Introduction: Paper + Sunflower Seed Husk Fuel Briquettes

This instructable is a direct continuation of this one, so I recomend to go there and read atleast read the intro part, because I'm too lazy to copy it here.

Basicaly it's about making fire/fuel briquettes by compressing mix of paper pulp and sunflower seed husk, so without further ado...

Step 1:

If you consume sunflower seeds regularly, you'll be surprised, how much of a husk you can collect if not thowing it out with garbage. I started to collect sunflower seed husk because I'm going to use it as a substrate for growing mushrooms. But for this experiment I used some amount.

I'm aware that there's industrially produced sunflower seed husk fuel briquettes. Also by looking up some tables I discovered that this material has equal (if not higher) to dry wood amount of energy producet by burning one unit of weight (I don't know correct term for this, even more in English).

So the idea is simple: paper mash acts as binder and fuel as itself and husk is a fuel additive that can not be used by itself (well... it can, but you know, what I mean).

I've already got paper soaked for a few days. This time it's corrugatet cardboard. I was interested in investigating how different types of paper perform with this particular task (making brickets with them), so I sortet them. I'll make my conclusions on this in later instructables.

Step 2:

I'm talking abot my set up and tools used in my previous instructable, so, once again, go there to look it up.

I'm adding husks to the paper and blending it all up with construction mixer. Rough proportions to aim for are 60% of paper mash, and 40% of husks.

Step 3:

I'm pouring the mix into the bucket so that I'm able to use scoop, and with it I'm filling then press container, measuring equial ammount for every briquette.

Step 4:

The press I'm using is regular juice press. There a couple of thing I can tell about using it for these porpouses and all of them are in that previous instructable.

You can see how compressed briquette looks like.

Step 5:

Now it'll take 1-2 weeks of Summer days for it to dry.

Paper + sawdust and paper + wood shavings briquettes are also there.

Step 6:

By the way, dryed corncobs are fuel too...

So, this it for now, thanks for your attention and have a nice... I don't know... something.