Different Types of Briquettes
Nearly everyone knows about the charcoal briquettes used in grilling and barbecuing. These are commonplace and can be found in any grocery store. They are usually packaged to be used for cooking only. However, there are several types of briquettes available for cooking and heating.
The charcoal that is ordinarily used in home barbecue cooking is made by heating wood in the absence of oxygen. The resulting chunks of material are lightweight and porous. They are also soft, yet brittle. They are mostly made up of carbon. The charcoal is often made into briquettes.
Henry Ford invented charcoal briquettes. To make them, producers compress charcoal with a binder such as starch. The charcoal for these briquettes is typically made from sawdust and other by-products of wood. If this is wood scrap that is left over from other projects, it is especially environmentally friendly. It does not require chopping down new trees.
While charcoal briquettes (briketts) are typically used for outdoor cooking, there are some countries where the briquettes have been used for indoor cooking. Burning charcoal indoors has become a part of the culture of many countries. It is the way they prepare their food in many cases.
This is very dangerous because poisonous carbon monoxide is formed as the briquettes burn. A good system of ventilation is needed if charcoal cooking is to be done indoors. When this warning is not heeded, people can become very sick.
There are actually briquettes that are made of coal itself. It is usually brown coal that has been dried. It is extruded into blocks which are then used both for industry and for homes. However, coal is used little for home heating in the US anymore. It is used in some power plants that are close to the coal source.
Another type of briquettes can be found in Ireland. These are peat briquettes. They are used by themselves or as a starter for coal. These types of briquettes can be used for heating a slow burning fire, or for barbecues. They are second only to coal as a solid fuel in Ireland.
Biomass briquettes are yet another type. They are made of waste found on farms. They can also be made out of urban waste such as paper. They are often used in furnaces and boilers in large industrial plants. India is a leader in using biomass briquettes in industry. These briquettes are a totally renewable energy source, and they are environmentally friendly.
A completely different type of briquette is only similar in its name and its shape. It is a briquette of plant protection products. This is made into a briquette so that the active ingredients will be released slowly into the soil. In fact, any product that is pressed or extruded to form a pillow of soft, lightweight, brittle material is usually called a briquette.
Yet, when people think of briquettes, they almost always think of a fuel source. Charcoal, peat, and biomass briquettes all fill the bill. People use these types of briquettes to heat their homes, cook their food, and run their industrial plants. |
