GB946358A - Barbecue briquettes and method of making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for making barbecue briquettes comprises drying a carbonaceous fuel, e.g. lignite, at 18, carbonizing the dried fuel at 20 to remove tar in gaseous form and a portion of the non-tar volatile matter, separating the tar from the gas leaving zone 20 and cooling the gas at 50, either recirculating the cooled gas via lines 52, 58 or bringing a cool, clean inert gas into contact with the char to cool char in a zone 22 as the char leaves the zone 20, reducing the char to fine particle size, e.g. at least minus 40 mesh, at 84, and mixing the char at 86 with a binding medium, e.g. precooked starch and water. The zone 20 is maintained at 500 DEG to 550 DEG C. by regulating the amount of cooled off-gas delivered through a line 60 and by regulating burners 34. Cool inert gas may be mixed with the off-gas in all proportions and off-gas may be delivered by lines 62, 64 to burners 34, 26 respectively. The temperature of the zone 20 is such as to ensure that the char comprises 10 to 20% by weight of non-tar volatile combustible matter. The briquettes contain 3 to 10% by weight of binder. In an example, lignite from the Dickinson seam, North Dakota, containing (by weight) 41% water, and on the dry basis consisting of 43% <PICT:0946358/C3/1> volatile matter and tars, 46% fixed carbon and 11% ash, was dried at 130 DEG C. and carbonized at 510 DEG C. \sB 5 DEG C., retaining 12 to 13% by weight non-tar volatiles. After crushing to 60 mesh, the char was mixed with 3 to 4 parts 270 mesh starch and 12 to 15 parts water (both per 100 parts char) and pressed to form briquettes with 6% water content.