[ad_1]
Kathmandu. What fuel is used in the kitchen to cook? Most people living in the city have an answer – gas. Some say it is electricity. Because the number of people using induction cookers and infrared cookers has also increased.
But these are imported tools. The cost is rising and you have to pay taxes to bring them into Nepal. But did you know that we can also use fuel sources like Bicrete to light our home stoves? It is not imported, it is made in Nepal. The cost is also lower. Not only that, it is also environmentally friendly.
But the irony is that despite its versatility, this industry has failed to thrive.
What are coal briquettes?
Briquette is a fuel prepared by burning vegetation, rice husks, wood chips, waste leaves and other wastes from forests. It comes in two sizes. The small size is called pellets and the large size is called briquette.
Sushil Gyawali, president of the Bioenergy Professionals Association, said it is the latest alternative energy source. It is not that difficult to prepare. “You don’t need to mix any chemicals to make it. No large machines are needed, the leaves and husks are dried and ground with machines. The extracted dust is made into briquette particles. Briquettes are made by removing the cooling control,” he said, “This tool is environmentally friendly and cheap. But the market is not booming yet.
Briquettes are not only used in village stoves, but now also in big restaurants in cities. It is an alternative energy source. Experts say we should not rely on natural gas if we want to increase its use.
When to use?
According to Jawali, briquettes are used in large quantities in our home kitchens, big hotels, restaurants, gold and silver jewellery making workshops, paper mills, brick kilns, tea factories, dairies and other places where food is frequently cooked.
Jawari said briquettes, which were previously used only for baking newborns and heating rooms, are now used not only in homes but also in hotels, restaurants, industrial and commercial establishments.
Popular around the world, New content in Nepal
Gyawali said briquettes are just something new for Nepal. Briquettes have been used for a long time in the US, European countries and India. In countries like Nepal, the raw materials used to make briquettes go to waste, but briquettes are new.
“The world is recognizing and making full use of the wasted leaves in Nepal. But in countries like Nepal, which have huge forests, it is not being utilized properly,” he said.
Briquettes started in Nepal but failed to gain traction. When the Indian embargo led to a severe shortage of cooking gas, briquettes became a reliable alternative.
Due to the shortage of cooking gas and fuel caused by the embargo, the production and demand of briquettes increased. Because of this, the briquette industry, though small, started to pick up speed. But marketing had not happened yet.
“The embargo imposed by India also shows how much we depend on other countries,” he said.
One briquette can cook a meal for a family of four. But it is not used much for domestic purposes as it is not marketable. Currently, the industries in the Terai region are marketing it.
It is manufactured from Jhapa to Kanchhapur. Slowly, its industry is gaining momentum. Gyawali said that research is also being conducted on the use of briquettes and their improvement.
Its potential in Nepal
said Dr. Krishnaraj Shrestha, Director, Centre for Energy and Environment.
There are more than 18,000 community forests in Nepal and it costs 5-6 lakh rupees every year to clear the underbrush in these community forests. If these discarded waste can be used to make charcoal and briquettes, on the contrary, millions of rupees will be earned and local jobs will be created, which will not only help reduce environmental pollution but also help improve people’s living conditions. The forests will also be improved. Shrestha said.
Coal briquettes have also started to be used to manage old currency notes. Nepal Rastra Bank has been using coal briquettes to manage old and washed currency notes.
Gyawali said that the notes deemed unfit for circulation are being burnt and destroyed, made into small pieces using machines and briquettes are produced using automation technology.
Likewise, the main cause of forest fires can be considered as lack of bush management. If it is used properly, fire incidents will also reduce, Gyawali said.
“Since briquettes are a source of clean fuel, their use can also reduce pollution,” he said.
According to Neeraj Bomb, respiratory and asthma specialist at Tripi Teaching Hospital, Dr. It does not contain any chemical substances like gas, so there is a respiratory risk. Therefore, the government should encourage such products.
The smoke caused chronic asthma in the mother and sisters in the village who cooked with wood. If the briquettes could be brought into the kitchen, it seemed that the risk of health problems caused by the smoke would be reduced. “Such products should definitely be promoted,” Bam said.
Bame takes action, government imposes restrictions
Gyawali said the government was trying to curb the production of briquettes, which had recently been shifted to Bame, by imposing value-added tax (VAT).
“The budget also introduced VAT on these items and the recently emerged forest product based briquette and pellet businesses have been shut down,” he said.
He said consumers who were unable to get gas or were forced to use briquettes were frustrated.
[ad_2]
Source link
