Category Archives: Kilns

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PAPER: Under ideal conditions, burning biomass is GHG neutral.

Posted on: October 13, 2010

Written by: Jean Kim Chaix

Categories: Africa, Black Carbon, Carbon Offsets, Charcoal, Climate Change, Cookstoves, Energy Efficiency, Kilns, Policy, Studies


“If biomass is harvested in a sustainable way so that its long-term stocks are not depleted, and (it is) burned under ideal combustion conditions, it is effectively GHG (Greenhouse Gas) neutral.” from “Greenhouse Gas Implications of Household Energy Technology in Kenya.” American Chemical Society/Environmental Science & Technology. (2003) Authors: Rob Bailis, Majid Ezzati, and Daniel M. Kammen. The statement above would be music to the ears of solid biomass booster the world over were it not for one tiny, almost insignificant word: ideal. The lead-in to the full statement goes: “Under optimal conditions, biomass combustion results almost entirely in the … Continue reading →

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TANZANIA: Bank dishes out 1.5bn TzS for training of charcoal producers

Posted on: August 24, 2010

Written by: Jean Kim Chaix

Categories: Africa, Charcoal, Charcoal market, Kilns, News


Charcoal producers in Kisarawe and Rufiji districts, (Coast Region of Tanzania) have a reason to smile after Barclays Bank Tanzania Limited earmarked more than 1.5bn Tanzanian Shillings (USD 1,002,875 /  €768,746) to Dar es Salaam Charcoal Project (DCP) to train charcoal producers on how to cut down deforestation.

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Tanzania: Charcoal-making in five easy pieces

Posted on: August 24, 2010

Written by: Jean Kim Chaix

Categories: Africa, Biochar, Briquettes, Charcoal market, How-to, Kilns


We published last month an interview with Dennis Tessier of ARTI-TZ, a Tanzania-based non-profit working to promote the manufacturing and marketing of briquettes made from the char produced in improved charcoal kilns. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Tanzania’s forests are disappearing at a whopping rate of 4,200 square kilometers (1,620 sq. miles) annually. That’s about four times the size of New York City or  half the size of Virunga National Park in the DRC. In our Q&A with Dennis he mentioned ARTI-Tanzania’s Waste to Wealth (W2W) project and we wanted to find out more. Below … Continue reading →

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Can a Tanzanian venture spark a briquette revolution in Africa?

Posted on: August 3, 2010

Written by: Jean Kim Chaix

Categories: Africa, Briquettes, Charcoal market, Kilns, Poverty

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Everyone knows that telling people to voluntarily use less fossil fuels because CO2 emissions are harming the planet is a very weak motivator. But tell them they can save money, even make money, if they switch to a sustainable alternative fuels, THEN they start paying attention. In some ways, that’s what a Tanzanian non-profit is asking the country’s producers and consumers of wood and charcoal fuels to do: take biomass waste, convert it to briquettes using a simple mechanical process, and, voila, you’ve got yourself a cleaner burning, more environmentally friendly fuel for personal consumption or sale! ARTI – Tanzania … Continue reading →

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A kiln that boost crops, cuts CO2 emissions, and generate income? Now we’re talking!

Posted on: July 22, 2010

Written by: Jean Kim Chaix

Categories: Africa, Biochar, Briquettes, Charcoal market, Companies, Cost of biofuel, Kilns

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A scrappy four year-old startup thinks it can improve the livelihood of the world’s energy poor by converting 6 billion tons of agricultural farm waste produced annually in developing countries into sustainable biomass fuel (like briquettes or biodiesel, for example) and biochar, a valuable soil additive that can dramatically boost a farmer’s crop yields.

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