Cleaner cooking: Sawdust briquettes show promise over charcoal
image: Comparative assessment of pollutant emissions between biofuel briquettes and charcoal: implications for domestic cooking fuel selection
Credit: Junior Maimou Nganko, Ekoun Paul Magloire Koffi, Alpha Ousmane Toure, Prosper Gbaha, Claudine Tekounegning Tiogue, Babacar Ndiaye, Kalidou Ba & Kouassi Benjamin Yao
A recent study offers new insight into the air quality and health benefits of switching household cooking fuels from charcoal to biofuel briquettes made from sawdust. Published in Carbon Research, the comparative assessment led by Junior Maimou Nganko and collaborators examines the emissions of harmful pollutants from these popular fuels and their implications for domestic energy choices in Africa and other developing regions.
Researchers conducted laboratory tests to measure carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) released when burning both types of fuel under realistic cooking conditions. The results indicate that using biofuel briquettes cuts CO emissions by nearly a factor of ten compared to charcoal, while CO2 emissions fall by more than sixty times. Such dramatic reductions may foster safer indoor environments, especially for women and children who are most vulnerable to smoke exposure.
However, the study also found that biofuel briquettes produce almost twice as much fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as charcoal. These tiny airborne particles pose health risks, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The team suggests that further improvements in briquette composition and manufacturing could help reduce these emissions and achieve healthier cooking solutions moving forward.
Additional tests revealed how fuel properties like moisture content, ash content, and density influence pollutant output. Sawdust briquettes proved versatile, offering cleaner energy that can be used for cooking, heating, and even small-scale electricity generation. By utilizing local agricultural waste, these briquettes present an economically viable alternative to charcoal and can help curb deforestation across the region.
The authors highlight the public health urgency behind their findings. Indoor air pollution from burning solid fuels leads to more than four million premature deaths globally each year. Improvements in cookstove design and fuel selection could take significant steps toward reducing these risks and supporting sustainable development.
Looking ahead, the study recommends refining the production process for biofuel briquettes, with particular attention to raw material selection and binder quality, as well as optimizing combustion conditions. Socio-economic factors like cost, supply chains, and local incentives also warrant further study to ensure a successful transition to cleaner energy for families.
The authors underline the importance of ongoing research, policy support, and public awareness in adopting cleaner fuels and protecting community health.
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Journal reference: Nganko, J.M., Koffi, E.P.M., Toure, A.O. et al. Comparative assessment of pollutant emissions between biofuel briquettes and charcoal: implications for domestic cooking fuel selection. Carbon Res. 4, 15 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-024-00177-2
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About Carbon Research
The journal Carbon Research is an international multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on natural and engineered carbonaceous materials that are associated with ecological and environmental functions, energy generation, and global change. It is a fully Open Access (OA) journal and the Article Publishing Charges (APC) are waived until Dec 31, 2025. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of carbon functions around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science. The journal is currently indexed by Scopus and Ei Compendex, and as of June 2025, the dynamic CiteScore value is 15.4.