Charcoal Production

Charcoal a curse or a blessing?!

In 2017 the Malawi National Charcoal Strategy has been adopted. Decreasing the effect of household cooking upon the severe deforestation is main issue of the report. However, the prediction is that it will take at least a decade before alternative cooking fuels are broadly available.

Thus as long as women in the urban are cooking on charcoal we have to provide them with the most efficient cook stove.

All charcoal is being produced using the classical earth mount kiln technology having a gravimetric efficiency between 5 and 15% (energy efficiency 10- 35%). This classical procedure has to be replaced by (semi)industrial charcoal production having a proved gravimetric efficiency of 25-35% (energy efficiency 65 to 85 %).

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE CHARCOAL PRODUCTION!

Next step is conversion all types of biomass into charcoal. The industrialization of the charcoal production is the HOLY GRAIL. There are mountains of sawdust and waste wood in the country.

Back in 2016 in Tanzania an industrial charcoal factory has started production.

Cost price prediction for industrial charcoal production:

From 1,000 Mt to 10,000 Mt CHARCOAL YIELD (ANNUALLY)
PREDICTED CONSUMER PRICE MK 200 – MK 220 per kg
CURRENT PRICES (”ILLEGAL CHARCOAL”): MK 200 – MK 300 per kg

Back in 2016 in Tanzania an industrial charcoal factory has started production using pine-wood sawdust as raw material.