Chufu Briquettes

The solution is to addresses the problem of climate change to solve deforestation challenges by reducing reliance on trees for firewood and charcoal. According to Global Forest watch, statistics indicates that from 2002 to 2022, Uganda lost 75.0 kha of humid primary forest, making up 7.5% of its total tree cover loss in the same time period. Total area of humid primary forest in Uganda decreased by 15% in this time period. It also indicates that from 2001 to 2022, 5.9% of tree cover loss occurred in areas where the dominant drivers of loss resulted in deforestation. 

In Kasese district, from 2002 to 2022,lost 1.12 kha of humid primary forest, making up 12% of its total tree cover loss in the same time period. Total area of humid primary forest in Kasese decreased by 4.9% in this time period. In Kasese, the top 1 regions were responsible for 53% of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2022. This region had the most tree cover loss at 5.11 kha compared to an average of 4.82 kha, that is in Busongola and Bukonjo. 

This is caused by People living around the forests in Kasese District and surrounding areas are said to have very much encroached on these forests for human activities. Deforestation is so predominant that complete denudation is forecast in many areas in the coming decades leading to significant healthy, economic and environmental consequences. It is also well known that many people earn their incomes from fuel wood and charcoal production, distribution and sales.  In short forest destruction will continue an equal attractive employment opportunity is found in the provision of sustainable fuel alternative.

Uganda is predominantly an agricultural country with above 85% of its people engaged in growing crops and rearing domestic animals. Uganda is an energy deficient country with supply unable to meet demands for both domestic and industrial use.  About 98% of energy consumption needs of rural Ugandans is met from biomass sources developed from the forest shrub land, animal waste, and crop residues with lots of smoke having direct negative impact on environment and health especially causing respiratory and eye diseases, cooking is associated with long hours spent collecting increasingly scarce wood. The diminishing wood fuel supplies and the increasing prices of both firewood and charcoal make it difficult for some households to cook more than one meal day.

The market for cooking fuel is increasing year by year. Population growth in Uganda is 5.6% per year and the increased demand for cooking fuel is more or less equal to this figure. If this increased demand is met by charcoal and firewood, Uganda will have to import firewood from 2021 onwards. 

Sustainable sources of wood fuel have diminished. Many poor families’ household’s budgets strain under the dwindling supply and increasing cost of fuel sources.   Charcoal consumption in Kasese and the surrounding areas is un- sustainable, unless a viable alternative is successfully implemented; the urban poor in Kasese District and the surrounding neighborhood will suffer an energy crisis with serious nutritional and health consequences.

The Chufu briquettes is unique solution in the context that it will address the greenhouse gas emissions from both un- managed decomposing coffee husks as well as from deforestation by replacing wood and charcoal. 

It will ensure that the biomass resources are properly utilized through simple technology in making a cleaner and efficient form of energy, it will bring many positive changes to the lifestyle and economy of the local people since it aims to achieve -economic development in an area where 80% of the population live on less than one (1) USD a day, while promoting environmental sustainability in communities where there is an increasing un-met demand for charcoal. 

The solution will establish a useful mode of waste cycling into alternative low-cost biomass fuel which is healthier than charcoal through compressing coffee husks in combination with cassava waste (flour) to bind them. 

The resultant Chufu briquettes are also cost effective and smokeless, thus being beneficial in terms of economic, environmental and public health. It will provided a new waste management strategy that reduces environmental pollution among the coffee factories. 

 The training is directed towards equipping the youth and women  with relevant knowledge and skills in entrepreneurial skills enhancement and small-scale Chufu briquette making industry by promoting more efficient and cleaner fuel substitutes as outlined below.

1.    To add value to coffee husks, Agro-waste and household by-products that would otherwise end up unused causing local waste pollution.

2.    To create public awareness on the importance and potential of Chufu briquettes as tool for reducing green gas emissions in Households and creating alternative incomes and diversifying the rural economy. 

 4. To increase the utilization of biomass resources in developing economies, promote more efficient cleaner fuel substitutes and establish collaborative alliances among different briquette making industry operators for networking.

5.    To replace the use of wood and charcoal fuels which is a major cause of deforestation and environmental degradation. 

6.    To develop a database of trained and qualified briquette making personnel in the community for accreditation, monitoring and evaluation purposes.

The Chufu briquettes project coordinated locally by RWENZORI INNOVATION TRAINING CENTRE (RITC) in Kasese District, Western Uganda envisions supporting and expanding the youth and women entrepreneurial skills enhancement and small-scale business management skills aimed at creating a bio briquette cottage industry in Kasese District Uganda that use the locally available organic materials from coffee bio products into a source of fuel. Support for bio briquettes production in Kasese will not only provide local women and youth an additional fuel source and income stream, but will also positively impact local initiatives to combat climate change and deforestation.

 The trainings will address the greenhouse gas emissions from both un- managed decomposing waste as well as from deforestation by replacing wood and charcoal. If the biomass resources are properly utilized through simple technology in making a cleaner and efficient form of energy, it will bring many positive changes to the lifestyle and economy of the local people.

 The project aims to achieve community driven socio-economic development in an area where 80% of the population live on less than one (1) USD a day, while promoting environmental sustainability in communities where there is an increasing un-met demand for charcoal. 

The project will establish a useful mode of waste cycling into alternative low-cost biomass fuel which is healthier than charcoal through compressing waste materials of coffee husks in combination with cassava waste (flour)to bind them. The resultant briquettes are also cost effective and smokeless, thus being beneficial in terms of economic, environmental and public health. It will provide a new waste management strategy that reduces environmental pollution.

We have the skills in making these briquettes and  strong background in community development projects  with experiences that we are in position to deliver the project and solve the pressing social problems. 

Since we started, we have Over 200 Project beneficiaries were selected by and most for these are the indigenous ethnic minority groups of People called the Bakonjo who the farmers live in the mountains of Rwenzori Western Uganda. They are coffee farmers where by there is a lot of coffee husks which they left in the coffee factories after processing their coffee.

We have produced about 5 tones of coffee husks briquettes and sold. We have so far reached 200 customers buying briquettes and beneficiaries. We are planning to increase on production and expanding the solution by trainings, marketing and buying machines. 

The specific problems which we are addressing is deforestation.  This problem is the root cause of climate change. 

This solution provide an alternative source of energy to reduce deforestation in the area.

The coffee farmers use their coffee husks as  raw materials  which they use to make smokeless briquettes which are dried and then used as fuel in their homes. 

Chufu Briquette therefore, seeks to provide an affordable and environmental friendly energy solution.  The briquettes burn three times longer than conventional charcoal and are smoke free thus reducing air pollution. With this alternative source of fuel, women are able to reduce on time spent in collecting firewood, resources in buying charcoal and are able to enjoy a clean environment. 

Our target beneficiaries are strictly coffee farmers located in Kasese district-Uganda. My solution will train coffee farmers in briquette making from coffee husks, help to get extra incomes by selling their briquettes, allow households to have alternative charcoal for cooking with out cutting trees.

 Through trainings and capacity building, coffee farmers will be equipped with the necessary skills to produce briquettes from their coffee husks.

- Collection of coffee husks by farmers and sorting them.

- Carbonization, which drives off volatile compounds and moisture leaving a fuel with a higher proportion of carbon remaining (char).

- Preparation of feed stocks, which is done manually by crushing the carbonized raw materials/coffee husks.

-Binding, which is the process of ‘sticking together’ the compacted material using Common binders such as Cassava flour.

-Compaction/Briquetting, which is done using manual extractor mould machine to squeeze both for carbonized feedstock to make chufu briquettes.

 -Drying, briquettes are dried using Sun-drying on a raised wire mesh which takes up to 3-4 days to dry the briquettes completely.