briquette n : a block made from charcoal or coal dust and burned as fuel [syn: briquet]

English

Alternative spellings

• briquet

Noun

1. see briquet

A briquette (or briquet) is a block of flammable matter which is used as fuel to start and maintain a fire. Common types of briquettes are charcoal briquettes and biomass briquettes.

Constituents of charcoal briquettes

Charcoal briquettes sold commercially for cooking food can include:

• Wood charcoal (fuel),
• mineral char (fuel),
• mineral carbon (fuel),
• Limestone (ash colorant),
• Starch (binder),
• Borax (release agent),
• Sodium nitrate (accelerant),
• Sawdust.

Some briquettes are compressed and dried brown coal extruded into hard blocks. This is a common technique for low rank coals. They are typically dried to 12-18% moisture, and are primarily used in household and industry.

In Ireland, peat briquettes are a common type of solid fuel after coal. Although often used as the sole fuel for a fire, they are also used to begin a coal fire quickly without hassle. A fire burning peat briquettes is, similarly to a turf fire, slow burning. Peat briquettes can be used as an acceptable substitute for charcoal in barbecues for this reason.

Biomass briquettes

Biomass briquettes are made from agricultural waste and are a replacement for fossil fuels such as oil or coal, and can be used to heat boilers in manufacturing plants, and also have applications in developing countries. Biomass briquettes are a renewable source of energy and avoid adding fossil carbon to the atmosphere.

A number of companies in India have switched from furnace oil to biomass briquettes to save costs on boiler fuels. The use of biomass briquettes is predominant in the southern parts of India, where coal and furnace oil are being replaced by biomass briquettes. A number of units in Maharashtra (India) are also using biomass briquettes as boiler fuel. Use of biomass briquettes can earn Carbon Credits for reducing emissions in the atmosphere. Lanxess India and a few other large companies are supposedly using biomass briquettes for earning Carbon Credits by switching their boiler fuel. Biomass briquettes also provide more calorific value/kg and save around 30-40 percent of boiler fuel costs.

Another definition of briquette is a solid block designed for controlled release of active ingredients of plant protection products.

See also

• Biomass Cook Stoves
• Charcoal
• Energy in Victoria
• Wood briquette

Notes

External links

• How charcoal briquettes are made.
• Briquetting press - easy machine for briquetting biomass, like straw and hay.
• Legacy Foundation - created an appropriate technology briquette maker.
• Holey Briquette Gassifier Stove Development, Richard Stanley, Kobus Venter 14 August 2003 on BioEnergy Lists.
• Briquetting: An Answer to Desertification, Health Problems, Unemployment and Reforestation in Developing Communities - summary of 2003 seminar.