Salient Features of Biomass Briquetting in Nepal

Abstract

Biomass briquette has been looked upon as a potential alternative to fuelwood as well as fossil fuel, whose supply is far from being reliable. The aim of this paper is to assess the potential and prospects of briquettes from residues of agricultural and forest/medicinal plants, which are presently used inefficiently as a source of energy. The scope is to assess the briquetting technology at manufacturing level, assess the performance of the biomass briquetting systems and briquette burning devices in Nepal, analyzed selected properties of briquettes, compare briquettes with selected energy forms, and assess the potential of raw materials available for briquetting. From the study, it is evident that the potential of residues generated from agricultural and forest/medicinal plants is significant. However, there is a need to further assess their availability, method of collection and storage, chemical composition, calorific value and other characteristics, environmental implications of their utilization, and other factors. Appropriate machinery has to be developed or acquired for wider application of briquetting technology. Furthermore, there is a need for support from related organizations/institutions for developing and promoting this technology.