Briquette Binders

This HFI Tech Lunch seminar provides an overview of materials that can be used as binders in char briquette production.
Presenter: Dan Sweeney, MIT D-Lab
Link to slides: docs.google.co...
About HFI Tech Lunch: A monthly, short informational seminar and discussion series offered to Harvest Fuel Initiative participants with the goal of informing carbonized briquette producers about technical topics related to their business, and technical advances and sharing across the sector. Dan Sweeney and other invited speakers briefly present about the monthly topic, followed by a short Q&A.
Please contact our team with any questions!
hfi-kenya [at] mit [dot] edu

[@YahyaIzadmanesh]

Hi Thank you for your helpful video. My briquettes have sparkling when ignited. How can I overcome this problem? Thanks

[@I_wan-t]

To bind millscale, I've used bentonite and molasses, but sometimes the shape of the briquettes is still not good enough. Which is better, bentonite or industrial starch? Thanks before..

[@sweeneywrench]

Hi Iwan, I have not experimented with bentonite yet, but I have found industrial starch to work excellent. Does anyone else have any experience with bentonite that they can share?

[@guillermosalinas4226]

Bentonite to cold press? Or do you heat it up?

[@I_wan-t]

@@guillermosalinas4226 The millscale temperature from burner around 50 - 60°C, after that mixed with bentonite and molasses during 80 s

[@warriorsolo7411]

why my briquetta didnt hold together can u help me?

[@sweeneywrench]

Hi Warrior, which binder are you currently using?

[@alexfresco4574]

I want to used cassava, ratio to mix with coco charcoal powder to become hard brequittes, thank you.

[@charcoalandwood8910]

thanks very much for your article it's inspiring. i used cassava starch for my briquette and a hydrolic press system. the immidiate result was good and after two days it began to disintegrate into fragments. what could be the reason??

[@sweeneywrench]

Thanks for your comment charcoal and wood! Do your briquettes disintegrate after drying, or while they are still wet? Do they disintegrate when you handle them, or even just sitting untouched? What ratio of cassava binder and char do you use? What pressure do you reach in your hydraulic system? It's hard to say what the problem is, but I suspect you need more compression, mix your binder thoroughly, or slightly more binder.

[@charcoalandwood8910]

@@sweeneywrench it didnt disintergrate on its own. its only when u want to handle it without care

[@charcoalandwood8910]

@@sweeneywrench i will increase the binder ratio and then get back to you. please can you link me on Whatsapp ??

[@sweeneywrench]

@@charcoalandwood8910 that sounds good. Keep me posted on the result. Can you post that here? Or feel free to to send an email (see video description). Good luck!

[@charcoalandwood8910]

@@sweeneywrench okay o will

[@aliwitwit2217]

Four different application use different binder starch is the best but you can't use it for shisha charcoal

[@sweeneywrench]

Thanks @Ali! What binder do you suggest for shisha charcoal?

[@aliwitwit2217]

Different if you use hydraulic press or extruder

[@yezzamouad9469]

Explain more please,

[@sweeneywrench]

@@yezzamouad9469 What information are you looking for?

[@sweeneywrench]

@@aliwitwit2217 Which binder have you found to work well for shisha charcoal?

[@thmratcom3010]

Thanks .. What about toxicity ?

[@sweeneywrench]

Hi THMRATCOM, that's a good question. I haven't investigated toxicity too much, but we did look at cyanide residues from burning cassava and found none. For other natural binders, I suspect there is no greater toxicity danger than in the fuel material itself. Let me know if you have any more information to share