New Kiln Makes 'Green Charcoal'
The Cheetah Conservation Fund has taken biomass processing a step further with the commissioning of its new CK-3 carbonizing kiln to turn invader bush into briquettes. The new kiln was demonstrated recently to charcoal manufacturers and to representatives of the European Union.
The kiln’s acquisition was funded by the EU under its Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Change Mitigation Programmes.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund pioneered the use of wood to manufacture its proprietary Bushblock, a wood-based fuel pressed into logs by using wood chips and resin. The new CK-3 kiln builds on this technology by carbonizing the Bushblocks in a process similar to conventional charcoal production but with far less environmental pollution.
“The CK-3 kiln is a ‘green’ charcoal technology”, said Bruce Brewer, the Cheetah Fund’s General Manager. “The CK-3 carbonizes our Bushblok briquettes, which densifies their caloric content and reduces shipping weight, making biomass-derived wood products like Bushblok more likely to capture a greater market share.”
Peter Kapuscinski / World Bank