A farmer from Ternopil region makes straw eco-briquettes that can replace fuel

Volodymyr Koval is a well-known farmer in the Ternopil region. He is engaged in the cultivation of potatoes and the production of fuel briquettes from straw and turnip, writes “Agro-Center”.

Nowadays, the farmer owns 4.8 thousand hectares of land in seven places in the Ternopil region. Volodymyr got engaged in fuel briquettes production in the early 1990s. Then he was one of the first people to manufacture diesel fuel from turnip.

The next step was a discovery of the newest straw processing plant for fuel briquettes production. It is equipped with modern machinery, the cost of which amounted to about 2 million dollars. The process of straw processing includes breaking the straw bales, crushing them, drying, arranging into briquettes and storingbriquettes. The plant can produce up to 20 tons of briquettes per day, and 6 thousand tons per year.

Such fuel briquettes are in demand not only among large enterprises but also among ordinary people.

“The calorific value of straw, especially from oilseeds, is 4000-5000 kcal/kg. Therefore, agricultural waste can be a great alternative to wood, coal and expensive natural gas,”

said Volodymyr.

According to the farmer, one ton of fuel briquettes from straw replaces up to 4-6 cubic meters of firewood, at a price of 2200-2500 UAH. The weight of one cubic meter of firewood is 350-450 k. In addition, firewood must be delivered, unloaded, cut, and organized. It requires significant additional costs, which is not suitable for everyone.

The owner expects the business to pay back in two years.