How to Make Charcoal From Sawdust

Processing sawdust into charcoal is a widely used method for recycling sawdust. Sawdust refers to the fine wood particles that are generated during wood processing. In sawmills and furniture factories, waste wood in the form of sawdust, wood chips, shavings, and other residues often accumulate. This waste wood, commonly known as leftovers, can be transformed into charcoal through a series of processes.

To prepare the sawdust for further production, the first step is to crush the wood waste. Since sawdust may contain wood scraps of different sizes, it is important to preprocess the sawdust to ensure uniformity. This uniformity plays a role in reducing drying time and energy consumption during the drying process. Furthermore, it helps reduce wear on the sawdust briquette machine during the briquette making process and ensures the uniform density of the wood briquettes. However, if your raw materials already consist of fine sawdust with a size smaller than 5mm, this crushing step can be skipped.

The machine required for the crushing process is a crusher.

The next step in the process is to dry the sawdust. In many wood processing plants, sawdust is often piled up in a workshop corner or exposed to the outdoor environment. The moisture content of sawdust is typically higher than the optimal level of 12% required for making briquettes. Therefore, it is important to dry the sawdust before further processing. Even if the raw materials are stored indoors, we recommend drying them unless it has been measured and confirmed that the moisture content is already below 12%. Drying the sawdust significantly improves the yield of sawdust briquettes.

For this step, a dryer machine is needed. Small-scale operations can use air-flow dryers, while rotary drum dryers are suitable for larger output capacities.

After the sawdust has been crushed and dried, with a size smaller than 3mm and moisture content below 12%, the next step is to make sawdust briquettes. This process requires a sawdust briquette machine. The finished sawdust briquettes have a hollow structure and are molded into square or hexagonal shapes. The diameter of the sawdust rods can vary, typically at 50mm, 70mm, or 80mm.

The fourth step in the production process is carbonizing the sawdust briquettes to convert them into charcoal. Carbonization involves subjecting the briquettes to high temperatures in the absence of air. This process can be accomplished using either a traditional charcoal kiln or a carbonization furnace.

Compared to traditional charcoal kilns, carbonization furnaces have several advantages. They offer improved control over flue gas emissions and can also recycle by-products such as wood vinegar and wood tar, albeit in smaller quantities.

In response to stricter environmental regulations and customer preferences, carbonization furnaces have become increasingly popular. We offer different types of carbonization furnaces to suit various needs. For carbonizing sawdust briquettes, you can choose between a hoisting carbonization furnace or a horizontal carbonization furnace. Both types operate on the same principle, with the main difference being the method of loading and unloading the materials. The hoisting furnace loads and unloads the material vertically, while the horizontal furnace loads and unloads the material horizontally.