ZICORD Energy Technology : ZET is a brand for making machinery and tools for production of briquette fuels.  They can be best use for converting waste materials of agriculture, forestry, municipals into fuel at low cost, less  infrastructure and less drudgery.

2.  Briquette  is densified fuel made from a proportionate mixture of char-powder and clay with water as moisturizer. It is a round shape of perforated beehibe block having 19 holes in a diameter of 15 cm X 8 cm by height. The fuel while burning  produces blue flames at 500 C for 2 – 3 hours  ( calorific value   is 18-20 MJ/kg or 3000—7000  Kcal ). The carbon emission is 0.1—0.05 per  cake of 650 grams which can reduce annual GHG emission by 2920 kg per household . (ICAR-NE-Hills).

It is mainly used to meet  basic livelihood needs of cooking and heating indoors  as an alternative to timber split woods .

Briquette fuel is approved technology of  DST, GoI . But ZET is a modified model suitable to community adaptability of rural villages for micro enterprise.

The use of briquette fuel  saves fuel wood, LPG and electricity use.  The technology is promising for Community development projects of Watershed, Forestry, NRLM, MGNREG, Energy and Climate Change.
3. ZET  machine & tools :
a) Biomass grinder: Biomass crushing box 9” diameter x 9”, 1/2 HP-1 RMP 1425, Single phase, Made of  metal 15x23X16” for grinding & threshing char particles,  paddy & maize. Capacity-150 kg/hr.

b) Pyrolyser : ( Capacity 30 kg/diem/hr by 2-4 kgs biomass heating, Made of 14 gaze metal sheet-3×2.6” drum, Triangle stand with bearing handles, ).

c) Briquette press: Hydolic jack press – 19 cylindrical holes & pegs,   Made of  16 gauze metalsheet, weight 3 kg, Capacity 20 cakes/hour.

d) Hydrolic briquetter:  Hand steering/ jacking – Capacity 20 cakes/ hour,  2 feet stand, made of h/q metal).

e) Cook stoves: (Double deck for two fuel cakes  , size 9”x9” cylinderical, Burner pouch, Capacity- rice 4 -6 kg cooking,  temperature 500*C, made of 16 gaze galvanized sheet).

f) Grill heater: Single cake grill heater, Burner pouch, made of  metal .

 g) Briquette cake: (Round shape, beehives cakes,  diameter 15 X 12  Cm, easy to ignite / burn.

4. Production  process:

a) Biomass powdering: Chipping and shredding biomass and clay separately to powdery form in   power operated grinder.

b)   Pyrolysis : Charring / roasting  biomass powder to coal at 300 – 400 *C in an oven for removal of carbon content.

(c) Mixturise powders:  Mixing 80% coal powder with 20% clay powder and moisturies with water (5%).

(d)  Briquetting: Compacting the mixture in a moulder press to a beehive block  of  cake.

(e) Fuel cake drying:  Dry the cakes for 5—7 days  or  till 650 gams  by weight.

(f) Fuel ignition:  Gently place  the fuelcake in the stove pouch.  Put  20 – 40 grams of twig-mesh  inside the stove pouch and burn till the bottom of the cake gets ignited .

5. Sources of Raw Materials and Calorific value:

6. Economy of Fuel cake production

Gross Income Rs. 3,36,000/- per year at 80% capacity utilization.