paper briquettes?

shakin

anyone have experience making these, what are they like?:)

Enii

Used to make them years ago. First off you need a lot of newspaper. Then you need a large bucket to soak the paper. They take quite a lot of time to dry. Really a large amount of effort and energy goes in to producing them and I don't think it was really worth it.

homer911

My Dad made me make these about 25 years ago. It was horrible! We had a plastic dustbin that I filled with torn up newspapers, left to soak for a week and then shoved them into this brick making gizmo to produce them, one at a time. They stank like crazy until dry and didnt burn very well! Save your time and your energy - dont bother

homer911

homer911 wrote: »

My Dad made me make these about 25 years ago. It was horrible! We had a plastic dustbin that I filled with torn up newspapers, left to soak for a week and then shoved them into this brick making gizmo to produce them, one at a time. They stank like crazy until dry and didnt burn very well! Save your time and your energy - dont bother

Never did them myself, but have heard many like yourself who found them too much like hard work, maybe they can work in a commercial/industrial environment.

nmacc

I also tried them eons ago. I found them difficult to make and the briquette press tended to bend if the paper wasn't properly converted into papier-maché. Eventually hit on the solution: a twin-tub; remember them?

Lots of families used to have a dead or dying twin-tub washing machine outside the back door. We soaked the newspaper in the washing side for 3-4 days then ran the motor for a while to mush it up thoroughly. Then transferred the mess into the spin dryer side and spun off the water.

They made up better, but they still took ages to dry and it was a pretty unpleasant process. I suspect the only person who found the business economic in the long term was the guy who invented the briquette press. I remember him appearing on the Late Late.

God knows what the pollution is like from buring the product mind you!

Alun

nmacc wrote: »

God knows what the pollution is like from buring the product mind you!

That's what always worries me about these things as well. They sound very ecologically sound on the face of it, but burning all those inks, some of which contain chlorine based compounds, can't be a good thing I'd have thought.

nmacc

Alun wrote: »

That's what always worries me about these things as well. They sound very ecologically sound on the face of it, but burning all those inks, some of which contain chlorine based compounds, can't be a good thing I'd have thought.

I think the problem will be made worse by incomplete combustion/low temperatures. A proper papier-maché block will probably burn well and combust pretty completely, but home-made ones burn erratically & smoulder a lot; at least that's how I remember them.

IrishHomer

You can still buy the machine to make them see below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Recycling-Newspaper-eko-mania-E-M1001/dp/B000OOCMB2

nmacc

IrishHomer wrote: »

You can still buy the machine to make them see below:

I gave mine away on Freecycle a few weeks ago; plenty of interest.

moneyblues

I was wondering about these briquettes also. One suggestion I saw was to dry them out in the greenhouse. Since it's not used during the winter that sounds like a good option. Also people use all kinds of rubbish to make them and claim it drastically reduces the number of bins to put out. Apparently burning them produces a lot of ash but presumably that could go in the compost bin.

probe

If the paper you use has been bleached with chlorine (as much paper is), and you burn it with with hydrocarbons (eg coal), you will create dioxin emissions - unless you are burning your paper briquettes in a high temperature incinerator operating at +1,200 C or higher! If there is no chlorine present, there is no production of dioxins.

Better to recycle your paper physically, or get a high temperature incinerator in your area which could drive a district heating and electricity generation system - to convert your waste paper and other combustible waste into energy.

.probe

ucanhaveitall77

I use these and find them very useful. I have a seperete bin in my house for paper and light cardboard, it takes about 2-3 weeks to fill. i then put in a container of water outside to soak. I them make the briquettes with the log maker and leave in a large cold frame ( that i made for my veg ) to dry for 2-3 weeks. Then i leave them in the attic.
I find the cold frame gets rid of any smell and using them in a range or stove is better than an open fire. And a half hour work every 2 1/2 weeks is not that stressful, so for me they work well

lovefreefuel

hello evryone . i am , to releave the boredom , trying to make a viable fuel pellet from waist paper and woodshavings (i have piles of paper and a wood mill just down the road , i can have all the sawdust i want (, so far out of a few bits of wood and an old bit of drain pipe managed to nok up quite a good press . and in the space of two hours pressed out 2 cement mixer loads into 100 pellets around 4inches in lenth by 3 thick . dont now how we;l they will burn yet as are all still on the damp side and as i live on the welsh coast and all it does is rain may take a while ........alredy thinking of larger press ..hay it beats paying 7quid for a bag of coal

Sounds promising, keep us updated!

How about loose storing a few in the airing cupboard for a few days before use.

narkymarky

lovefreefuel - would be very interested in hearing how these work out. Good thinking with the cement mixer, takes a whole lot of sweat out of the process!

raz-man

I agree with ucanhaveitall77, it is worth it if you set yourself up right.
I did this a few years ago with rain water we had collected (10 gallon bin I think ) and added three lemons cut in half to the water, when you burn them you get a nice lemon smell.

Muzzer

I was just waiting for the actual little machines to arrive back into woodies as I intended buying one as part of a Christmas prezzie. Don't think I'll bother now after these comments, I didn't realise that much work was involved!

Thanks people...:)

Although now I have to think of something else

ucanhaveitall77

These are good - is saves paying bin charges!!