Making Fuel Briquettes from Biomass

Biomass now has become a main source for making renewable energy. It can be made into methane, biogas, charcoal, liquefied fuel or other solid fuel. While the most popular and widely applied way is to make biomass into fuel briquettes.

Biomass briquettes are solid biofuel pressed from sawdust, wood, straw, grass, stalk, peanut shell, sunflower husk, sugar residue, lees, bagasse, coconut shell, coffee grounds, corrugated carton, etc.

How to make biomass fuel briquettes? The production of biomass fuel briquettes goes this way:


1. Biomass raw material collection
For making fuel briquettes, you must have sufficient quantity of raw material supply. This is the guarantee for continuous production. Usually the fuel briquette plant is advised to build near the raw material, so that transportation cost is saved.



2. Biomass grinding/crushing
Most of the time, your raw material is larger than the required briquetting size: 2-5mm, so it shall be grinded or crushed first (if raw material is 3-5mm sawdust, this step is unnecessary). For crushing the raw material, a crusher is needed. The capacity is in accordance with that of fuel briquette machine. For wood logs, the wood chipper is also needed. After crushing, the raw material can be 2-5mm in size.

3. Raw material drying 
Those biomasses like wood, fresh straw or stalk may contain too much moisture that is higher than 8-12% (as required). As a result, they shall be dried before briquetting. The dryer (airflow dryer or drum dry) is indispensable for a complete fuel briquette plant.



4. Briquette making
The most important equipment for making bio fuel briquettes is bio fuel briquette machine. There are mainly 3 types of bio fuel briquette machines made by GEMCO: screw briquette machine, mechanical stamping briquette machine, and hydraulic briquette press. Screw briquette machine is usually used by those who make biomass fuel briquettes or high quality charcoal briquettes for sale. The briquettes made by screw briquette machine have regular shape and good appearance, which give them a good price. The mechanical stamping briquette machine is usually used in large biomass briquetting plant which produces fuel briquettes for industrial use. Hydraulic briquette press has comparatively small capacity, which is good for small plants that require more about the cleanness of production environment.

5.Fuel briquettes cooling and packing
After made by the briquette machine, biomass fuel briquettes are very hot and need to be cooled. They can be cooled by air. Then if the fuel briquettes are for sale or for storage, they shall be packed in bags or boxes.

Applying of biomass briquette
Biomass briquettes can be applied in many areas. Most of the time, the biomass briquette are used for home heating in winter and cooking. It can also be used for BBQ, power plants and other industries. Comparing with the burning of coal, the biomass briquette has unique features of high thermal efficiency, easy to transport and less ash content etc. One important advantages of biomass briquette is that it belongs to renewable energy. Fossil fuel like gas or oil can be used up one day, because these resources are limited and can not be generate in shot period of time. Therefore, biomass material are renewable energy, it can be planted and grow in a certain period of time. That is to say, there materials are resourceful. In the light of environmental protection, biomass briquette are a kind of environmental green resources, it has no carbon emission in the atmosphere 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------