Biomass briquettes are fast becoming a solution to mitigate the impacts of climatic change and providing alternative source of domestic energy to millions of poor households in the low income areas where people have no access to electricity and other forms of energy. The briquettes have proved to be sustainable, cheaper and cleaner alternative energy to fire wood or conventional charcoal. Moto Briquetting Solutions has started to produce and promote the use of briquettes at Chamalaza in Malawi.
The use of charcoal and firewood as a source of energy has long been associated with adverse health and environmental risks including burns, poisoning, respiratory diseases and cataracts. Women are the major victims as they are bound to inhale a lot of smoke in the kitchen while cooking. As a result, many develop respiratory problems and lung related diseases. At the same time, firewood and charcoal are rated as the number one cause of deforestation and environmental degradation.
Carbonized briquettes are a great replacement for regular charcoal and wood for domestic and institutional cooking and heating because they are favored for their near-smokeless use. In comparison to regular charcoal and wood, they generally burn for longer and have a more consistent heat output, which is preferred by market segments such as restaurants, hospitals and schools. The use of agriculture and forestry waste which are discarded makes our briquettes cheaper than regular charcoal.
Our fuel briquettes will become a sustainable alternative source of energy to the millions of households in the rural and per-urban centers who have no access to electricity. At the same time firewood is becoming scarcer by the day and regular charcoal has become too expensive for an ordinary household to buy. The project will also directly impact women and the youth who will be directly employed at the factory to make briquettes and, secondly, through selling briquettes as a business.
