Briquette, charcoal substituting traditional fuel in N-dists

NILPHAMARI, Feb 14: New technology has been explored to make new dependable fuel as substitute to LPG, kerosene and firewood. The new found fuels are charcoal and briquette. Now the use of charcoal and briquette is gaining popularity in household and commercial cooking in Nilphamari and its neighbouring districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur and so on.

Technology of making these two kinds of fuels is different. Charcoal is made by using rice husk as raw material in a machine run by electricity, made locally in Syedpur's small engineering workshops and briquette is made in factories using coal dust and arrowroot as raw material.

These new found fuel is cheap in comparison to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene. Sources said nearly Tk 80000 and 50000 is needed to establish a charcoal factory and briquette factory respectively. Both the fuels are sold at a price of Tk 300 per maund (40 kg) the price which is equal to the price of firewood.

As the quality of fire and degree of heat derived from these new fuel is better and environment friendly more and more people are inclining towards these fuel. Sources said the increase in the use of these new found fuels would ultimately decrease the destruction of trees for making firewood culminating in providing friendly environment.

While contacted Abdus Sattar a roadside small tea shop owner of Nilphamari municipality said he used firewood earlier but now hi is using charcoal as fuel as it is easily available. Transport friendly and its quality of fire is better than that of firewood.

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