Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: As the war in the Middle East drives up energy prices, the need to find other sources of energy is being increasingly felt. In N’djamena, the capital of Chad, socalled ‘green coal’ is already on the market.
“I use eco-friendly charcoal because, first of all, it doesn’t smoke; second, it lasts a long time—especially the burn time—and it’s economical,” says Sophie Saboura, a resident of the country’s capital, N’Djamena.
It might look like charcoal, but it’s made from plant waste, mixed with gum arabic and clay. The Raikina Association for Socio-Economic Development (Adser) factory in N’djamena produces about 10 tonnes of briquettes every day.
Manufacturing the briquettes takes time and there are limits to their use. But using one kilo of green coal saves about six kilos of wood, a significant shift in a country facing rapid desertification.
Chad has lost more than 90 per cent of its forest cover since the 1970s due to climate change and overexploitation. As the country fights to retain what’s left, the government is betting on green coal as a vital energy source of the future.
