Quality Charcoal of Sugarcane Trash as Alternative fuel

Dr. Nemesio C. Cañete  of the City of Kabankalan have initiated the technology development in the making of Quality Charcoal out of Sugarcane leaves or trashes and other biomass materials abundantly in a huge volume found in the field only wasted after harvest through open burning. The open burning of garbage and other biomass or solid waste is strictly prohibited by our environmental Laws. Because burning of biomass contribute toxic gasses into the air and atmosphere in general.

            The unlimited huge volume of sugarcane dried leaves/trashes was discovered as a good source of fuel in the form of charcoal briquette or green charcoal. It is called as green charcoal for it originated from the green leaves which is being dried and carbonized then formed into bricks or briquettes. To carbonize the sugarcane trashes a device of fabricated portable kiln with chimney and retorts as carbonizer are needed. This is to sustain and control the amount of heat that breaks down the organic substances into its basic carbon element. The carbonized biomass is mixed with the binder to form into small charcoal bricks using a molder, briquetting machine and or extruder. The charcoal briquettes are sun dried or using the improvised drier during rainy days.

            The raw dried sugarcane leaves or trash when carbonize and turned into char can have a conversion ratio of 3 is to 1. It means that for every three kilograms of dried organic biomass you get 1 kilogram char. A kilo of char with 10% binder will produce 1.10 kg. charcoal briquettes.

            What this technology wanted to prove is that, sugarcane farmers and sugarcane workers/laborers can make economical use of discarded huge and voluminous sugarcane trashes. For example in a hectare of sugarcane field prime lands, it is estimated that ten (10) tons or more trashes is easily obtained after gathering the cane stalks. The conversion ratio tells us that a hectare of sugarcane trash can produce tons of charcoal briquettes that is of quality to fuel ordinary stoves in the household and for market. The green charcoal briquettes produces less sooth that makes your kitchen clean and it has the heating capacity similar to wood charcoal. The mass production of green charcoal making can be a viable livelihood alternative as income generating resource for individual, groups or an organization. There is a growing demand of charcoal for household, restaurant, hotels and other industries using charcoal.

            The green charcoal is an alternative source of fuel that cooking now becoming expensive as the price of liquefied petroleum gas continues to increase. Furthermore, it can help conserve and protect the environment by planting more trees and strictly prohibit cutting for wood charcoal making. Using one kilo of charcoal briquette as fuel it means a tree aging 3 years old was spared from cutting into fuel, thus producing 2,000 kilos of charcoal briquette in a hectare of sugarcane trashes, the equivalent number of forest trees were save for the environment protection and conservation, and mitigate climate change Dr. Cañete explained.