Agro Waste Valorization to Bio Briquettes as a Waste Management Approach

In sub-Saharan Africa, where vast amounts of agricultural residues remain underutilized, agro-waste valorization through bio briquettes production has emerged as a promising approach to addressing waste management, energy poverty and environmental degradation. The continent generates over 220 million tons of agricultural waste annually including rice husks, cocoa pods, cashew nut shells, maize cobs and peanut shells. This agrowaste through briquetting technology can convert into solid biofuels with the same heating capacity as coal. The physicochemical properties of bio briquettes depend on feedstock type and production parameters. Calorific values obtained for agro-based briquettes ranged between 16.8 MJ/kg and 29.42 MJ/kg, indicating competitive energy performance compared with traditional biomass fuels under 5 MPa compression pressure and 20% binder concentration. Process optimization indicated the critical importance of variables such as particle size, pressure, temperature and binder type in determining briquette durability, combustion efficiency and storage stability. Emerging digital technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) offer new opportunities for feedstock mapping, process monitoring and quality optimization. Beyond energy generation, agro-waste briquetting supports circular economy principles by reducing open burning of agricultural residues, lowering pressure on forest resources used for charcoal production and creating additional income streams for rural communities.