Conversion of durian waste into charcoal briquettes eyed

The city government of Davao and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources may have finally found a solution to the truckloads of durian waste left behind especially during the durian season. This is through a joint effort to implement a community-based project based on a resolution by councilor Rachel Zozobrado.

“Davao City is world-famous for its agricultural resources particularly durian. However, the demand for durian among locals and tourists is such that the city is left with trucks of durian waste when durian season comes,” Zozobrado said. One remedy to this problem, she said, is the establishment of a community-based project involving charcoal production out of durian waste.

Zozobrado earlier passed a resolution urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as well as the City Environment Office to adopt charcoal briquettes making as a community-based project. Charcoal briquettes production is not only a timely and practical community livelihood project for Dabawenyos but it is also a push for the environment, she said.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI regional director Jim O. Sampulna welcomed the resolution saying they are interested in collaborating with the city government in the pursuit of this project considering that “there is a big volume of durian pulp and bukong waste generated everyday.

DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Service has spearheaded the green technology of making charcoal briquettes using leaves, twigs, stems and other forest waste materials. The method is also not too complicated considering that it only requires that the forest wastes are carbonized, fed into a grinding machine, mixed with binders like gelatinized starch then compacted in a molder to produce uniform-sized charcoal briquettes.

Zozobrado said the charcoal briquettes are an environment-friendly fuel alternative which can be used by households and even business now that the price of liquefied petroleum gas has once again gone up.

She said the planned partnership between DENR XI and the local government of Davao is an ideal setup since DENR can conduct the training in coordination with the barangays. This community-based project can also provide possible livelihood for the community, she said.

More livelihood opportunities will evolve once the community is properly trained about the process of producing charcoal briquettes using forest waste, she said. This will also ease the pressure off our forests and the environment, she added.