavior of solid fuels. This study therefore
assessed the physic-chemical properties of charcoal
briquettes produced in Kumasi, Ghana. It also sought to
assess the market potential of charcoal briquettes in the
study area to establish demand for and also the willingness
of potential users to substitute charcoal and firewood with
the sawdust charcoal briquette (Akowuah et al, 2012).
Charcoal Briquettes is well known that there is a need
for large amount of energy from alternate fuels due to the
depletion of fossil fuels and increased energy demand. This
paper analyses the important properties of biomass, charcoal
with and without binder as alternate fuels. Also, the effect
of solid and hollow briquettes on ash, moisture contents and
volatile matter of the briquettes are studied. The
briquettes are made from wood waste and charcoal. Starch has
been used as binder with charcoal. The calorific value,
moisture content, ash content and volatile matter were
estimated. The investigation shows that the pure charcoal
possesses higher calorific value than that with binder and
biomass. However, the addition of binder can reduce ash
content, moisture content and volatile matter which may lead
to the benefits of reduced corrosion effect (Kumar et.al,
2021).
As to the researchers, charcoal briquettes are solid
fuel made from carbonized dries leaves and haystack, or
densified biomass that is subsequently carbonized. In spite
of clear advantages of charcoal briquettes that include
price, burn time, environmental sustainability and potential
for product standardization, their uptake as a substitute
for wood charcoal.
Charcoal briquettes are compacted mass of charcoal
fines with a binder which is shaped under pressure. These
charcoal briquettes from agro-wastes can generate
alternative sources of energy, therefore, energy supply will
increase and the demand for non-renewable energy will
decrease (Romallosa, 2017).
According to Baconguis (2007), over the last 15 years,
the Philippines has endeavored to improve its management and
operation of solid waste through the implementation of
several national laws like the Republic Act 9003 (RA 9003),
also called the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000”. This law manifests the policy of the Philippine
government to “adopt a systematic, comprehensive, and
ecological solid waste management (SWM) program in the
country” and is based on the hierarchy of waste management,
which promotes the source reduction, reuse, recycling and
resource recovery (3Rs) of materials. Under this Philippine
law, an SWM Framework Plan is hoped to empower the informal
sector as a partner of public and private institutions,
organizations and corporations in the promotion and
implementation of the 3Rs with the overall objective of
alleviating poverty. Being an agricultural country, the
Philippines generates a substantial number of bio-residues
(biomass) with promising potentials when properly utilized
as renewable sources for industrial, commercial and
household purposes. Especially, its use as alternative fuel
for cooking is relevant for poorer households. This includes
among others rice husk, residues from coconut use, forestry
residues and urban wastes.
It can also help in solid waste management, save the
environment since the extraordinary collection of wood for
fuel has resulted in deforestation in highly populated areas
(UCS, 2011).
This briquette-making will benefit the residents, the
researchers, and the community who can avail of the charcoal
briquette product aside from benefiting from healthier
surroundings. The charcoal briquettes compost of charcoal
dried leaves and it will binder with haystack plus water it
will become briquettes, the mixed materials are then
compressed into a hand or mechanized press and use like lump
charcoal or firewood. Benefits of charcoal briquettes for
economic it is cheaper and easy to make, it reduces also
time and energy for collecting firewood and it is compatible
with daily chores, it contributes to managing solid waste
and save trees, and lastly benefits for health and safety,
and it reduce health risk and safe to use indoor.
Furthermore, the researchers observed especially
nowadays that some of our commodities are getting more
expensive one of the examples of this is charcoal. Not only
do the briquettes recycle waste that could otherwise end up
polluting the environment, they also burn cleaner than
firewood, releasing less greenhouse gases. Using briquettes
as an alternative energy source reduces wood-cutting that is
contributing to deforestation. This allows trees to remain
standing as carbon sinks, which prevents further climate
change. However, it can be beneficial in our daily life
especially the dried leaves and haystack is very easy to
find in our surroundings. We must use it as alternative to
the charcoal that we really use and it will not cost a money
to the person who wants to use it. You only need is an
effort to collect some dried leaves and haystack and use it
as a substitute to charcoal, it is very possible to use it
because every time that we need to cook something fire is
the most important. Even though it is not the same like
charcoal fire but at least it is effective as a charcoal
alternative.
Chapter 2
Methodology
Briquetting improves the handling characteristics of
the combustible material, increases the volumetric value,
and makes it available for a variety of applications –
domestic and industrial. Materials that can be briquetted
and used as fuel in industry are not only limited to
agricultural wastes. The briquettes we made is composed of
dried leaves and haystack that we pulverize.
2.1 Technologies Utilized
Briquette molders and the pulping machine were the two
major equipment utilized in the simulated biomass briquette
production. One unit of briquette molder can produce in one
pressing 1 piece of cylindrical briquettes with a hole. Each
briquette has an approximate diameter of 5 cm with a
thickness of 2 cm. The inner whole is 1 cm. In producing
briquettes, a hole at the center of the fuel is believed by
many to improve the combustion characteristics of the
briquette. It encourages rapid drying, easy ignition and
highly efficient burning due to the draft and insulated
combustion chamber that the hole creates.
2.2. Technologies Utilized
Briquette molders and the pulping machine were the two
major equipment utilized in the simulated biomass briquette
production. One unit of briquette molder can produce in one
pressing 1 piece of cylindrical briquettes with a hole. Each
briquette has an approximate diameter of 5 cm with a
thickness of 2 cm. The inner whole is 1 cm. In producing
briquettes, a hole at the center of the fuel is believed by
many to improve the combustion characteristics of the
briquette. It encourages rapid drying, easy ignition and
highly efficient burning due to the draft and insulated
combustion chamber that the hole creates.
2.3 Collection and drying of raw materials
The raw materials used in this study were collected
from the different farms and in our surroundings. Dried
Leaves were obtained from our surroundings and Haystack were
acquired from the farms of different barangays of Mambusao.
Briquetting machine on the other hand, which was used as
molder, was made by our bare hands. The raw materials were
separately sun-dried for three days until constant weight
was achieved.
How to produce charcoal briquettes is a question that
people generally care about. The process of making charcoal
briquettes can be divided into five steps:
The series of steps involved in the briquetting process are
1. Collection of raw materials
2. Preparation of raw materials
3. Drying
4. Raw material mixing
5. Compaction
Collection of raw materials
In general, any material that will burn, but is not in a
convenient shape, size or form to be readily usable as fuel
is a good candidate for briquetting.
Preparation of raw materials
The preparation of raw materials includes drying, size
reduction, mixing of raw materials in correct proportion,
mixing of raw materials with binder etc.
Drying
The raw materials are available in higher moisture contents
than what required for briquetting. Drying can be done in
open air (sun), and with a heater or with hot air.
Raw material mixing
It is desirable to make briquettes of more than one raw
material. Mixing will be done in proper proportion in such a
way that the product should have good compaction and high
calorific value.
Compaction
Compaction process takes place inside the briquetting
machine. The process depends on the briquetting technology
adopted.
References
Ajith J., et al. (2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221478532
0317089
Akowuah J, Kemausuor F, & Mitchual S
(2012). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2251-6832-
3-20
Romallosa AR & Kraft E (2017).
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?
hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Feasibility+of+Biomass+Briquette+Produc
tion+from+Municipal+Waste+Streams+by+Integrating+the+Informa
l+Sector+in+the+Philippines&btnG=
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS, 2011). Chapter 8: Wood
for fuel. The root of the problem–What’s driving tropical
deforestation today? pp. 1-12. [Retrieved from:
https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/doc
uments/global_warming/UCS
_DriversofDeforestation_Chap8_Woodfuel.pdf].
Ycaza, S. R. and Barre, J. T. (2018). Charcoal Briquettes
Manufactured from Dried Mango Leaves (DML)– An Alternative
Solid Fuel Source. Ciencia 37, 13-24. Retrieved from
www.wmsu.edu.ph/research_journal
