The Press and Briquette Making

Differing waste materials have different energy contents. If you are working with commercial or export markets, they may want to know the energy contents of the briquettes. For those markets, you may want to know the energy content of the materials you are briquetting.

Kikumu agriculture research centre shall briquette waste disposals to ensure that landfills in urban and gab badge disposals are used properly by man

Requires the following considerations:

The difficulty of firewood access and other sources for cooking energy sources

 If firewood is difficult to access, then conduct a briquettes production project. If cheap,

there is no need.

 The local policies related to fuel wood consumption

 Get an overview on policies in favor of or against collection of firewood.

 The limitations to using alternative fuels and restrictions on marketing

 Find space in the market

Can charcoal sellers be integrated?

The proximity to the local market for sale of fuel briquettes

 If demand is there, pool resources together and transport the fuel briquettes

The experience of the group with entrepreneurial self-reliance and sustainable activity

 Group must be innovative, interested, and creative in order to survive

 Make briquettes production a business, not an activity

The availability and applicability of published baseline information on fuel wood/rural energy

consumption for eventual impact assessment of the project/enterprise

 Key data: Population size, household sizes and expenditure on cooking fuel (e.g.

kerosene, charcoal and similar); electricity, gas (LPG), rate of deforestation and plans for

reforestation, and types of woodlots

The availability of water supplies

 200-300 liters of water are needed daily for commercial fuel briquettes making

10 liters of clean drinking water for producers (daily)

 Trap and recycle used water during fuel briquettes pressing process

 Whether there is sufficient space for the production activity

 Enough space, room or ground is needed

 Storage space must be dry and well aerated

 Space for decomposing a good number of rows of raw materials

Whether there are sufficient resources for production

 Raw materials for fuel briquettes production

• Funds
• Time
• Hot weather
• Human labor
• Equipment (e.g. press machine and chopper/thresher)

The commitment of the group/trainees

• Preparedness to source materials, invest their time and energy
• Regular production
• Self-monitoring and evaluation
• Consultations and meet consultancy expenses
• Assess financial feasibility during this first visit

SECOND SITE VISIT (Length: 1 Day)

Involves a full day of meetings in order to:

Refine the Selection Process of Trainees to ensure success of the activity, and ascertain whether

trainees are ready and willing. Find out if:

• There are interested groups; venue is available and any deterrent factor?
• The community is aware of alternative sources of cooking energy?
• Any perception of wood fuel availability and environmental impact?
• There are any other suggestions
•  Demonstrate Fuel Briquettes Making and Cooking

 Briquette Making

Successful demonstration needs:

§ Equipment for briquetting

§ Raw materials (readily decomposed)

§ Water

§ Labor

 Cooking Demonstration

Involves:

§ Stoves

§ Food to be cooked

§ Some dry briquettes

§ Eating the cooked food

§ Allaying any fears

§ Grasping briquettes lighting and replacement during burning process

§ Comments from trainees

Decomposing

• Use usual decomposing procedures but do not add soil
• The material should not decompose into compost fertilizer, about 4 weeks maximum
• Make successive heaps of 50cm high x 1metre wide x 5metres long rows to avoid
• missing what to briquette
• Dry decomposed material and store safely to save pounding time and trouble
• • Mixing/Blending the Materials after Decomposing
• Suitably decomposed material can be blended
• Pound in mortar, adding water in bits
• Conduct three hand tests which apply to materials that require chopping/milling:

§ Ooze test – Scoop some materials into your fist then squeeze; if it oozes through

your fingers, it is too ripe

§ Spring back test – If the material expands when squeezed in your hand, it is not

ready

§ Shake test – Material well decomposed, when squeezed in your hand and then

shaken vertically, never falls apart

The Press and Briquette Making

Prepare material for press making using available measurements from the trainer

§ The press machine compresses fuel briquettes into uniform shapes and sizes

better than bare hands

o When decomposed material is ready, start fuel briquetting. Let different groups produce

different blends

Six people can produce 750 –1000 fuel briquettes per 8 hrs, daily

§ Holey briquettes dry faster and burn effectively

Follow procedures for quality fuel briquettes making (e.g., right blending and ingredients

measure, pressing, drying, storage, protection from wetness, etc.)

Handle wet fuel briquettes with care and dry them in direct hot sun for 3–6 days,

electricity/solar dryer or in a dark well-aerated place – but this takes time

 Press Maintenance

• Ensure care to lengthen its lifespan
• Do not dry it in the sun to avoid cracking
• Preserve it with waterproof paints
• Oil or grease the nuts
• Keep under shade or cover it when not in use