Most European countries have long realized that it is unreasonable to burn whole wood when it is possible to rationally use waste in its production. As a result, a new fuel was created, effective and convenient to use - briquettes for heating. Reviews about this material are only good, because it is convenient to store and transport, in addition, you can significantly save on energy costs.
What is so special?
Briquettes are an environmentally friendly type of fuel, because it is obtained without the addition of various chemicals and adhesives. The natural basis and contributes to the wide distribution of this material. The second important point - when burning briquettes, no harmful substances are released that can affect the state of man and nature as a whole.
Due to the small amount of sulfur contained in them, pollutants are not formed during the combustion of biomass. The briquettes for heating received good reviews and due to the fact that they are easy to ignite, they burn for a long time (twice as long as wood).
Thirdly, it is much easier and safer to feed such material into the furnace than to use non-briquetted waste. Fourth, sparks do not form during combustion, which also indicates a high level of safety.
The consumption of briquettes for heating is small, which means that you can save on energy costs. So, in view of the greater combustion efficiency, very little ash is formed in the furnace of the boiler, moreover, it can be used as potash fertilizer. In addition, briquettes will not self-ignite at high temperatures, since they do not have hidden pores.
Peat briquettes
Peat briquettes for heating reviews are numerous and good. To create them, dried and pressed peat is used. The process of their manufacture involves drying and pressing under the influence of high pressure. As a result, the raw materials are compressed into small briquettes, which are easy to transport and store. You can use such fuel when heating the house with stoves, boilers, fireplaces, as well as for lighting a fire.
Positive properties of peat briquettes
Peat briquettes for heating, reviews of which are mostly positive, have the following advantages.
- High heat dissipation.
- Long burning.
- Ease of use, because the product is already ready for use.
- The ash that forms after combustion can be used as phosphate or lime fertilizer.
Peat briquettes for heating are a profitable alternative to ordinary solid wood, while you do not have to think about logging, which takes a lot of time.
Coal briquettes
Another popular type of raw material for heating is coal briquettes. This is fossil fuel obtained from pressed coal screenings. First, the material is crushed, then pressed, and binders are added. This approach makes it possible to obtain coal briquettes convenient for use for heating. In accordance with European standards, this fuel is a smokeless compound, in addition, it meets the requirements of environmental safety. For information, on the basis of coal briquettes you can even cook food!
Positive properties of coal briquettes
The use of this type of raw material is absolutely safe, since carbon monoxide is not emitted during combustion . It is no coincidence that coal briquettes for heating are widely used in home and country heating based on various types of systems: boilers, stoves. The distinctive features of raw materials include:
- high density;
- low moisture content;
- control of fuel consumption and combustion service;
- due to the complete combustion of the product , all thermal energy is released into the room, respectively, it will be possible to warm the house much faster;
- ease of transportation, during which the material is not crushed;
- during combustion, only ash is formed, which is easily removed.
All these positive properties explain the popularity of such material as coal briquettes for heating. Reviews often mention the availability of material.
Wood briquettes
This fuel has a cylindrical shape and a characteristic color. Briquettes are created on the basis of wood processing industry waste - sawdust, dead wood, shavings and substandard materials. The waste is first heated and then pressed under high pressure. As a result, natural lingin glue is released, due to which the material becomes stronger, becomes resistant to deformation. In addition, this type of heating material has the following features.
- Low humidity - only 10% (compared to 40-60% of ordinary solid wood).
- Heating efficiency.
- Uniform and constant density, while in ordinary wood it depends on the type of wood.
- When burning fuel cells do not spark, emitting a minimum amount of smoke. The burning process lasts at least 4 hours.
- After combustion of the briquettes, coals are formed, which can also be used as raw materials for ignition.
- Environmental Safety. Wood briquettes for heating (reviews are very common), when burned, they emit 50% less carbon dioxide.
- Due to the correct form, such firewood will take up little space, while they can be transported with maximum convenience (reviews also say this).
Forms of fuel briquettes
This raw material for heating is available in several varieties. So, round briquettes are made in the form of a cylinder, have a diameter of 60-90 mm and a length of up to 350 mm. For their production, mechanical or hydraulic high pressure presses are used. Fuel briquettes in the form of bricks are also made from sawdust, wood chips, and harmful chemicals are not added to them. In the form of a polyhedron, briquettes of the pin-kei type are made, which have a dark crust and a hole in the center. These varieties are not only pressed, but also fired, thereby becoming stronger and more resistant to moisture. Such euro-woods look modern, but they are more expensive. As a rule, they are bought for heating fireplaces, because the pin-key is very beautiful.
Features of the technological process
Fuel briquettes are a modern material that has great prospects. Due to their compactness, environmental friendliness and ease of use, they are becoming increasingly popular, and the production of briquettes for heating is a profitable business. This raw material is effective because it burns longer and warms the room longer because the heat is released continuously. When they burn, there is practically no smoke. Briquettes with a through hole in the middle contribute to better fuel combustion. The use of this material is advisable in those countries where climatic conditions are severe.
Production of briquettes for heating is based on the following equipment:
- a machine for grinding wood waste;
- press;
- a machine that packs finished products.
There are also automated lines for the production of briquettes, while the variety of equipment allows you to optimize this process, which is simple.
Firebox Features
As we have already said, ease of use and accessibility are the main indicators that distinguish briquettes for heating. Reviews of them focus on high quality combustion. The heating process is also simple, especially if wood briquettes are used - they are simply laid in the oven. When creating peat products, they first get rid of moisture, and then undergo grinding.
During briquetting, the material undergoes compression, as a result of which the substances contained in the wood are released, bind the material into a single piece. Under high temperature, moisture evaporates from the wood, however, if this takes place too intensely, so-called steam pockets can form. That is, the material will expand, which means that the briquette will collapse.
Can I make briquettes myself?
It is quite possible to create briquettes for heating with your own hands, especially if you have access to free sawdust or other woodworking waste. At the same time, you will get environmentally friendly, and most importantly, cheap raw materials for heating your home or summer house. By the way, for the manufacture of eurodrods, you can use not only wood chips and sawdust, but also husk, straw and many other improvised materials.
As a binder component for future briquettes, clay can be used at the rate of: 1 kg of clay - 10 kg of the material itself. To make the resulting briquettes convenient to store, you should give them a certain shape, for example, using home-made forms from boards.
Do-it-yourself briquettes for heating are created as follows.
- We take a container where we pour in advance prepared consumables, clay and water. The mass should be well sculpted.
- Pour the resulting solution into the mold.
- Press it thoroughly.
- Sushim.
To make briquettes stronger, you can cover each product with paper, rags, and then press it.
What is the price?
How much do briquettes cost for heating? Euro-wood (namely wood briquettes) are very popular just because their purchase will be cheaper. For comparison: 1 m 3 of briquettes will require 5 m 3 of birch firewood. In this case, the cost will be 5500 rubles against 7000 rubles for ordinary firewood. Why is it saving? Firstly, the costs of logging, its delivery to the facility, cutting and splitting are not required. Briquettes are created, as already mentioned, from waste wood in the factory (and even with your own hands, if there is something) and do not require large transportation costs, since they take up little space.
On the other hand, many say that peat-based fuel briquettes are only good advertising; in fact, buying them is not profitable. You can bring the following table, which will reveal the features of peat products and ordinary birch firewood.
Comparative characteristics | Peat briquettes | Birch firewood |
Features of kindling | Melt equally well with paper or birch bark |
Combustion | Burn slowly, the inner layers do not ignite until they burn out the top layer | Burn well and evenly |
Flame | Ugly and small | Decorative flame |
Heat | Heat is released a little, vigorous burning is noted if the briquettes are placed vertically | When burning heat a lot |
Burning time | Briquettes burn for a long time - about 2 hours | Firewood burns out after an hour |
Storage | Take up little space | It takes a lot of space |
Firewood preparation | Already ready thanks to the standard form fit well in the oven | It is necessary to split, observing the dimensions of the furnace |
Ash amount | After burning the briquettes, about 2% of the ash remains | After burning wood ash about 10% |
What is the result?
It turns out that peat-based fuel briquettes burn longer than birch firewood, and if you want a beautiful flame (for example, in a fireplace), then the pressed material will definitely not suit you. And to maintain warmth in the room for a long time, this modern material is best suited.
What do customers say?
The feedback from those who already use various types of fuel briquettes can be summarized as follows.
- It is an economical and environmentally friendly type of fuel that is popular in Europe. Using it, you can heat both apartments and country houses. Thanks to the thoughtful production of sawdust, briquettes do not deform, they are simply transported and show good thermal insulation characteristics.
- Another review suggests that in cottage villages in many houses they switch to heating precisely with briquettes, pressed from birch dust, which remains from sanding plywood. In terms of efficiency, this method of heating does not come out cheaper, but higher heat transfer justifies the high cost. In addition, the briquettes are completely dry, little smoke is generated during their combustion, and it is much more convenient to use such firewood. The only minus is that high-quality storage is required, since eurodries quickly damp under the open sky.
- Briquette heating, many users say, is really convenient and simple. The cost of fuel depends on which raw material briquettes were made from.