Following the advice of George Riegg from The Gambia (a paper recycler using sawdust holey briquettes in mass production), we have decided to test a new mixture of fuel briquettes: 1/4 parts of paper and 3/4 parts of sawdust.
One week of drying and we will be able to test them out. Women have been very supportive and active all this time, and we have managed to press 76 briquettes in 45 minutes!!!
The problem I see with using paper and sawdust is that they’re both made from trees. Isn’t part of this project’s goal to stop people from cutting down trees?
s.
By: nothoney on May 31, 2008
at 3:32 pm
Hi Virginia!
If you want to get rid of the wedge shape. Try rotating the piston/platform 180 degrees on the bottom beam between the first and second pressing. Also, try rotating (spinning) the piston in the cylinder between presses. It makes the briquettes come out really even. Looking forward to hearing how the .25 paper/.75 sawdust mix burns. My various mixes (leaves, pine needles, and grass) are finally cooking. It was warm to the touch today. Got to make sure to keep an eye on it now, because once it heats up, it can turn to dirt or even ash quickly — neither of which make a good briquette
Cheers,
Robert
By: Robert on June 4, 2008
at 5:50 am
Dear Robert and Sheryl, thanks so much for the comments. Paper is not the ideal binder for the briquettes, but by using either paper or sawdust, we are recycling these materials, which are wasted and therefore saving some trees from being cut, if someone cooks with one of these briquettes. Our goal is to find a mixture that can only be made out of decomposed leaves, but mixing wasted sawdust will still keep our aim of helping stop deforestation.
By: soulens on June 5, 2008
at 7:10 am
[...] The team from the General Hospital is getting creative with their production of paper and sawdust fuel briquettes. It first came with the 3×1 (getting 3 briquettes out of one cylinder). Now [...]
By: Double Briquettes « Project Kadutu Weblog on October 28, 2008
at 11:30 pm
[...] one press machine in the General Hospital in Bukavu, almost 8 months ago. The production of sawdust and paper fuel briquettes has been steady, but the sales are increasing at a low pace. Last week 2 stoves and [...]
By: Behaviour Change « Project Kadutu Weblog on October 31, 2008
at 8:12 pm