Coconut Charcoal
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Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, material resembles coal. It has been used since the earliest times for a range of purposes including art and medicine, but by far its most important use has been as a metallurgical fuel. Prior to the industrial revolution charcoal was occasionally used as a cooking fuel.
Philippines is the Top 1 among the coconut producing countries. For coconut is abundant in our country, it is popular for its culinary purposes, commercial, industrial, and household uses, and medical applications. Coconut shells with husks are used to buff wooden floors, making it clean and shiny (free from dusts). Here in the Philippines, it is known as “bunot”.
The husk and shells can be used for fuel and are a source of charcoal. Coconut shells/husks are usually left around and are considered wastes besides making them into husks. To get benefits from them, by a primitive process, they can be produced to charcoal which can be an alternative fuel especially for cooking.
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The study aims to produce charcoal using coconut (Cocos nucifera) fibers.
Specifically, it seeks to find answers for the following questions:
1. How much charcoal can be produced from the coconut fibers?
2. How long is the coal ember of the Coconut Fibers Charcoal?
3. Is there a significant difference between the Coconut Fibers Charcoal and the commercially made charcoal in terms of the duration of coal ember and cost analysis?
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Charcoal is already being used by people nowadays for cooking. It is because charcoal is cheaper than petroleum gas. It has many uses and one of which is being used as a fuel. And because fuel is a non-renewable source of energy, it is necessary to conduct a research that will seek for alternative sources. The charcoal that is produced will also help the community to lessen the amount of garbage or wastes produced.
.This study was conducted to produce charcoal and find additional utility for waste coconut husks. This study is limited on the use of coconut shells/husks and the incomplete burning process.
The study was conducted from June 2011 to August 2011 at 51 San Luis Village, Baguio City and at the DOST Laboratory of Baguio City National High School.
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Coconut
The coconut is the fruit of the most economically important member of the great Palm Family, Palmae. The genus Cocos contains one species, C. nucifera. Cultivated in tropical lowlands, almost always near the sea, the coconut grows throughout Southeast Asia and along tropical African and American coasts.
The coconut tree grows to 30 m (98 ft) in height and may live 100 years. It has a single growing point that produces huge pinnate leaves, or fronds, and yellow or white flowers that form the fruit bunch. The fruit is a large, single-seeded drupe with a hard stony “shell” and a fibrous husk. The liquid inside the shell becomes solid and oily to form the coconut meat, which is subsequently dried to make commercial copra.
The coconut forms the very basis of life for many people, particularly in the Pacific area. Its liquid provides food and drink; the shell, domestic utensils and fiber; the leaves, thatch and plaiting. The wood is often the only available timber, and the sap bled from its bud produces a sweet drink, alcoholic beverages, and sugar syrup.
Because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and its good keeping quality, coconut oil was a principal ingredient of margarine and cooking and salad oils, as well as in soap and shampoo manufacture. Health concerns have reduced the use of saturated fats in foods, and use of coconut oil in edible products has declined. (Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, 1999, 5)
Philippines is the Top 1 among the coconut producing countries. For coconut is abundant in our country, it is popular for its culinary purposes, commercial, industrial, and household uses, and medical applications. Coconut shells with husks are used to buff wooden floors, making it clean and shiny (free from dusts). Here in the Philippines, it is known as “bunot”.
The husk and shells can be used for fuel and are a source of charcoal. (wikipedia.org)
Charcoal
Charcoal is a porous, solid product obtained when carbonaceous materials such as cellulose, wood, peat, or bituminous coal are partially burned in the absence of air. Charcoal was the chief fuel used in blast furnaces as well as in glassmaking, blacksmithing, and metalworking.
Wood charcoal was manufactured by constructing a dome-shaped mound, or “pit,” of stripped logs, stacked around a triangular wooden chimney. The mound was sealed with a coating of leaves and charcoal dust, and the chimney with kindling and ignited. After two weeks, the pit was raked out and the charcoal removed.
Although charcoal has been replaced by coke in blast furnaces and by natural gas and other materials, it is still used as an ingredient in black gunpowder. Highly porous activated wood and cellulose, charcoals are used as filtering agents to remove colors, tastes, and odors from gases or liquids. A coke is the residue of coal left after destructive distillation and used as fuel; also: a similar residue left by other materials (as petroleum) distilled to dryness. (Grolier Encylopedia, 1999, 4)
Carbonization
Carbonization is the process of carbonizing. It is a process by which solid residues with increasing content of the element carbon are formed from organic material. It is also compared to destructive distillation. It is the decomposition of a substance (as wood, coal, or oil) by heat in a closed container and collection of the volatile products produced.
For a high-temperature carbonizing process to be commercially satisfactory, it is necessary to (1) pass large quantities of heat into a mass of coal at temperatures up to 900° C or more, (2) extract readily the completed coke from the vessel in which it is carbonized, (3) avoid atmospheric pollution and arduous working conditions for the operators, and (4) carry out the whole operation on a large scale and at a low cost. A coke is the residue of coal left after destructive distillation and used as fuel; also: a similar residue left by other materials (as petroleum) distilled to dryness. (Encyclopedia Britannica CD, 1999, Standard Edition)
Coal Ember
An ember is a glowing, hot coal made of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material that remain after, or sometimes precede a fire. Embers can glow very hot, sometimes as hot as the fire which created them. They radiate a substantial amount of heat long after the fire has been extinguished, and if not taken care of properly can rekindle a fire that is thought to be completely extinguished and can pose a fire hazard. In order to avoid the danger of accidentally spreading a fire, many campers pour water on the embers or cover them in dirt.
They are often used for cooking, such as in charcoal barbecues. This is because embers radiate a more constant form of heat, as opposed to an open fire which is constantly changing along with the heat it radiates.
Advantages of coconut charcoal * Made of 100% sustainable natural resources - Environmentally-conscious initiative towards promoting a greener earth, while enjoying outdoor cooking. * Longer burn hours (over two times longer compared to traditional lump/wood charcoal) - Not only providing an economic advantage to users, but also less frequency and handling is needed to replenish charcoal during cooking. * Homogenous heat throughout - Cooking becomes more manageable and the food is cooked evenly. * Flameless - The absence of flames due to flare up from oil and fat drips on the charcoal during cooking will ensure that food is roasted, instead of burned; providing a healthy, mouth-watering appearance to the cooked food produced. * Odourless with no chemical additives - Helps preserve the natural flavours of the food without leaving any unwanted smell. * Minimal ash - Keeps the cooking area clean and requires less effort for clean-up. * Minimal sparks - Minimal to no sparks during lighting and cooking. * Requires less storage - Due to regular brick-shape of the charcoal and conveniently transported in a sturdy carton box. * Charcos coconut shell charcoal briquettes produce high heat and consistent temperatures, are odourless, have no chemical additives, are flameless and produce minimal ash. *
Not one tree is cut to produce Charcoscoconut shell charcoal because it is harvested from coconut husks and shells. A chemistry-free process throughout all steps of production ensures a superior quality of eco-friendly charcoal which helps preserve the natural flavours of your food without leaving any unwanted odour. *