Waste to Energy: A Look into Community-Based Charcoal

Briquetting in the Philippines

Erees Queen B. Macabebe1,

, Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao1 and Teresita R. Perez

2

1Department of Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering, School of Science and

Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108 Philippines 2Department of Environmental Science, School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University,

Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108 Philippines

Abstract. The Philippine government issued Executive Order No. 23, s 2011 declaring a moratorium on

the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests, and creating anti-illegal logging task

force. This prevents communities engaged in traditional charcoal making from continuing their enterprise.

And yet, traditional charcoal is still being sold in the market and is widely utilized by households. This study

looks into charcoal briquetting in the country and aims to identify factors that affect the production and

marketability of the briquettes. In particular, the challenges experienced by two communities that have

received training and financial support from the government and from a non-profit organization to establish a

charcoal briquetting facility were investigated. Focused group discussions and key informant interviews were

conducted to gather information on the implementation and benefits of charcoal briquetting in community.

The study found that the factors leading to the success of charcoal briquetting at the community level include

a strong cooperative that oversees the operation of the facility and additional income to community members

involved in the production of charcoal briquettes. However, consumers still need to be educated on the

benefits of using charcoal briquettes. Despite the availability of the financial and technical supports, and the

existence of an established cooperative to run the operations of the facility, the absence of external support in

finding a suitable market for these briquettes limits the production and marketing capability of the

community.

Keywords: charcoal briquetting, biomass, forest wastes, waste to energy

1. Introduction

The Philippines, being an agricultural country generates waste in the form of rice husk, rice straw,

coconut husk, coconut shell and bagasse. Out of total land area of 30 million, 47 % is basically agricultural.

The country is classified as the 8th rice producer in the world. Rice hull is a processing by-product of rice

milling and accounts for about 20% of the rice production [1]. Rice hull production was estimated at more

than two million tons per annum, about 5 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent) in terms of energy [2]. On

the other hand, approximately 3.55 million hectares is devoted to coconut and having about 388 million

healthy coconut trees, the country can potentially yield 4.1 million tones coconut husk, 1.8 million tones

coconut shell and leaves of about 4.5 million tones [3]. Another agricultural product in the country that

contributes to biomass feedstock is corn with a potential of about 0.96 million tonnes annually in the form of

cobs. Corn cob is used as supplement fuel wood for cooking, while bagasse from the sugar industry and

above ground cuttings of sugar cane are used to power the boiler in sugar refineries. Other agricultural

wastes include forest residues and livestock manure [1].

The executive order [4] that prohibits the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual

forests prevented the communities engaged in traditional charcoal making from continuing their enterprises.

This moratorium also created the need to shift from traditional charcoal practices, which requires large

Corresponding author. Tel.: +63-2-4266001 ext. 5641.

E-mail address: emacabebe@ateneo.edu.

International Proceedings of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, V0l. 93 (2016)

DOI: 10.7763/IPCBEE. 2016. V93. 9

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branches of trees, to charcoal briquette, which can utilize branches from pruning of trees and other

agricultural wastes like coconuts husks and rice hulls. The protocols of charcoal briquetting have been

studied extensively [5] for implementation in the rural barangays since 1998. This simple technology can

convert abandoned cellulosic wastes into energy and minimize methane production from the decomposing

biomass. And yet, traditional charcoal is still being patronize in the country and are sold in the market

despite the executive order that prevents its production.

This study looks into the charcoal briquetting programs in the country. By considering two communities

who received support from the government and from a non-profit organization, the investigations aim to

determine the factors that affect the production and marketability of the briquettes.

2. Charcoal Briquetting Process

Charcoal briquetting is fairly new in the Philippines. Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

initially developed the technology and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

innovated on it and distributed it to upland farmers. To this day, the DOST continues their efforts to

introduce charcoal briquetting in the country. Although the two agencies have common agenda, their target

beneficiaries are different. DENR under its Ecosystem Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB)

focuses more on the utilization of biomass in upland farming, coastal and urban poor communities while

DOST under its Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) focuses more on any

products that can be produced by biomass in the forest. For both agencies, the briquetting system is

composed of a carbonizing drum, grinder and mixer, briquettor, and drying oven.

Fig. 1: Process flow in the production of charcoal briquettes [5].

Fig. 1: Process flow in the production of charcoal briquettes [5]. shows the flow of the charcoal

briquetting process starting with the collection and sorting of the biomass where large biomass are chopped.

Once prepared, they go through the drying process since it will be difficult to carbonize biomass with high

water content. The carbonizing drum is used to carbonize large materials like twigs, branches, coconut shells,

bamboo, and corn cob. Light materials like leaves, saw dust, and rice hulls are carbonized using the metal

plate method. Once carbonized, it goes through the grinder to produce fine carbonized materials. Cassava

mixed with water is typically used as the binder in the mixture. The mixture is then loaded into the

briquetting machine to mold it into hollow cylindrical tubes. Finally, the molded carbonized materials are

sent for drying. Since the Philippines is a tropical country, the heat of the sun is enough to dry the briquettes.

However, in the rainy season, it is essential to use the drying oven to reduce the moisture content in the

briquettes. Once the briquette is dry, it can now be packaged and shipped to the market or used in the

household.

Sorting

Chopping

Drying

Grinding Carbonizing (Drum Method)

Twigs, branches,

coconut shells,

corn cobs

Dried leaves, sawdust, rice

hull

Mixing with Binder

Briquetting

Drying of Briquettes

Packaging Marketing/ Utilization

Carbonizing (Metal Plate Method)

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3. Key Informant Interviews and Focused Group Discussions

To collect data from the community, key informant interviews (KII) and focused group discussions

(FGD) were conducted in the two communities with at least 10 participants per session. Aside from the

cooperative leaders, KII were also conducted with the implementing agencies: DENR-ERDB and DOST-

FPRDI, and with the representative an NGO who introduced the technology to one of the communities. Data

triangulation was conducted by reviewing accomplishment reports and documents obtained from

stakeholders and the government agencies responsible in the implementation of the program

In the KII with the government agencies, the questions asked were focused on the efforts provided by the

agency to train and support the community in the production of the charcoal briquettes and marketability of

the products. The question aimed to identify how they supported the community through knowledge transfer,

technology assistance, or financial support. The specific branch of the department directly involved in the

projects were identified and interviewed. Available public data were also gathered from the agencies.

The case studies focused on four questions. (1) What was the role of the community in the project? (2)

How were they prepared before the technology was introduced? (3) How did they adapt to the technology

and what efforts were undertaken by the community to sustain the project? (4) What support did they get

from the implementing agency to sustain the project?

Officers of the local cooperatives were interviewed to seek their perspective on how the implementing

agencies were vital to the training, production process and marketability of their products. They were also

asked about how they adapted to the technology given to them, and how they managed to maintain the

biomass supply for their community.

The factors affecting the production and marketability of the briquettes were analyzed following the Five

Level Framework [6]. The framework looks into (1) Systems level - the set-up or equipment in the selected

area, (2) Success level - the identified goal of the community or agency, (3) Strategic level - the guiding

principles during the implementation, (4) Actions level - the actions done to achieve the goals of the project,

and (5) Tools level - the tools used to achieve the goal of the project.

4. Charcoal Briquetting Practices in Rural Communities

4.1. Training by Government Agencies

The two government agencies, DOST and DENR, conduct training on charcoal briquetting for rural

communities and local enterprises. Figure 2 shows the training facilities at the DENR-ERDB Office and

product of the briquetting process. Charcoal briquettes which are easier to manage during packaging and

transport can provide livelihood to support the poverty alleviation program of the government.

Fig. 2: The raw materials, the carbonizing drum, the fine carbonized materials, briquetting machine, and charcoal

briquettes from the mold.

4.2. Sitio Lower Kilingan Community

A community in Sitio Lower Kilingan, Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City, Rizal (Kilingan) is a recipient

of a project by a local Rotary club. The rotary club in coordination with DENR-ERDB provided the

community with the complete briquetting system.

Fig shows the community center in Sitio Lower Kilingan and their charcoal briquetting facility. The

community constantly uses the carbonizing drum. The grinder utilizes diesel power to grind the material and

a manual mixer is used incorporate the cassava binder to the carbonized biomass. The briquettor is manually

operated. Since most of the men are in their farm, the women are usually the ones who do the briquetting

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during their free time. The community also owns a drying oven but they only use this during rainy reason.

However, the fan that circulates the heat inside the oven use diesel which is an additional cost. Drying the

briquettes under the sun is the prevailing practice because of its cost efficiency. The equipment is stored in a

shared community space where the members of the community can use it when they have time.

Fig. 3: The community center at Sitio Lower Kilingan where the charcoal briquetting facility is being housed and a

home-made cooking stove designed by members of the community to effectively use the charcoal briquettes.

The community obtained the briquetting machines through the Rotary Club of Antipolo, a non-

government organization (NGO). Ownership remains with the Rotary Club but the community established

the Rotary Club Cooperative in Sitio Lower Kilingan to manage the operations and maintenance of the

equipment. The Rotary Club was instrumental in preparing the community to use the charcoal briquetting

system. It was the rotary who introduced charcoal briquetting to the community through hands-on seminar

conducted by the DENR-ERDB. They were trained on how to use it and how to sustain the production of the

charcoal briquettes.

Upon realizing the importance of continuous source of biomass, the community implemented a system

where their members can gather biomass from the mountains and the fields, and the cooperative will

purchase this on a per kilo basis. This established their supply for the biomass. They also established a

system where they assigned members of the community to do the briquetting. This guaranteed the constant

workforce who can spend time to make their product. Members of the community also designed a cooking

stove shown in Figure 3. It is made of concrete and can utilize efficiently the charcoal briquettes for

household use. Also, the community is proactive in addressing their problems about their market. They asked

the rotary for help about their packaging and identifying where they could sell their products.

The Rotary Club that introduced the system to the community is very actively engaging throughout the

adaptation process. They provided the equipment and the necessary skills needed to get the project going, but

they did not stop their support in the initial stage since they are currently instrumental in helping the

community find buyers for their products. The collaboration of the local cooperative and the rotary club

facilitates the continuous running of the project.

When the community had difficulty in selling their products, they informed the rotary and the rotary

responded by looking for a potential buyer. The rotary also pointed out the need to improve the packaging.

As an off-grid community, electricity powered packaging cannot be done in the area but the rotary looked

into the potential of using solar powered packaging for the community to improve their product.

The current system works because of the continuous and active engagement between the rotary club and

the local cooperative. The rotary club provides the demand for the product while the cooperative makes sure

that they have the necessary supply to satisfy their buyer. Without the collaboration of the two entities, the

project will collapse if the demand will not meet the supply or vice versa.

4.3. Brgy Daraitan Community

The Daraitan Agrarian Reform Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DARMPC) in Brgy. Daraitan, Tanay Rizal is

a direct recipient of a project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The DARMPC applied

for a grant with the DOST so they can purchase the machines for charcoal briquetting after they received

information on the economic benefits that this system can provide them.

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The community has a carbonizing drum a manually operated briquettor, and they also use a diesel

powered grinder and mixer. Figure 4 shows the equipment in the DARMPC. In contrast to the other

community, they donot have a drying oven. Since the cooperative is the beneficiary of the grant, the

equipment is stored in the office of the cooperative and the members go to the cooperative when they want to

use the system.

Fig. 4: The charcoal briquetting facility at the DARMPC is composed of the carbonizing drum, the diesel powered

grinder and mixer, and a manually operated briquettor.

The community has been a recipient of different projects from the different agencies of the government.

When the DOST approached them about the charcoal briquetting system, they responded well seeing the

potential economic benefit that they can get from the project. The DOST gave the community a grant

amounting to PhP 60,000 (USD 1278.00) while the community, through DARMPC, raised PhP 10,000

(USD 213.00) as counter-funding so they can purchase the charcoal briquetting system. The community was

really proactive in engaging with the DOST because of the perceived economic benefit.

The hands-on training was conducted when the equipment was brought to the community. When DOST

conducted the training, they made sure that the lecture was followed by a demonstration to be effective and

guarantee that the community members can perform that tasks on their own.

The DARMPC saw the need to maintain constant supply of raw material. They also developed a system

where they purchase biomass from the members of the community who are willing to gather from the

mountains or the field. They have a group of people who does the briquetting and they have an area in their

cooperative where they store the finished product.

During our consultations with the DARMPC, they placed heavy emphasis on maintaining the quality of

their products to gain the trust of the buyers. Also, in order to sustain the program, they are aware that they

have to produce charcoal constantly and have a steady market to earn income. However, their training did

not include product packaging, pricing and marketing. Thus, they failed to find a market and production of

charcoal briquettes stopped.

The system was funded by the government with a small cost-sharing from the DARMPC. The

government agency that introduced the system was very helpful in teaching the technical aspects of the

briquetting but they fell short in handling the income generation aspect of the project. However, the

community already requested help from other branches of the government to train them in managing the

financial aspects of the project. The management, operations and maintenance of the briquetting system is

the sole responsibility of the cooperative. However, there is a condition in the grant where the charcoal

briquetting activities must be continuous and sustained. Otherwise, the system will be returned. This forces

the DARMPC to be creative on its own.

4.4. Sustainability Both communities were given the proper training to identify local biodegradable debris abundant in the

area that they can use as feedstock in producing charcoal briquettes. To guarantee the continuous supply of

biomass materials, the community developed a system where the cooperative purchase the raw materials

from their member. In Lower Kilingan, the price per kilogram is PhP 5 (USD 0.11) while in Daraitan the raw

materials cost PhP 7 per kilo (USD 0.15). Through this system, some members can earn by gathering

biomass from their farm and in the mountains then sell it to the cooperative that produces the charcoal

briquettes. 66

The Daraitan community placed emphasis on maintaining the quality of the products to gain the trust of

the buyers. For the community, they felt the need to differentiate their product from low quality products that

are available in the market. Aside from the quality, guided by DOST, the community is aware that their

product has unique properties like compactness, uniform size, easier to handle, easy to ignite, slow burning,

emit more intense heat per unit volume, and almost smokeless when burning. These are the features of the

charcoal briquettes that must be highlighted when marketing the product since the idea of charcoal briquettes

is new and the community is aware have come up with a strategy to introduce this to local buyers.

The communities are aware that to sustain the production and profitability of charcoal briquetting, they

have to identify possible distributors in the area who can provide orders in huge and consistent quantities. In

Daraitan, initial talks to create branding to differentiate them from other producers of briquettes have been

made but remain unrealized. The community is still looking for potential buyers of their products. On the

other hand, with the help of the Rotary Club, the Kilingan community already has a market where they

supply briquettes in bulk to the local supermarket.

With the continuous supply of raw materials and a sure market, the cooperatives can now assign people

who can do the briquetting. In the Kilingan community, six people were initially assigned in the production

of briquettes. They are given daily wage and their work focuses on the processing of the raw materials to

drying of the briquettes. This is also the ideal scenario for the Daraitan community but since they have little

capital, the members are currently doing this for free. Once they have a sure market, the cooperative will pay

the workers on a daily basis.

Another important factor that needs to be looked into is on pricing. The Kilingan community has already

worked out their costing but they still need to refine their calculations. With their current buyer, the price

they charge per kilo is almost at cost. With this profit margin, the transaction may not be sustainable. The

current system is working but with very little starting capital, they can't buy more raw materials and cannot

pay for the labor of those who do the manual briquetting. The Daraitan community still lacks the market and

has requested the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry to help them sell their products. Both

the community is looking forward to the possible benefits of the briquetting system and this pushes them to

continue their production.

5. Conclusion

The study looked into the practices of two charcoal briquetting communities in the country that utilized

the technology provided by government agencies. Due to adequate training given by the government

agencies and the establishment of local cooperatives, the communities were able to successfully produce

charcoal briquettes. In Kilingan, an NGO provided the technology while in Daraitan, the cooperative

shouldered a portion of the cost; hence, there is a greater sense of ownership. The cooperatives established a

system to guarantee a steady supply of raw materials and maintained the quality of their product. Along with

enough man power from the communities, these factors provided sustainability on the production of the

briquettes.

However, the lack of a marketing plan hinders the production cycle of the charcoal briquette. Due to the

limited starting capital of the cooperative, the communities need to sell their product as soon as they are

produced so they can purchase the biomass needed for the next production cycle. The difficulty in finding a

suitable market disrupted the continuity of the process. The communities sought the help of their funding

institution as well as different government agencies to identify a sure market. In Kilingan for instance, they

are able to pay for the services rendered by the cooperative members because they have a buyer. In Daraitan

on the other hand, the members of the cooperative are working pro bono because they do not have an

established market. Resolving issues surrounding the branding, packaging and costing of their briquettes will

enable the community to effectively find a market that is suited for their products. Without the proper help in

these aspects it will be very difficult for the community to reach profitability.

6. Acknowledgements

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The authors would like to acknowledge the Toyota Foundation for the funding support under the

International Grant Program [D14-N-0082].

7. References

[1] Baconguis, Santiago R. Abandoned Biomass Resource Statistics in the Philippines. 10th National Convention on

Statistics (NCS), EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, October 1-2, 2007.

[2] Zafar, Salman. Agricultural Wastes in the Philippines. BioEnergy Consult, 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

http://www.bioenergyconsult.com/agricultural-resources-in-philippines/>.

[3] Philippines Coconut Authority. "Magnitude of the Industry." Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.pca.da.gov.ph/cocostat.php>.

[4] The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. “Executive Order No. 23, s. 2011,” Web. 28 Apr 2016.

<http://www.gov.ph/2011/02/01/executive-order-no-23-s-2011/>

[5] Baconguis, R. Santiago Production of DENR Charcoal Briquettes From Abandoned Biomass. Department of

Environment and Natural Resources, Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, 2015.

[6] D. Waldron, et.al. Guide to the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Blekinge Institute of

Technology, 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2016

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