Biomass energy has been the most sustainable fuel in the world as for centuries, people have been using biomass fuel for many different purposes for cooking, small industries, etc.. Even at present,  large number of Households and small industries still use biomass as their main fuel.

However, the use of biomass fuel has also indicated of having negative impact most especially to the health of the users in this case women and also contributors to air pollution both indoor and outdoor. Therefore if the biomass fuel can be upgraded so that it can becomes cleaner fuel, it may substantially increase the environmental condition through the reduction of emissions to both indoor and outdoor environments.

While research and development of renewable energy technologies receive widespread attention all over the world, the improved and more efficient use of biomass-based energy resources, such as for instance the briquetting of agricultural wastes and other loose biomass residues like leaves, sawdust, etc. remains under-explored; while technologies are developed, they are under utilized due to lack of their dissemination.

Charcoal making and use is popular in many Asian countries and it has been used for centuries for cooking and ironing. Charcoal is also popularly used in many small industries such as blacksmithing, foundries, food industries and restaurants. Yet, the technology of charcoal production remains traditional and inefficient. The inefficiency of charcoal production also leads to waste of resources.

By providing an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to introduce improved carbonizing and low-density briquetting technologies, besides making better use of existing natural resources, opportunities for local income generation among developing communities will be created. The technologies, although are relatively simple and cheap, have not been well diffused in Asia resulting in very few initiatives in their applications.

To address the lack of skill and know-how and awareness on the potential of charcoal production and briquetting to upgrade biomass fuel into better and cleaner fuel, ARECOP try to pull expertise in the region to share their skills and knowledge in the Regional Training on High Quality Charcoal Production and Briquetting.