The Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing
Communities (MC-EDC) provides integrated and participatory
solutions to humanitarian development by educating globally
responsible engineering students to address the problems
faced by developing communities worldwide. Founded by
The University of Colorado at Boulders Dr. Bernard Amadei,
one of MC-EDCs focus projects is to develop best practices for renewable fuel briquettes, for use in Kabul, Afghanistan. The research team aims to standardize the process of creating briquettes for varying compositions; quantifying briquette combustion rates in comparison to wood, and measure differences in emissions between the two fuel sources. The project team requests support to continue the research and development for the Afghanistan Briquetting Project.

Research and development for briquetting has been going on for several decades, with briquette successfully produced and used across Africa, Asia, and the United States, but no known projects in Afghanistan. Dr. Amadei has traveled to Afghanistan several times and has formalized a partnership with the not for profit organization based in Kabul Afghans for Tomorrow (A4T) to help start briquette production and training in 2008. Briquette production has not been able to supply the demand within the first year of production but the lack of quality control for the product has caused great concern with local consumers. As such, A4T has requested technical assistance from MC-EDC to create a quality control and assurance program, and further to assure the alternative fuel briquette does not impose a greater health concern from burning.

Renewable fuel briquettes are an environmentally friendly alternative fuel source replacing expensive and depleting fuel sources including firewood, coal, charcoal, liquid propane gas and kerosene. Preliminary MC-EDC research has made recommendations for sawdust briquettes that use paper as the primary binder. Press methodologies and slurry composition recommendations have been created, and further development is needed to include locally available materials in replacement for the sawdust, for use in areas without an adequate supply. Materials include pistachio nut shells, waste products from grapes, walnuts, rice prior to endorsement and shredded leaves, all of which are available at little to no cost. Furthermore, an element of the research objective is to measure relative indoor air quality for each proposed fuel source prior to endorsement. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, PM2.5, and fine particle emissions will be measured and compared for wood and each type of briquette. This will ensure that improvements in fuel source from a financial and availability perspective do not introduce a higher concentration of pollutants to the user than they are already exposed to with their current fuel use.