Waste to Energy Conversion through Briquetting in Lac Industry in India

The wastes are thrown to the land and causes land pollution. The waste can be made into briquette and can be used as household fuel by the villagers. The villagers have to struggle while cooking with the woods as a fuel. The main drawback of the wood as fuel is that it produces too much smoke which causes cough and become asthmatic. Wood as a fuel gives 3500 kcal/kg as calorific value. Briquette is a dried organic matter mainly dried leaves or sticks, bound with dung. A briquette can give calorific value up to 3800-6000 kcal/kg which is more than wood. It also produces lesser smoke. Coal or charcoal can give more calories than wood. Besides being expensive it is a non-renewable resource which is depleting. Wood is obtained from trees so increases deforestation. Briquetting is an innovative technology that can solve problem of land pollution as well as depletion of non-renewable resources. Being organic, the waste can also be used biologically. But main problem with the waste used for briquetting is that it contains traces of sodium ions as soda ash (Na2CO3) and sodium hypo chloride (NaOCl2) which may increase soil alkalinity.