How to Make a Coconut Charcoal Briquette

Coconut shell charcoal can be used as alternative energy for combustion. Indonesia is the largest supplier of coconut plantation commodities in the world. Almost every area produces coconut trees. The coconut plant has been known to the local community for a long time as a plant that has various functions and uses, from the roots to the leaves.

Indonesia’s location is in a tropical climate which is very suitable for planting coconut trees. The existence of coconut trees in the tropics is because coconut trees can live anywhere even though the geographical structure is different. Many coconut trees live in coastal areas, plains, and mountainous areas.

The utilization of coconut trees can be easily found around us. Starting from the leaves, stems, and fruits, it all can be utilized. However, there is still a part of the coconut tree that needs to be taken into consideration and developed for its benefits, namely the coconut shell.

The coconut shell is part of the coconut fruit that is endocrine in shape, hard, and covered with coconut husk. This part of the coconut is usually used for craft material, fuel, and coconut shell briquettes.

Processed coconut shells can produce very valuable added value. Coconut shells have great potential and are practical in their use. The round and hard shape of the coconut shell makes it easy for craftsmen to make handicrafts out of it. Currently, the center of attention and the greatest use of coconut shells is as renewable alternative energy.

Coconut shells are not only processed into charcoals, or even just thrown away as waste or rubbish. But here, in Indonesia, coconut shells are used to make briquettes. The purchasers are mostly from Middle Eastern countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon for Shisha burners or also for Barbecue uses like in South Korea.

The advantages of using coconut charcoal briquettes are efficient, economical, safe, and environmentally friendly. Coconut shell briquettes are easy to be burned, can last a long time, and also produce high heat energy, so when compared to other fuels, coconut shell briquettes are more efficient. This briquette-making process does not add any chemicals so when used, it does not make any smoke and the ash does not fly.

Coconut Charcoal Briquette Ingredients:

• Coconut shell charcoal
• Starch
• Water

Equipment :

• Charcoal pulverizing machine/disk mill
• briquette press
• Dough mixing machine
• briquette oven

The process of Making Coconut Charcoal Briquettes:

1. Charcoal-making process:
   Coconut shells are made into charcoal by manual cooking, namely using a barrel then burned and closed until there is only a little ventilation in the charcoal barrel. This process can also be done by using the pyrolysis process, which is where the coconut shell is stored in a closed pyrolysis tank, and then the smoke is condensed to get liquid smoke.
2. Charcoal powder manufacturing process:
   Charcoal that has been produced through manual combustion or using the pyrolysis process is then floured by using a disk mill machine.
3. Sieving process:
   If it has gone through the process of crushing charcoal, then sifting is carried out so that it can produce coconut shell charcoal with a softer and smoother size. This coconut shell charcoal is sieved using a 50-mesh sieve.
4. Material mixing process:
   This coconut shell powder is then mixed with water and starch. In this mixing process needs to be added by starch as much as 2.5% of the coconut shell powder earlier.
5. Coconut shell charcoal briquette molding process:
   When all the ingredients have been mixed evenly, do the molding process by using a mold.
6. Drying process:
   Dry the briquettes that have been molded by putting them into the briquette oven at 650 C for approximately 6 to 8 hours, this drying can also be used with the help of sunlight but this step is not preferable as it will take a long time to dry. These briquettes from coconut shells are ready to be packaged and marketed.