Development and characterisation of carbonized briquettes made from organic waste

Abstract

Woody biomass is used for cooking, production of electricity and heat for industries and production of liquid biofuels all over the world. It accounts for over 10% of all energy supplied annually in the world[1]. In Uganda, about 88.9% of the total primary energy consumption is generated through biomass with 78.6% firewood, 5.6% charcoal and 4.7% agricultural residues[2,3]. In urban areas, people use charcoal more than firewood for heating and cooking. The most people affected from the emission of different gases from using charcoal or firewood for cooking are the women and children. The different harmful gases emitted also endanger the nation Uganda by causing global warming. Charcoal is mainly used in urban areas and its production consumes 15%-20% of the wood supply in Uganda[4]. The per capital consumption of charcoal in Uganda is 4kg/year and 120kg/year for rural and urban areas respectively[5]