Paper Briquette Maker

[Cath]

Has anyone seen these Paper Briquette Makers or, better yet, had any experience with them?

I was visiting my mother in law and she had one of those bric a brac catalogues (Carol or Sally something or other) with miscellaneous household items, and the second item below was advertised. I forget the price, about $20.00 or so, probably $25.00 with shipping and handling.

If I remember correctly the catalogue entry described wetting crumpled newspaper and using the dried briquettes to start fires. I got the sense that the finished product would be pretty light weight.

I wasn't impressed until I looked it up online and found the article further below. If you compare the finished product shown in both links you get the impression that the longer you break the paper down in water (retting) the more dense the brick is. Of course that's more labor intensive and if you let the paper break down too long the article advises you can have bacterial problems so you couldn't simply leave a bucket in your basement for ongoing use.

The article also indicates you can mix in other fuel sources such as coal dust (excluding one particular type) and saw dust.

Interestingly, a lot of the retailers I found online are giving their prices in pounds. Which suggests that the Europeans may be more motivated to reduce their oil dependency.

Anyone who wants to try this with shredded junk mail should probably not be using any paper that was shredded with credit cards or any CDs or DVDs etc.

“New Dawn Engineering” article on Paper Brick Making
http://www.newdawnengineering.com/website/paper/brick/

Online Retailer of “The Newspaper briquette Maker” (broken link removed)

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

Thanks Cath
I like the idea- will make one and try out the 'bricks' in the Chimnea.

 

[BrotherBart]

Oh this just HAS to be a candidate for BeGreen Testing Labs, Inc.

 

[Cath]

I did a little more research on this but I didn't save the links. At the risk of stating the obvious it's important to squeeze out as much water as possible and let it dry thoroughly. Depending upon humidity I'm guessing they would take at least a week to dry. Also as I mentioned earlier, the more broken down the paper is the more dense it looks, based on the two pictures in the articles.

I found a UK "Penny Pincher" type forum where a number of people had tried it with mixed results but some people were making them without the gizmo, in a variety of ways so it only makes sense that some wouldn't work out.

I'm guessing it would be hard to make a significant volume efficiently but it could be a fun project for anyone that has kids.

Let us know how it works for you.
~Cath

 

[BrotherBart]

But. But. Where is the part with the chainsaw? hh:

 

[begreen]

I've seen variations on this over the years. There was another gizmo to roll up wet newspaper into logs.

Oh this just HAS to be a candidate for BeGreen Testing Labs, Inc.

Right, like I want even more ash to clean up. I'll get to this right after I graduate from Dylan's cardboard program. :coolsmirk:

 

[Gooserider]

I haven't used one of those, I did get given one of the "newspaper log rollers" that sort of did something similar and was NOT impressed by it. It was a lot of work, and didn't make a log that burned well. I felt I could make more heat with less effort splitting by hand.

Since this mashes the paper better, it looks like it might do a little better at making a good product, but I wouldn't want to bet on it. I do like the notion of adding other combustibles such as sawdust and lawn clippings to it - seems like it would make a sort of home brew bio-brick out of anything burnable.

I would wonder how the production time and effort to make a brick would match the effort needed to turn a log into splits? It did look like a less laborious process than making the paper logs, though I'd imagine it would be sensitive to the amount of pulp you put in the mold at a time, and how "soupy" it was - I suspect there would be an experience curve involved.

I'm not sure I'd consider it a desirable fuel to use in a cat stove, and it would probably violate most stovemakers warranties, but it isn't a bad idea if looking at an area where there is little wood available, and the stoves were low tech.

Gooserider

 

[Cath]

More "fuel for thought" or "thought for fuel" as the case may be:

If nothing else check out the first link which contains an outline/summary of an MIT project on paper briquettes. Some of the other articles discuss donut shaped briquettes which dry better and may ignite better.

I imagine the cost benefit analysis might be different if you are elderly or disabled and living on a fixed income and the only thing you have a seemingly unlimited supply of is junk mail. Not everyone can process wood.

Regarding ash, I thought I came across one article that said the ash was comparable to other solid fuels but that could depend upon the type of paper, the amount of retting, how well compacted the fuel is, etc. Anecdotally, several people on one forum said there was a lot of ash. One person said the ash wasn't bad with thicker paper and the cardboard used for paper towel tubes.

LINKS
MIT link
(broken link removed to http://web.mit.edu/ats/Projects/tools-commercial%20paper%20briquette%20press/t-cpbp.html) “If made properly, these briquettes can last for a significant amount of time and cook almost as well as charcoal. There is an increasing need for an alternative fuel in cities such as Maseru since charcoal and biomass are (becoming) increasingly important.”

“The Briquette Press”
(broken link removed)

“The Briquette Press”
(broken link removed)

Sustainable Resources
https://www.thesustainablevillage.com/sr2003/archive/2003/pre-conf/stanley.html

A Unique Approach to Conservation
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/ci/31/special/mcdoug/mcdoug_0201.html
“Intrigued by the potential application of fuel briquette technology for processing yard wastes and junk mail in the United States, we obtained a garden chipper and built a replica of the original hand press. The quality of the briquettes produced by this process of combining junk mail and yard wastes was very promising.”
“In considering the required scale of operation, the fuel log or pelletizing operation is a sophisticated and capital-intensive process that requires high volume and wide distribution to justify the investment. Fuel briquette production is a far simpler and more cost-effective process; it can be done in households or small communities, and large volumes are not required to justify the investment.”

“Jumble Town Ireland” - forum
http://www.jumbletown.ie/forums/archive/index.php/t-2455.html
EXCERPT from last post
“…i went on to contact the Inventor whom gave me permission to have them manufactured here in Ireland.(OOP'S BIG MISTAKE}. The truth of these items are they do work but so must you (very hard). You also need a 40 Gallon Drum 1/2 full of water, a mountain of waste paper, a warm room to allow them to dry for several days and then they burn for approx 10 minutes. An eventful but COSTLY venture for me but I would rather buy a bale of briquette's.”

“Money Saving Expert” – seems to be a UK forum
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=320166
Post # 14
“I am sad you expected so much from such a simple piece of equipment. It does make ash, it does only burn for 15 - 20 mins, but it is all FREE heat. I use them as a supplement to save on coal and logs when the fire is going. It is also quite a good work out when you make them, and rather theraputic. I do hope this will not put off people from getting one, clearing their bins, and having some free heat.”

Novelty Paper Briquettes made from Bank Notes
(broken link removed)

 

[Robbie]

Why not get a 4 or 6 inch pvc pipe and make a tamper from a wood log to fit in and just compact and press the material together on a solid surface like concrete......which would also remove much more water.

You might need to use a 4 inch tin or slightly larger can to fit over the end of the pipe with holes in it to let water out as you tamp or pack.

The end result would be a highly compressed log that has very little water content and then all you would need to do is figure a way to remove it from the pvc pipe.

You could fill the pipe with the wet paper and make an actual log.



Robbie

 

[Gooserider]

Why not get a 4 or 6 inch pvc pipe and make a tamper from a wood log to fit in and just compact and press the material together on a solid surface like concrete......which would also remove much more water.

You might need to use a 4 inch tin or slightly larger can to fit over the end of the pipe with holes in it to let water out as you tamp or pack.

The end result would be a highly compressed log that has very little water content and then all you would need to do is figure a way to remove it from the pvc pipe.

You could fill the pipe with the wet paper and make an actual log.



Robbie

Might work, but I suspect the press design would give you faster production with less effort. I'd be afraid your tamper idea might result in either not getting rid of as much water if you didn't put drain holes in the pipe, or in extruding the log material out the drain holes.

Might be interesting to see what could be done to make a "ram-press" using a log splitter. Presumably it would want to have a mold tube that one would fill, and run the piston into part way to squeeze out the water, then release the end cap and push the "log" out with the rest of the stroke.

Gooserider


Gooserider

 

[Robbie]

Yes, with that method, you might make a log that could be compressed so much it would burn for 12 hours............. :lol:


Robbie

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

Isn't it the same idea as a 'pellet' machine ? sawdust, some sort of bonding agent, and extrusion- a pellet.
My thought was to make a large mold of mild steel, like the one in Cath's link, except that it would make 8-10 bricks at a time- fill the mold, put the cover on and drive the car up on it for a couple of minutes. I would not want to make one at a time, but 10 at once
Cath- The link says you would need to dry them for a long time- I'm thinking six months or so...

 

[Cath]

Wild,
I've done a fair amount of reading on this subject by now and I still don't have a firm idea of how long the drying should take, but it obviously has to depend upon how well compacted the bricks are and how big they are.

Also, my impression is that the longer the paper breaks down (or rets) that the more dense the briquette will be. I wonder if that makes it easier to compact and therefore more likely to dry quickly. The second link in my first post shows how much more homogenous bricks made from paper retted for 10 days are. In other words you don't see the shredded paper that suggests you don't have a unified mass.

Two posts from the forum linked below suggest that it can take anywhere from days to weeks, but not months.

http://www.jumbletown.ie/forums/archive/index.php/t-2455.html
Post #3
“I make a half dozen or so every couple of days and they give me in total about an hour's burn per night, saving about 7 hours per week, which must amount to a bag of fuel every so often!”
Post #17
“…the drying time was WEEKS, even in a really hot summer and I'm not sure they ever dried properly.”

By the way, if you have access to sawdust or wood chips I'd try mixing those in and using the paper as a binder.

Good luck and keep us posted.
~Cath

 

[bcnu]

Interesting stuff. 35 years ago I rolled newspapers to make logs. An older gentleman made a log roller for that purpose. Seems like it was two "tines" maybe 12 inches long, 4-6 inches apart,and a handle. You threaded the paper, rolled it tight and used string to secure it. We used some in our fireplace and they seemed to burn well. This all sounds like stuff I would have read in Mother Earth News in the 70's. On the other hand I might give it a try - with the rising cost of gas I probably won't be leaving home as much. Maybe I can park the pickup on a street corner, loaded with paper logs and a "firewood" for sale sign. BTW I keep hearing that the Europeans are way ahead of us in bio fuels and alt. energy development.

 

[Cath]

I've been giving some more thought to this and I decided to check out any threads regarding "Dylan's Cardboard", which I've heard about. That somehow led me to a thread on "Pellet America Corp" and pelletized waste paper.

This was the first and only thread from the Original Poster who was wondering if these would be suitable for burning in his stove. The manufacturer (Harman?) advised it would void his warranty because they weren't tested in their stoves. In his final post he said he hoped that they might test them at some point. I think this thread goes back to 2005. I'm guessing that no pellet stove Mfr has tried them yet.

However, I did a little more research and learned that the state of Wisconsin seems to be the largest consumer of paper pellets for burning. They are used in combination with coal.

I was curious to see if there might be a source --or maybe even another manufacturer-- in Massachussetts and somehow stumbled across an interesting paper, "Incineration Repackaged" regarding "Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)". His negative comments about pollution are pretty conclusory and seem to disagree with some of the testing results of Third World bio mass pellets. Additionally, I don't know much about incineration but unless it is generally used to produce energy then the article would seem simplistic since it doesn't at least acknowledge some benefit of "RDF", compared to incineration.

Anyway, this gives me the chance to ask if anyone has tried making any newspaper &/or junk mail briquettes yet.

LINKS WITH EXCERPTS
Paper Pellet Fuel – Alternative Heating Info.com
http://www.alternative-heating-info.com/paper_pellet_fuel.html
“Paper pellets, also called Process Engineered Fuel
(PEF), are a home-grown Wisconsin industry.
…
The largest purchaser of paper pellets is the State of Wisconsin, which has found they
can save taxpayer money by co-firing in five coal-powered steam plants. Paper
companies have also found pellets to be an economical fuel for process heating, although
the pellets can be used in any industry.

Benefits of Paper Pellet Fuel
Quality: Paper pellets are made to meet the quality demands of your energy system. They
are very dense, giving them a Btu content similar to coal. They are dried during processing
to give them an extremely low moisture rate. Pellets have less sulfur and produce less
carbon monoxide than coal. Compared to wood, paper has less formaldehyde.

Cost: Pellets are a low cost fuel to manufacture. Because transportation is the highest
component to the pellet’s cost, however, the distance of your industry from the pellet
manufacturer may be the biggest determinant of its economic value.
…”

Incineration Repackaged - Everyone's Backyard Summer 2002 by Stephen Lester (broken link removed)
“Waste-to-energy projects are especially devious because there are legislative efforts in Massachusetts and at the national level to define garbage incinerators as a source of "renewable" energy. If these efforts are successful, the most common incinerator used to bum household garbage—the mass burn incinerator—will be included with solar and wind projects as renewable energy sources!

These new proposals have several common characteristics: they are being put forward to solve the solid waste "crisis"; they are being sold as an alternative to incineration; and many recover energy. While these plants are not technically incinerators, they cause many of the same pollution problems. … The more common fuel product proposed with most biomass plants is called "refuse derived fuel" or RDF. In this instance, the biomass waste is converted into pellets that are sold as fuel to be burned in incinerators or boilers to recover energy In these cases, you still have toxic emissions and residual ash contaminated with heavy metals and dioxins, though at slightly lower levels than in a mass burn incinerator.” … Gasification is a similar thermal destruction process, only in this case small amounts of oxygen are present during the heating process, which also occurs at high temperatures. In this process, often called "starved-air gasification," a gaseous mixture is produced that will again include toxic chemicals depending on the make-up of the original waste mixture. If household trash is gasified, emissions will again include heavy metals, dioxins, and other contaminants.”

 

[Corie]

I think that chestnut sized chunks could be used with success in a coal stove, provided there was some secondary combustion zone..........