Crop-waste fuel briquettes for factory boilers

This unit collects crop waste such as cotton and castor stalks, paddy straw and rice husk, shreds and dries it, and presses it into hard fuel logs called briquettes. Factories burn these in their boilers in place of coal or wood.

NABARD's 2023-24 credit plan for Ahmedabad names paddy, wheat, cotton and castor among the main crops, with paddy grown mainly in Bavla, Sanand and Viramgam blocks and a cluster of rice units around Bavla. The district's textile dyeing and printing houses, chemical units and food factories run boilers that need a steady supply of fuel.

You need a large open yard, a shed, a shredder, a dryer and a briquetting press, plus a tractor-trolley or tie-ups with farmers for collection. Check with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board on the consents your unit needs. The hard part is supply. Crop waste comes only after harvest, so you must buy and store several months of bulky, fire-prone material and keep it dry. Many rice mills already burn their own husk, so field stalks may be your main source. Your price also has to hold up against coal, and factories will turn away wet or crumbly loads.

Sell by the truckload to boiler operators at dyeing houses, chemical units and food factories. Offer test loads first, then agree a fixed monthly supply.