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

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F. COAL BRIQUETTING PROVIDES Ah1 EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
PRIVATE SECTOR TO ONTRIBUTE TO SOLVING A DEVELOPING WON0
PRB L EM. M3ST ASPECTS OF RESOURCE SUPPLY AND PRODUCT
PRODUCTION CAN BE HANDLED BY PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS.
On the supply side, virtually all aspects of coal briquetting
manufacture and distribution can be controlled by the prfvate sector.
Under agreement with the government, which most often has ownership
rights to coal in developing countries, private enterprises can mIne the
needed coal. Whether this means expandi ng exi sti ng mini ng operati ons or
establ ishing new ones, significant new employment is possible. Private
manufacturers can briquette and carbonize the coal--especi a1 ly if an
intermediate level of technology wlth reasonable capital costs is used.
In some countries, the needed machfnery can be manufactured locally, as
is the case in India. Finally, the distribution network can easily
consist of private deal ers. Indeed, in many countries where fuel wood or
charcoal is traded as a commercial item in urban areas., the potential
private distributors already exist in the form of wood and charcoal
deal ers.
The substitution of coal briquettes for fuelwood, including the reasons
for it, a nontechnical dfscusslon of the technologies involved, and some
possible market strategiesr is the focus of the remainder of thls
Prospectus.