Fueling Change

Leaves, grass, and sawdust… the new charcoal?

Category: Alternative energy | Date: Mar 27 2008 | By: admin

From Malawi to Peru, people are quickly discovering that cutting down forests to make charcoal is just about the most inefficient way to produce cooking fuel. And, it turns their once beautiful forests into moonscape rife with soil erosion. Until now, it appears that this realization has skipped right over the Congo. For the last several decades, the forests of the Virunga National Park have been getting cut down at an alarming rate to make charcoal, and in the process, half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas have found their forest homes turning into grasslands.

Charcoal - Inefficient you say?
To put it mildly. Fuel wood used for charcoal production loses an incredible 75% of its heating capability in the process of being turned from fuel wood to charcoal. Once you factor in inefficient combustion resulting from primitive stove technologies – or in many cases no stoves at all – charcoal loses another 15-18% of it’s heating capability, resulting in a fuel that is about 6% efficient. So, the dirty secret is that one of the world’s most amazing animals, the mountain gorilla, is being driven to extinction for the sake of a fuel that loses 94% of it’s heating value by the time it cooks a meal — not that any efficiency could justify the mountain gorillas’ demise.

Photo courtesy of the Legacy Foundation

How organic mixed waste briquettes out compete traditional charcoal
According to the Legacy Foundation, a veritable alternative fuel think tank, “although non-woody biomass has only 75-80% of the heat value of woody biomass per unit weight, the briquette far outperforms wood in open fire conditions”. This is due to the plug shape of the pressed briquette and its’ hollow center. These briquettes burn largely from the inside out. The center hole acts as a flu, allowing plenty of air to flow up into the briquette, ensuring complete combustion. The unburned exterior of the briquette serves as insulation, thereby allowing the center to burn very hot. All this adds up to a far more efficient burn. Charcoal? Bring on the briquette revolution!

Next post: Making briquettes from forest and agricultural waste

8 Responses to “Leaves, grass, and sawdust… the new charcoal?”

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 27 Mar 2008

Hi Robert, good to hear from you. This sounds very promising, looking forward to learning all about it. Take care, Theresa

Lisa, California, on 27 Mar 2008

Very interesting post. Can’t wait to hear more about these fascinating little briquettes. I was just thinking to myself, as I overheard my husband telling my son how cutting down all the forests to make charcoal is making our planet warmer and it’s killing the polar bears; my son says we should go solar. Anyway, I was thinking to myself how strange to think that Mountain Gorilla’s and Polar Bears are a world away from each other, yet they are suffering because of the same issue. Something has got to be done to save our animals, our planet, and inevitably ourselves. Sometimes it’s just too damn depressing to think about. Lisa

Paula, on 28 Mar 2008

Hi Robert, we use coffee husks charcoal briquettes in Kenya.In fact any nuts (coconuts, cashewnuts, macadamia nuts) husks all make superior charcoal as they have alot of natural oil. I wonder what agricultural wastes of this nature we can get in Goma or around the Virungas (there are tons of farms). I still go for Jatropha as it can be used in agroforestry, the oil from seeds can be used in lights/lamps and to generate electricity, while the husks can be converted into charcoal. I saw the butane stove at Craig’s office yesterday - whatever we do suggest please look into safety first - if the stove becomes top heavy then children will be at risk as you can imagine, most people in Africa have their stoves on the ground and kids invariably trip and knock pots of boiling water onto themselves. I’ve seen it many times.

F. J. Pechir, on 28 Mar 2008

Dear Theresa, I have a comments on your questions in the Jaguar Detectives Blog. Thanks!

Nancy, on 28 Mar 2008

Good to hear from you Robert. Interesting post. I looked at the Legacy Foundation site too. Definitely worth checking out–(http://www.legacyfound.org/html/photoGallery.html). The chart is on there too (photo gallery: briquettes and resources) Larger format and a little easier for me to read. Looking forwad to hearing more. Thank you.

Pam/Shell Beach, CA, on 01 Apr 2008

This actually looks promising to me as it appears to be a low cost, low tech solution.

Git your Briquettes on » Blog Archive » Quick scan of the net - briquette, on 03 Apr 2008

[…] http://endingcharcoal.wildlifedirect.org/2008/03/27/leaves-grass-and-sawdust%E2%80%A6-the-new-charco…According to the Legacy Foundation, a veritable alternative fuel think tank, “although non-woody biomass has only 75-80% of the heat value of woody biomass per unit weight, Entourage dvd the briquette far outperforms wood in open fire conditions”. … […]

Peter Kuria, on 03 May 2008

Robert,
Your blog is very informative. I think the issue of energy poverty can not be treated lightly and deserves a lot of attention as well as clear alternatives.

One of the key issues as you have pointed out in the updates is the link between livelihoods, energy and conflict of biodiversity conservation.

The question to pose is- what is the problem and is there is a problem? If there is a problem there must be a solution. The solutions must first factor the “human dimension on the right to existence”, then the right for all humanity to both cultural and biological diversity.

I would like to draw your attention to the Terra preta idea, where the efficient use of biomass related energy can in fact be beneficial to livelihoods, biodiversity, and importantly create an industry for Community Lead Carbon Capture and Storage process-(dealing effectively with climate change). This approach has immense positive feedback on food security, improved indoor air quality, and requires minimum investment on technology and importantly little confrontation with a set way of life.

By providing support to key artisans to develop the required stoves that are similar to kilns, and working with local groups to monitor the audit of the biomass material, it is possible to enter into contracts with independent companies to “offset their carbon” with local communities who will be following the approved “managed” use of fuel wood. This will ensure that the middle men who burn wood for charcoal get eliminated from the chain of supply- since benefits are only targeted at end users. The middle men are the key problem in the indiscriminate use and abuse of forests.

The principle of terra preta is that, the biomass material is burnt to charcoal and use the generated energy to cook etc, and the end product is charcoal as opposed to ash. The charcoal is then grinded and added to the soil. The charcoal due to the hight amount of carbon treats the soils and improves soil fertility. The actual burying of carbon in char form is a more effective carbon capture and storage than the ones being promoted by industry.

There is a lot of information on this topic and infact Dr Hansen - CO 2 Where should humanity aim? (NASA) has been quite supportive of this kind of approach:

We are seeking for partners to promote this initiative!

Good day

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