Burning characteristics of low-cost safety charcoal briquettes made from wood residues and soil for domestic use

Abstract

Handmade charcoal briquettes made from harvesting residues and soil were tested for their burning characteristics. The soil was added as a fire retarder to decrease the maximum burning temperature and temperature decline rate. In this way the danger of fire to the surroundings is minimized and the potential usefulness, e.g. for cooking purposes, is maximized. Briquettes with different coal to soil ratios were made and tested for energy, ash and volatile content, as well as burning characteristics, such as maximum temperature, coal temperature, the time required to reach those temperatures and the temperature decline rate. Clear correlations between soil content and most of these properties could be found. For example, a higher soil content clearly resulted in lower maximum temperatures, a longer burning time and a slower temperature decline, which makes this type of charcoal briquettes a suitable fuel for domestic purposes.