Youth Action Fund|

I have always tied my aspiration to solving climate change through my business ideas. This is where Pyro Pulse was born. Pyro Pulse is an enterprise with the idea to burn biomass and turn it into biochar. Initially, I was disturbed by this concept. How could burning biomass help prevent the climate crisis when it would seemingly produce pollution and exacerbate global warming? To my surprise, I was wrong. The project’s uniqueness was that it could turn waste biomass into biochar and prevent the carbon from releasing into the atmosphere. This concept attracted me so much that I wrote a proposal and applied for a grant from Purak Asia. Through guidance from Purak Asia, I had the good fortune to bring my venture to life.

Design and Working:

For our project, we deployed a Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) stove design, capable of consuming a quintal of biomass and producing around 25 kg of biochar in a smokeless manner. We filled the kiln with biomass and ignited it from the top. The bottom layer of biomass can be thick wood or coconut shells but the upper layer needs materials that can be easily ignited. As the fire progressed, we continued adding more biomass. At the end of the burn, the kiln yielded biochar. We cooled it by gradually sprinkling water, separating the unburnt pieces, and drying the biochar in the sun to prevent it from turning into ash. Finally, we crushed the charcoal into a powdered form using a grinder, which was then used to create finished products.

Making Briquettes:

We mixed the powdered biochar with thick-boiled flour in an 8:1 ratio by volume. The mixture was placed into molds and pressed to shape the briquettes. Since biochar lacks good binding properties, flour was used to hold the briquettes together. For cost efficiency, expired flour sourced from the market was used. The wet briquettes were then sun-dried for two days to produce lightweight, easily combustible briquettes suitable for barbecues. The briquettes were tested and sold, producing a smokeless fire that was commercially well-received in barbecues.

Making Soap:

The biochar was further pulverized into sufficiently small particles to avoid pricking the skin. We then mixed the powdered biochar with melted soap base in a 1:10 ratio by volume and poured the mixture into silicone molds to dry. The resulting soap produced ample lather and provided effective cleansing. Due to its porous nature, the biochar effectively absorbs dirt and impurities from the skin.

Making Fertilizers:

We mixed the crushed biochar with compost and cow urine and left it in a closed container for a week, allowing the porous biochar to absorb the nutrients. The resulting fertilizer promoted better plant growth in three tested samples. In the long term, we expect biochar to improve soil structure, aeration, and water-holding capacity.

Key Insights from the Project

This design was useful in making biochar at a cottage industry level. However, for basic home use of cooking easily, efficiently, and smoke-free, the same TLUD stove design was tweaked a little to get a rocket stove. Such stoves would also yield biochar at the end. We conducted two workshops to train locals of Krishnanagar-7(Kapilvastu) and Chisapani(Synagja) in using rocket stoves available in the market. Through these workshops, we also raised awareness among locals and farmers about the use of biochar as fertilizer, soap, and briquettes. In Malepatan(Pokhara-5, Kaski), where this project was based, we went from field to field to talk with farmers on the use of biochar. Not everyone is convinced of its use as fertilizer, but we are constantly pursuing ways to convince them as this business model needs its raw materials from them as well.

Among the business models we implemented, producing briquettes was a carbon-neutral process, utilizing the entire biomass that would otherwise have been burned. In contrast, making soap and fertilizer were carbon-negative processes, as they retained the carbon without burning it. For any new product to sell successfully, it must offer value and be familiar to customers. While the briquettes and soap we produced were easy to sell, farmers were still hesitant to adopt biochar as a fertilizer.

Charting a Path Forward

In our journey, we gained valuable lessons that could help anyone starting an enterprise in biochar. Sourcing the biomass for the project could be a significant challenge as farmers could be reluctant to contribute the biomass from their fields. For this, a possible source could be coconut shells from the market. The heat generated during the burn process could be better utilized, for instance, to run an alternative business like soap making or heating water for daily use during winter. Production of activated carbon can be coupled with the project, which requires further processing but offers a much higher-value product. This form of biochar could find commercial applications in beauty products and filtration systems. Careful consideration must be taken in the production of soap and activated carbon as those require high-quality biochar, which necessitated the use of properly designed stoves instead of the traditional method of burning biochar in pits dug into the ground, as the pits often mixed soil with the biochar, reducing its quality. Along with these challenges, our environmentally conscious enterprise has equipped me with the skills to produce and sell biochar at any time. I can earn a profit while contributing to saving the planet, a truly rewarding endeavor.

Forest Waste and Agricultural Residue Collection
Loading Biomass into TLUD Kiln
Burning of Biomass in TLUD Stove
Powdered Form of Biochar
Locally made Mold to make Briquettes
Briquettes Made from Biochar
Soap made from Biochar
Workshop in Krishnanagar
Workshop in Chisapani
Saugat Baral

Saugat Baral is an electrical engineer working as a Robotics Workshop Organizer at Karyashala and serves as the Alumni Ambassador for Engineers Without Borders Nepal.

This article is a product of the Youth Action Fund – Insights to Social Impact, an initiative supported by Purak Asia. The Youth Action Fund is a four-month fellowship program designed to empower young individuals to implement innovative solutions addressing critical societal challenges. The program focuses on themes such as Sustainable Future, Effective Governance, and Alternative Approaches to Rural Economic Issues. It provides essential support and guidance to youth-led initiatives, encouraging their efforts to establish social enterprises and develop creative solutions for governance and sustainability challenges.

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