Prospects for Coal Briquettes as a Substitute Fuel for Wood and ...

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Burundi, househol ds are spending as much as 30 percent of thei r income
for fuel. As prices rise for woad and charcoal8 populations begin to
cut back on thei r consumption, and in some cases are reduced to cooking
only once per day. In acute scarclty regions.. fuelwood disappears
altogether frm the urban markets.CZ1 The fuelwood crisis can become so
severe that In sme African towns the cost of fuelwood exceeds the costs
of commercial fuels such a5 kerosene and el ectricity.
D. WERE ME THREE POLICY OPPIQNS FOR MITIGATING WE FUELWOOD
CRISIS : CONSERVATION, REFORESTATION, AND SUBSTITUTING COAL
BRIQUETTES. THIS FWSPECTUS ADDRESSES THE LAST OF THESE
OPTIONS -- USE OF SMOKELESS COAL BRIQUETTES.
There are three energy policy options that have been advanced for
mitigating the onslaught of deforestation and the inevitable and
perni ci ous effects of fuel wood scarci ti es, a1 1 of which are consi stent
with A.I.D.1s Policy Paper on Energy. They include: (1) conservation
through improvements in fuel wood end-use efficiencies, speci f ical ly the
di ffusi on of fuel -ef f ici ent cooki ng stoves and reducti on i n conversi on
1 asses i n charcoal production w ith use of earthen, transpartabl e metal
and masonry kilns; (21 increasing the supply of fuelwood through
refsrestati an, agroforestry, and improved forest management; and (3)
sukstituti ng other sources of energy for fuel wood. This prospectus
concentrates on opt1 on (3).
E. RESWRCE AND MARKET CONDITIONS ARE EXCELLENT IN SOME
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR THE SUBSTITUTION OF COAL BRIQUETTES
FOR FURWOOD. ME POTENTIAL FOR SUBSTITUTION IS GREATEST IN
AN AREAS# WHERE FUEL CHOICE IS LARGELY BASED ON RELATIVE
FUEL PRICE.
As the real costs of using fuelwood increaset the substitution of other
fuels for firmcmd and charcoal w i l l become more favorable. Because of
fuelwood scarcities, the costs af traditianal fuels are, in some
1 acati oris, higher than cornmerci a1 substitutes. C13 In other 1 ocationsr
such as Peru and Indonesia, cornmerci a1 substitutes 1 ike kerosene are
heavily subsidized to help the poor or -to reduce deforestation.Cl8, 191
Yet, despite higher fuelwood prices substitution often does not take
p? ace untll fuelwood suppl ies have been virtually depleted for as much
as 100 kilometers or more surrounding urban areas.Cl1 In rural areas,
high di stri buti an costs do not favor cornmerci a1 fuel substitutes, and
besides the psopls in these areas often 1 ive outside the commercial
ectan~my which makes the penetratlon of cmmerci a1 substitutes less
1 ikely. Stil’s8 cmrnerci a1 substitutes do have potenti a1 where the costs
ood and charcoal have risen suffjciently8 particularly in
concentrated urban markets.