Complete Guide to Coal Briquette Production:Raw Materials, Process & Equipment
What is a Coal Briquette?
A coal briquette is a solid fuel block made from coal powder, slag, or biomass (such as charcoal, straw, etc.). During production, binders such as starch or clay are often added, or briquettes can be formed directly using a high-pressure coal briquette machine.
Coal briquettes come in various shapes and sizes and can also be customized.
Why Choose Coal Briquettes?
Burning loose coal powder or slag produces a lot of dust. Compressed briquettes are typically 20%-40% more expensive than loose coal.
Waste materials from coal mines, steel plants, and charcoal processing—such as coal gangue, coal powder, and carbon residue—can be converted into high-value briquette fuel. This approach reduces dust and air pollution, aligns with global energy transition and environmental policies, and represents a high-potential industry project.
Advantages Compared to Traditional Loose Coal
| Metric | Coal Briquette | Loose Coal |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Utilization | 85%-90% (complete combustion) | 60%-70% (prone to slag & dust) |
| Transportation Cost | Low (compact, minimal loss) | High (prone to spillage, needs dust control) |
| Storage Safety | Moisture-resistant, low self-ignition risk (high density) | Easy to get damp, risk of self-ignition |
Applications of Coal Briquettes
By efficiently using waste materials and reducing emissions, coal briquettes have been successfully applied across households, industry, and environmental protection as a superior alternative to traditional fuels:
- Home heating: replaces loose coal or firewood in stoves and fireplaces.
- Outdoor BBQ charcoal: made from a mixture of coal and charcoal powder for smokeless performance.
- Industrial boiler fuel: high-calorie briquettes provide stable heat.
- Metallurgical auxiliary fuel: improves furnace temperature stability.
- Biomass briquettes: mix straw, sawdust, and other waste materials to aid carbon neutrality.
- Mine environmental management: convert coal gangue, coal powder, and other waste into briquettes.
Producing High-Quality, High-Calorie Coal Briquettes
Using a coal briquette machine makes production easy, but raw material selection and preparation are crucial.
Basic Coal Powder Requirements
| Parameter | Ideal Range | Impact on Briquette |
|---|---|---|
| Volatile Matter | 15%-30% | Too high burns too fast; too low hard to ignite |
| Ash Content | ≤15% | High ash lowers calorific value and increases residue |
| Fixed Carbon | ≥50% | Determines calorific value; higher content means longer burn |
| Sulfur | ≤1% | Reduces SOx emissions; environmentally friendly |
| Moisture | 8%-12% | Too low makes forming difficult, extra drying required |
| Particle Size | 80%-90% passing 80-200 mesh | Suitable for briquette formation |
Coal Moisture
Moisture content is critical for forming. Different briquette machines require specific moisture levels; ensure raw materials meet equipment requirements.
Coal Binders
Binders improve briquette formation, strength, and combustion performance. They are key additives in coal briquette production.
Types of Binders
Organic Binders
- Examples: starch, molasses, lignin, asphalt
- Pros: nearly ash-free combustion, ideal for high-purity fuels (like BBQ charcoal)
- Cons: high cost (5%-15% of raw material)
Inorganic Binders
- Examples: bentonite, lime, cement, clay
- Pros: low cost (2%-8% of raw material), high-temperature resistance
- Cons: increases ash content, leaves residue after burning
Composite Binders
- Example combinations: starch + bentonite, lignin + lime
- Pros: customizable based on coal or biomass type
Binder-Free Process (High-Pressure Direct Briquetting)
For export or high environmental standards, high-pressure coal briquette presses can form briquettes without binders.
Common Coal Briquette Equipment
1. Coal Briquette Machine
Designed to compress coal powder, charcoal powder, dust, sludge, coal gangue, coke powder, peat, coking coal, and other powdered materials into briquettes. Finished briquettes are mainly used as fuel.
Features and Advantages
- Briquette shapes: round, oval, or cubic
- EP briquette rollers achieve over 95% compression rate; finished briquette hardness: 75-90 kg/cm²
- Output: 1-25 tons/hour
Finished Briquettes
Finished briquettes from coal briquette machine
2. Hydraulic Coal Briquette Machine
Applies higher pressure than ordinary briquette machines. Low moisture content coal powder and low/no binder content are suitable.
Hydraulic press and coal briquettes
Features and Advantages
- Briquette shapes: square, round, oval, cylindrical, bread shape, pillow shape, etc. Custom shapes available
- Equipped with hydraulic system for stable high pressure; suitable for coal, coke, DRI, mineral powders
- Output: 1-35 tons/hour
Customizable Hydraulic Briquette Mold
3. Coal Briquette Extruder
Also called charcoal/coal block forming machine. Uses screw extrusion to mix coal/charcoal powder and binders into high-strength blocks of various shapes.
Coal briquette extruder
Features and Advantages
- Block shapes: stick-shaped (BBQ charcoal), cube-shaped (hookah charcoal)
- High density, smooth surface, uniform length
- Output: 400-500 kg/hour; 800-1000 kg/hour
Briquettes Produced by Extruder
Coal briquettes produced by extruder
4. Honeycomb Coal Briquette Machine | Perforated Coal/Charcoal Press
Produces honeycomb or cubic-shaped coal/charcoal blocks with interchangeable molds.
Honeycomb & perforated coal briquette machine
Features and Advantages
- Shapes: hexagonal and cylindrical briquettes
- HSMQ series suitable for single machines or large production lines
- Output: 3,000-5,000 pieces/hour
Finished Honeycomb Briquettes
Honeycomb coal briquettes produced by perforated machine
5. Solid Round Coal Briquette Machine
Ideal for producing coal briquettes with high pressure, low/no binder, similar to hydraulic briquette machines.
Solid round coal briquette machine
Features and Advantages
- Shapes: cylindrical, hexagonal prism, square prism, etc.
- Reinforced water-cooled circulation system for continuous operation
- One machine covers multiple uses and raw materials; forming and briquetting in a single machine
- Output: 8mm: 800 kg/h; 10-22mm: 0.9-1.2 t/h; 70-75mm: 1.2-1.5 t/h
Briquettes Produced by Solid Round Machine
Coal briquettes produced by solid round briquette machine
