The term eco-friendly has become a hot topic, especially in the last couple of years, and coconut shell charcoal briquette comes up as a popular name when it comes to eco-friendly fuel material.
Back then, coconut shells were considered just a waste product and not needed anymore. But more and more people have recognized its potential and explored it as something valuable.
But how do shells from a fruit transform into a charcoal briquette?
The Making of Coconut Shell Charcoal Briquette
Before it turns into briquettes, there are several steps to undergo:
1. Sourcing and Preparation
The journey starts with coconut, a versatile fruit known for its many uses. The sourcing here refers to collecting the shells from various places and then it has to undergo a series of pre-processing steps.
At first, they must undergo thorough cleaning and sorting to remove any dirt and impurities. After that, the shells are placed under the sun for a couple of days to reduce their moisture content before they go on to the next step.
2. Carbonization
The next part is carbonization, the main step in charcoal production. In this stage, raw coconut shells will be burned until they turn into charcoal.
In general, there are two methods or techniques that were used in this step. The first one is traditional methods that use drums and mounds, while the second method is the modern ones that use retort kilns and carbonization machines to achieve this transformation.
The most important part of this process is to make sure that the shells are burned to controlled temperatures in an environment devoid of oxygen. The final result is the charcoal itself.
3. Crushing the Charcoal
After getting through the carbonization, the entire pieces of the shells gathered and crushed into a smooth powder. This step can be done using a hammer or by using special machines.
4. The Mixing Process
The carbon powder has no viscosity. It needs to be mixed with water and binding agents to keep it stuck together and easier to shape.
- The ratio for the binder is usually 3% to 5% of the total. Generally, charcoal producers use natural binder agents, either cassava starch or corn starch.
- The ratio of water in this mixing process is around 20% to reach the humidity standard.
5. Briquetting Process
The shape of the briquette is achieved through compression methods, where the mixture is compacted into different shapes according to desire and purpose.
6. Drying Time
The next step is drying, to drain out any moisture left behind to create a sturdy and high-quality product.
The methods used in this process:
- Natural drying, where it was baked under the sun, which could take 3 to 7 days before it dries completely.
- Machine dryer, using either a mesh belt dryer or box-type charcoal dryer to dry the briquette, which usually only takes 3 to 5 hours.
After that, the briquette needs to go to the curing period for around 1 or 2 days. The curing process helps to ensure any leftover moisture is gone completely.
7. Quality Control and Testing
Quality control is important throughout the briquette-making process to ensure consistency and performance. The testing part will measure size accuracy, ash content, calorific value, moisture content, odor, and how long it will stay burned.
8. Packaging and Distribution
Packaging helps to maintain the integrity of the briquettes while at the same time enhancing their market appeal.
Conclusion
The process of creating coconut shell charcoal briquette take quite a long time. The shell has to go through different processes to be fully transformed into briquettes to meet individual and industrial needs.
