by Cecile Cinco
Oftentimes, the trash that we have the most is used paper. It can be in the form of newspaper, old notebooks, newsprint magazines (separate the glossy paper), manila paper, etc…
What can you do with that lot?
The following instructions will teach you how to make your own charcoal, to make use of your old newspaper and other trashy paper stuff. It is best to do this during summer when the heat of the sun is strongest…and store away in preparation for a rainy day…or when you run out of LPG.
1. Get a basin, fill with water halfway.
2. Shred/tear all collected paper into manageble pieces (about palmsize).
3. Soak paper under water and let stay for an hour.
4. Get a fistful or palmful of soaked and mushy paper, form into a ball while squeezing out water. The size of a ping-pong ball or double is ok.
5. Let it dry under the sun for 2 days (or until very dry).
6. Ready for use just like normal charcoal (It takes double consumption than ordinary charcoal, though).
Then maybe you can save for some las vegas shows. 
February 12th, 2008 at 4:54 am
I’m a bit worried using it on the bbq because of the fumes from the burning ink. Maybe if pressed using a wide pipe you’d get nice logs for the fireplace.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Well, that’s a thought. I’ve heard, though, that printing inks are now biodegradable.
Yes, a PVC pipe would do great!
March 31st, 2008 at 2:38 am
depending on what i it is you are recycling you may find that those inks in fact may even contain lead so i would only used this charcoal for the fireplace.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:31 am
To be on the safer side, I would agree with you.
June 28th, 2008 at 9:47 am
As far as I’m aware, all newspaper ink in the U.S. is soy based and safe for this use (for regular black and white pages… I wouldn’t use the colored newspaper pages, I think the ink there is petroleum based.
July 13th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Almost all of the newspapers in the US have been using soy ink for 15+ years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_ink
July 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I tried this and it works! On #4, a good gauge to know if it is fully dried is it’s weight. It should be totally lightweight.
I hope there is a costless process to remove the ink, so it can be an alternative for cooking.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I think there is bleach that is biodegradable. You can use it to “whiten” the paper.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:23 am
tnx now i can use the old newspaper in our house whiit something useful
November 20th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
hello…I am a researcher and yet a student. I just want to know other recycling methods using old papers instead of producing charcoals..Actually, paper charcoal is quite a clever idea but I m just wondering if the smoke produced by these charcoals is dangerous or not to the atmosphere or to the people living on this planet?
That’s all ..Thank you
November 20th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
If you use non-glossy newspaper (the real newsprint), you will have no problem at all.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:01 am
Could you use paper charcoal for black powder?
October 16th, 2009 at 12:08 am
[...] I googled “Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Charcoal Recipes” and found a recipe wherein you can make your own charcoal from used newspaper. Some of the comments to the posting raised concerns over the burning of toxic ink – but I [...]
April 13th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
quite a clever idea.my friend and i actually presented it as a project and it succeeded bravo
April 29th, 2010 at 7:17 am
The sun is always out it’s time to make charcoals!
December 4th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
is it okay to use paper charcoals for grilling?
December 13th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
it sure is, just don’t use the glossy paper.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
hi i just want to know about the local and foreign studies about the charcoal out of newspapers ..
hoping the respond
January 6th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
we are combined the sawdust and paper. it is ok?? wat is the advantages and comparison to ur paper charoal?
January 6th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
I haven’t tried that. I’ve used sawdust alone, though, and it is good for cooking rice. There is a way to use it right, though.
January 10th, 2011 at 7:12 am
Can we put a moth balls for the paper so that it can be a carbon dioxide free?we are working for it now as our project for our school.
January 14th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I haven’t tried that and I do not know. If it doesn’t harm, why not? Let us know the result of your project.
July 28th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
HOW ABOUT USED CARTONS?CAN IT BE,EVEN THOUGH THOSE CARTONS ARE PRINTED WITH HEAYY INK AND COLORS?IM INTERESTED TO MAKE PAPER CHARCOALS INTO MY HOUSE,BEC. EVERYDAY IM USING CHARCOALS TO BOIL BABY BOTTLES.