Biofuel briquettes open a world of opportunities

Smurfit Kappa helps to produce biofuel briquettes, an innovative and environmentally friendly fuel for heating boilers and cooking stoves.

Smurfit Kappa in Colombia, Gases de Occidente and the training organisation, Centro de Capacitación Don Bosco have joined forces on a local project for the production of biofuel briquettes.

By using forestry residues from local trees such as pine and Eucalyptus trees and the stumps of coffee plants as raw material for these biofuel briquettes multiple sustainability objectives were realised.

The project generates employment and income for the community, prevents logging of natural forests and recycles waste products.  

A thirty centimetres briquette can generate heat for six hours.

The briquettes are also an innovative and environmentally friendly fuel for heating boilers and cooking stoves.

Most raw materials come from the forestry plantations of Smurfit Kappa Cartón de Colombia. The coffee stumps are supplied by local farmers. The production plant for the biofuel briquettes is located in Santander de Quilichao and the necessary machinery was donated from Switzerland.