Small scale charcoal briquette machine

[Ty Unnos]

Does anyone have experience of making charcoal briquettes?

 

From what I have read you mix fine charcoal with a binding agent such as starch.

 

You then put it through a machine that puts it under pressure and possible heats it to dry it out.

 

So similar to a sawdust briquette machine. I can find a few machines made in china / india that do the job:

 

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These seem to run off an electric motor and either use a screw or ram to apply pressure. They then have electric heater elements.

 

I think this is made in Europe but not sure if it would do the same job:

 

 

Anyone know anything about this or know of a suitable (cheap) machine?

[County4x4]

I don't normally touch charcoal briquettes with a barge pole since I discovered the cocktail of garbage they add to make them stick together - but we did get some amazing results from charcoal briquettes produced by charcoaling the firewood briquettes we deal with. These of course were briquettes to start with - so no added ingredients at all, and THEN turned into charcoal. They were originally intended as a greener substitute for solid fossil fuels - having about the same energy content as anthracite ( weight for weight of course). We sent some samples off to some guys from the British BBQ Society and they said they'd never thought it was possible to get so much heat for such a long period from any type of charcoal.

[Ty Unnos]

Hi - yes I agree with you about imported briquettes, Once you realise what goes in them I wouldn't want to eat food cooked with them!

 

I am trying to develop an 'organic' version from native charcoal and a very simple binder of starch. Not sure if it will work! Still need to sort out a press. I might have to get one built.

[openspaceman]

Hi - yes I agree with you about imported briquettes, Once you realise what goes in them I wouldn't want to eat food cooked with them!

 

I am trying to develop an 'organic' version from native charcoal and a very simple binder of starch. Not sure if it will work! Still need to sort out a press. I might have to get one built.

 

A mate and I considered doing this, calling it green coal, we lost enthusiasm.

 

Meat mincer from northern tools. Char dust is abrasive so don't expect long life.

 

Starch paste from boiled potato waste

 

I also made some turd like offerings using glycerin from biodiesel production and char and sawdust, gave up on that when someone told me the fumes from poor combustion were nasty.