Beat the energy crisis

MANILA, Philippines - Help beat the energy crisis. Use charcoal briquettes.

“Charcoal briquettes are a mixture of charcoal and starch molded under pressure,” explained the Los Baños-based Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI).

“Made of charcoal powder recycled from charcoal wastes, briquettes are 50 percent cheaper than liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). They are also more cost-effective than wood charcoal as they burn longer and more steadily while emitting very little smoke,” said FPRDI officer-in-charge Felix B. Tamolang.

Citing results of FPRDI studies, Tamolang pointed out that briquettes are ideal fuel for many Filipinos as, unlike LPG, they do not have to be bought in bulk. They come in small packs well within a daily wage earner’s budget.

He added: “Aside from homes and restaurants, charcoal briquettes may also be used in poultries and bakeries. Quality briquettes sell well abroad, especially in Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia.”

For cooperatives and businessmen who want to go into charcoal briquetting, FPRDI has developed a simple, manually operated machine that can produce 2,400 kilos of briquettes a month.

FPRDI engineer Belen B. Bisana computed that producing 2,400 kilos of coconut shell briquettes a month needs an investment of about P61,000. This covers equipment and tools, raw materials, labor, and packaging material.

“Our studies show that charcoal briquetting is a profitable enterprises,” she said, as reported by Rizalina K. Araral of FPRDI.

Locally, the best material to use are coconut shell charcoal wastes, as they have the highest heating value, although sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, coconut husk, and pili shell charcoal wastes are also good alternatives.

Also involved in the FPRDI charcoal briquetting project are engineers Punte Palmano and Allan Bondad and Norma Torreta.

In a recent Cabinet meeting, President Gloria Arroyo ordered several government agencies, among them DOST, National Housing Authority (NHA), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to implement a charcoal briquetting program that will showcase the FPRDI project’s viability, especially in the provinces.

“For several years now, a family corporation in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley, has been successfully producing charcoal briquettes which are exported to Japan,” Bisana reported.   – Rudy A. Fernandez