The fuel briquette is basically a round disc made of slightly decomposed and compressed plant matter. The disc has a hole in the centre to allow the flame to breathe and burn. The briquette is an alternative source of energy for cooking and heating and is especially important in those areas with little or no electricity. The Phumani business units produce paper with area specific fibres and invasive plant species. The process utilised in hand papermaking for the breaking down of plant fibres is similar to that of the method used in the production of fuel briquettes. The use of fuel briquettes as an alternative source of energy has several benefits in the South African context:
- Agro waste can be utilised in the manufacture of briquettes thereby preserving the environment through the utilisation of unwanted plant matter as opposed to the depletion of natural forest;
- Aids in preserving the indigenous biodiversity in South Africa through the use of invasive plant species and noxious weeds.
- The briquette is energy efficient.
- The promotion of fuel briquettes can boost the local economy.
- Many developing crafters in semi-rural and deep rural areas have little or no success with the tourism market as it is too far from the point of production. This has been true of the papermaking units established by Phumani Paper who are producing a luxury item in the communities in which they are located. Communities producing fuel briquettes could benefit through selling to a direct community that is in need of a source of energy. This will create a locally available market for the units, increasing their profitability;
- Fuel briquettes are extremely lightweight and are ideal for carrying long distances.
Linkages with the UJ and Project Partners The pre-feasibility study was conducted by Phumani paper in November 2006 in order to investigate the possibility of producing fuel briquettes from waste paper and plant fibres such as mealie husks and river reed. The study was later handed over to the Chemical Engineering Department at the UJ, as a project to design the complete process of producing fuel briquettes. The briquettes were to be produced using the porta-press design by the Legacy Foundation. The primary objective was to propose a suitable production method using mealie husks, cardboard and river reed as raw material.
Linkages furthermore exist with the Graphic Design department at the UJ, where packaging to suit various market segments was designed by students as part of their coursework, over the past three years. This process not only provides a valuable learning experience to students, it assists Phumani in gaining access to good design for packaging and marketing purposes.
The fuel Briquettes are now being produced by Thuthukani in the township of Tsakane in Gauteng. The Thuthukani Unit is based in a peri-urban area and has access to an abundance of surrounding farm land and mine dumps where fibres such as mealie husks, invasive grasses and pampas grass could be accessed to be added to the waste paper in order to produce the briquettes with varying burning degrees.
Due to its location and supply of raw materials, the group has an understanding of eco-friendly conservation techniques, which has been further enhanced with the implementation of the eco-fuel project.
Research into the production of fuel briquettes is an ongoing special project of Phumani Paper and will be investigated throughout the year with various departments.
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