Using dried leaves and coconut fiber, the student-led innovation combines low emissions, affordability and circular economy principles.
BANDUNG, Indonesia — Two students from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) have developed a bio-briquette made entirely from organic waste, presenting a practical alternative energy solution rooted in everyday materials found on campus and in households.
Arsyad Arif Novitrian and Indah Patricia Suwandoro, both students of Bioenergy and Chemical Engineering, created the bio-briquette by combining dried leaves and coconut fiber — materials that are abundant yet often discarded. The result is a fuel that is efficient, produces minimal smoke, and is fully biodegradable.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
A Smart Formula From Simple Materials
The core innovation lies in the careful formulation of the briquette’s ingredients. Dried leaves, collected from the ITB Jatinangor campus, ignite easily due to their volatile content. Coconut fiber, sourced from household waste, contains high levels of lignin, which strengthens the charcoal structure and extends burning time.
“We combined two materials with different characteristics: dried leaves that ignite quickly and coconut fiber with high lignin content that makes the briquette more efficient,” Arsyad said.
Natural tapioca starch is used as a binder, ensuring the product remains entirely environmentally friendly without synthetic additives.
Cleaner Burning, Useful Byproducts
Compared with direct burning of organic waste, the bio-briquette produces significantly less smoke and odor. Its combustion residue is not wasted either — the ash can be reused as fertilizer.
These characteristics make the briquette suitable not only for household use but also for small-scale businesses seeking cleaner and more affordable energy sources.
The production process is deliberately low-tech and accessible. Organic waste is first dried, then carbonized in a sealed metal container. The resulting charcoal is ground, mixed with tapioca starch, manually molded, and dried under sunlight for two to three days.
Because it requires no complex machinery, the process can be easily replicated by communities or small enterprises.
Strong Economic Potential
The students estimate production costs at around Rp500 to Rp1,000 per briquette, with a potential selling price of Rp1,500 to Rp2,000. At that range, the product remains affordable while still offering profit margins.
“If produced at scale, this business can remain profitable while also helping manage waste,” the team said.
The low cost positions the bio-briquette as a viable energy option for households and small industries.
Toward Standardisation and Circular Economy
One of the main challenges during development was maintaining consistent material composition and drying conditions. To address this, the team plans to conduct quantitative laboratory tests on calorific value and emissions to standardise product quality.
They also aim to collaborate with waste banks and local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), building a circular economy model that turns waste into value while creating new income opportunities.
The bio-briquette was showcased at “ALICE: Abyanara’s Legendary Imagination, Creativity, and Enchantment,” an exhibition organised by the 2024 cohort of ITB’s Bioenergy and Chemical Engineering students. The event highlighted how academic knowledge can be applied to solve real environmental and energy challenges.
By transforming everyday waste into a clean, low-cost fuel, the ITB students’ bio-briquette underscores how small-scale innovations can contribute meaningfully to sustainable energy solutions — starting from the campus and extending into the wider community.
Lead image courtesy of ITB Committee (The final result of the Bio-Briquette created by ITB Bioenergy and Chemurgy Engineering students)
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