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

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consists of crushing, sizing, drying, poss-ibly mixing wfth a binder,
often heating, pressing in molds, cool ing, and packagdng or loadlng.
[See Appendix A for a more detailed description of coal briquetting
process. 1
In the United States in recent yearsp coal briquetting research has been
di rected mai nl y at manufacturing an aggl ornerate sui tab1 e for coal
gasification. Because this is an industrial application and not one
aimed at domestic user properties such as mokiness or sulfur emissions
have rece?ved secondary attention. A domestic 1 ndustry in %charcoal It
briquettes supplying the “backyard barbeque market9! al so exists, and the
producers of this product use some coal as a csnstltuent. However, it
may be mixed with true charcoal in the production process. The amount
of coal used varies, depending upon the location of the plant relative
to a coal source and the type of coal available. Bituminous and 1 ignite
coals must be carbonized, as described In a later section, before they
can be used in the ?!backyard barbeque briquette.” Anthracite coal does
not need to be carbonized in the manufacture of the Ifcharcoalst
briquette.
In other parts of the world, coal briquettes play other roles. In
Europe and the Soviet Union, they continue to be used for domestic
purposesI especially home heating$ and some attention has been paid to
the smokiness of the product. In India, where briquettes ders’vec! frm
coal are used not only in space heating but a1 SO coaki ng, emissions are
a primary concern.
C. BURNING R N OR UNTREATED BRIQUETTED COAL PRODUCES EMISSIONS
7HAT CAN HAVE SERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS.
Whether raw or briquetted, the burning of coal produces emissions that
can be harmful to human health. This is especially relevant to the
substitution of a coal-based product for fuelwaoch since the latter is
used extensively in developing countries for cooking, often in
unventll ated situations. Depending on the composition of the coal and
the compl eteness of combusti on, burning coal re1 eases vol atil e organ1 c
matter, sul fur compoundsp nitrogen oxide5, particul ates, and trace
elements. Each of these has potential adverse effects on human health,
and are discussed in more detail in Appendix B.
EVER8 COAL CARBONIZATION SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES ME ADVERSE
HEALTI1 EFFECTS FROM BURNING COAL OR COAL BRIQUETTES. THE
RESULT OF CARBONIZATION IS A 50FT SMOKELESS COKE. Is WHILE
TESTING IS CURRENTLY IN PR(XRESS9 EMISSIONS FROM SMOKELESS
COAL ARE REDICTED TO BE NO WORSE WAN THOSE EMANATING FROM
THE CURRENT FUELS OF CHARCOAL AND FIRENO0D.
A1 though substanti a1 adverse heal th effects coul d be expected f ran
burning coal or coal briquettes for cooki ng purposes~ a we1 l-devel oped
technique exists to convert coal to a safer form for combustion. This