The charcoal is mainly processed by the kiln. In general, the charcoal produced and extinguished in the kiln is called black wood charcoal. It has the advantage of being easy to ignite, but it is easy to explode during burning with a short burning time and much smoke. The charcoal briquette cannot fully contact with oxygen during the combustion process, so an accelerator is needed to accelerate the combustion. The most suitable accelerator is the nitrate, which can not only provide oxygen to accelerate combustion but also heat during combustion. However, it is too expensive. As an excellent accelerator with lower cost, 10% -20% of sawdust can be added to effectively increase the burning speed.

white ash
As one of the minor ingredients, white ash accounts for only 2% -3% of the charcoal briquette. But it plays a very important role in the burning process of charcoal briquettes. By observing the degree of turning white, we can judge the burning degree of the charcoal briquette. In addition, because the white ash is not combustible, it can effectively extend the burning time.

Numerous facts show that starch has the best performance as a binding material. After it’s gelatinized, a thick paste can be formed so that the charcoal powder is stuck together to facilitate the later briquette.

Another popular briquette binder is Arabic gum or acacia gum. However, considering the cost, the best choice is the waste paper pulp.

Advantages of charcoal briquettes

• High combustion value (more than 80% of biomass mass)
• Longer burning time as well as more uniform and stable burning process
• Smokeless and tasteless
• Lighter (only 1/5 to 1/3 of the original weight)
• Cheaper than lumpy charcoal
• Easy to handle, pack, transport, and use