Biomass is one of the most powerful alternate energy sources whose potential has so not been exploited. The strongest point in its favor is uninterrupted supply if properly managed. It is expected that biomass energy can easily replace at least 25% (10 - 15 % by fuel wood alone) of the energy budget on global level and 40% in India.
 

In India, an atleast 200 million tonne of agricultural waste is available. Even if 50% of this is utilised in gasification, it will be equivalent to 10,000 MW of power generator capacity or 300 million barrels of oil per year. In hilly areas, agricultural waste, forestry residue as barks, dry leaves, shrubs and herbs, are available in large quantities and can be easily converted to fuel through controlled burning or pyrolysis. This fuel has a high calorific value, low ash content and no smoke. The fuel can be converted to briquettes, which can be easily transported from one place to another. The conversion of waste biomass to fuel briquettes is step by step process. First char is derived in a device known as pyroliser through controlled combustion.

Energy plays a crucial role in the rural economy. Fuel mix used for domestic cooking is characterized by dominance of bio fuels, including wood and non-wood biomass, agro-residues and to a large extent cow dung. The energy resources are extremely stressed due to over exploitation and very poor efficiency of utilization. The energy consumption per capita has a large share of renewable energy compared to commercial forms of fuel, which are not presently affordable. The renewable sources are primarily wood and cow dung. Overuse of wood has led to deforestation.
 

The TARA briquetting technology is designed as a complete package.

The input is woody biomass material ; the output is clean fuel - TARA Charcoal briquettes. Set of the equipment consists of the following :

1. Drum pyroliser

2. Grinder

3. Briquetting extruder or press

4. Tools and accessories
 

The biomass material is chopped into manageable portions, upto 10 cm in length and dried. A pyroliser, either drum or beehive type, is used for converting the dry biomass into charcoal. The pyroliser is ignited after loading biomass. As soon as open flames are observed, fresh biomass is added. This process is continued till the pyroliser is full and the biomass is seen to be burning properly. At this stage, the top lid is firmly secured leaving small openings for the smoke to escape. The smoke gradually reduces as the carbonization progresses. Upon completion of carbonization, the pyroliser is sealed and left undisturbed for cooling.

The cooled char is finely ground, mixed with binder and an appropriate quantity of water so that cohesion is observed in the mixture. This material is fed into the TARA briquetting extruder which continuously produces briquettes. The briquetting mass is cut into equal pieces using the cutter provided with the extruder.
 

TARA charcoal briquettes are compact solid or hollow, cylindrical in shape and upto 50 mm in length. The briquette design can be varied according to speed of burning required, the initial aroma of smoke needed and on the basis of heat content. The briquettes are easy to ignite and provide an excellent heating medium with very little smoke or volatiles.

The TARA briquettes have the following positive features :