How to make hookah charcoal

What is hookah charcoal

Hookah charcoal is a fuel specially used in the process of hookah smoking, usually composed of charcoal powder, combustion aid and adhesive.

The combustion temperature of hookah charcoal is generally between 300-500℃. This temperature range can effectively volatilize the substances in the hookah to produce smoke, but it will not produce too many harmful substances or change the taste of the hookah due to excessive temperature.

High-quality hookah charcoal has a long burning time and can continuously provide heat for the hookah. Usually a normal-sized hookah charcoal can continue to burn for 30-60 minutes, depending on the quality, composition and use environment of the charcoal.

What are the materials for making hookah charcoal?

The following materials are usually required to make hookah charcoal:

1. Main raw materials

Charcoal powder

This is the basic material for making hookah charcoal. In theory, many biomass can be used to produce charcoal powder, such as sawdust, bamboo powder, rice husk, bagasse, poplar, paulownia, eucalyptus, etc. In fact, because hookah charcoal and barbecue charcoal have high requirements for charcoal quality, we need to use pine, oak, fir, oak, bamboo, coconut shell, bamboo chips, olive wood, citrus (lemon/orange) wood and other slow-growing hardwoods to make charcoal powder. But because people's needs are diverse, products of different qualities have their own markets. For some common heating purposes, such as burning boilers and cooking, ordinary charcoal can meet the needs.

Adhesives

The function of the adhesive is to bond materials such as charcoal powder together to form a solid charcoal block. Common adhesives include starch, lignin sulfonate, etc.

Starch is a natural adhesive with good bonding effect and environmental protection. Lignin sulfonate is a chemical extracted from wood and can also be used as an adhesive.

We do not recommend the use of chemical agents for the adhesive used in making hookah charcoal, because harmful gases will be produced after combustion.

The adhesives commonly used to make hookah charcoal are generally corn starch, potato starch, cassava starch, etc. You can choose the cheapest starch as an adhesive according to the price of these starches in your local area. When using starch as an adhesive, be careful to gelatinize it first (cook the starch into a paste) and then mix it with charcoal powder. For every 100 kg of charcoal powder, add 3-5 kg of gelatinized starch.

2. Auxiliary materials

Combustion aids

Combustion aids can increase the burning speed and efficiency of hookah charcoal. Commonly used combustion aids include potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, etc.

These combustion aids can release oxygen during the combustion process and promote the combustion of charcoal. However, it should be noted that the amount of combustion aid should be appropriate. Too much combustion aid may cause too fast combustion, overheating, and even danger.

Waterproofing agent

In order to prevent hookah charcoal from getting damp during use, a certain amount of waterproofing agent is usually added. The waterproofing agent can form a waterproof film on the surface of the charcoal block to prevent moisture penetration.

Common waterproofing agents include paraffin, silicone oil, etc. These materials have good waterproof properties and will not have adverse effects on combustion.

Flavoring (optional)

Some hookah charcoal manufacturers will add flavoring to make the hookah charcoal emit a specific aroma when burning. There are many types of flavorings, such as fruit flavors, flower flavors, etc.

The use of flavorings can increase the taste and fun of hookah, but it is necessary to pay attention to choosing safe and non-toxic flavorings and control the amount of use to avoid adverse effects on human health.

What are the machines for making hookah charcoal?

Choose a suitable hookah charcoal machine according to the shape of hookah charcoal

Rotary hookah charcoal press

Rotary hookah charcoal press, used to press charcoal powder into round charcoal pieces for hookah. The shape can be round, circular, etc. The mold can be customized.

Hydraulic hookah charcoal press

Hydraulic hookah charcoal press, also known as hookah charcoal briquetting machine. It is equipped with a hydraulic pump station, and customers can adjust the plastic pressure and the density of the charcoal pieces according to their requirements. It is currently the best-selling hookah charcoal tablet press on the market, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Charcoal briquetting extruder

Charcoal briquetting extruder, also known as charcoal briquetting machine. It uses the principle of screw extrusion, and according to different requirements, the finished charcoal briquettes can be made into different shapes. Usually, the main shapes are: rod-shaped briquettes (barbecue charcoal, ignition charcoal), cubic shape (hookah charcoal). It is an ideal equipment for various production enterprises to reduce consumption and increase efficiency.

Production process of hookah charcoal

The production process of hookah charcoal is not much different from the production process of other charcoal balls.

Carbonization-charcoal grinding-mixing with water and adhesive-compressing hookah charcoal-hookah charcoal drying-charcoal packaging.

Carbonization machine for making hookah charcoal

For the carbonization machine for making hookah charcoal, we recommend a Vertical Type Carbonization Furnace, which has low cost and simple installation and operation, especially vertical loading, which is very suitable for coconut shells, sawdust, etc.

The carbonization furnace adopts advanced technology to purify and recycle combustible gases such as carbon monoxide, methane, and oxygen generated during the carbonization process, which can solve the pollution problem caused by the smoke generated and solve the energy problem required by itself. The carbonization furnace is completely self-sufficient, continuous and economical.