Promote Energy Plantations

Photo is taken from here

Assuredness of supply of raw materials is absolutely necessary for the survival of industrial woodpellets, briquettes and other biofuels. Raw materials are homogeneous is better because it eases the process, compare with heterogeneous materials, such as raw materials are all derived from the tree trunk will be better than the raw material from a mixture of stems, midrib, leaves, roots, and so on. SRC with a short lifespan and can be harvested repeatedly is an ideal choice as energy crops. The extent of degraded land in Indonesia that reaches hundreds of thousands or even millions of acres of potentially utilized as an energy plantation by planting the SRC.

Gliricidia plantation

Calliandra and gliricidia are two types of SRC crops for energy plantation which has been widely cultivated as a pillar of wood pellet industry. Both the SRC plant was chosen because it requires prerequisites are easy to grow and thrive even live in degraded lands. It is possible to come at the same two advantages namely, sustainable supply of raw materials for industrial wood pellets and reforestation to prevent erosion, flooding and so on. Harvesting can be done after the age of about 1 year and crop later in the following year can be harvested again, up to a dozen times. Sri Lanka is one of the country due to lack of fossil energy then rested its energy from biomass, particularly the gliricidia plants. In addition to the stem can be used as raw material for wood pellet industry, the leaves can be fed to livestock, in addition to calliandra and gliricidia, the nectars can be used to farm honey bees.

Wood pellets are produced from raw material of calliandra and gliricidia has a high calorific value, ie more than 4000 kcal / kg, low ash content and high lignin content so as to facilitate the process of pelleting the wood pellets in the industry. Wood pellets for the main application as a source of renewable energy including carbon neutral fuel categories, this is because the source of wood biomass from photosynthesis using CO2 from the atmosphere and when used as a source of energy is released again into the atmosphere. So balance no additional CO2 in the atmosphere or carbon neutral.

 

The demand from countries such as South Korea with wood pellets made ​​from woody biomass only will further strengthen the promotion again this energy plantations for sustainable business. This is because the wood biomass has a number of advantages in calorific value, ash content and its ash chemistry than other biomass, especially agro-industry wastes. Compounds such as chlorine, sulfur and nitrogen is an important concern in the standard wood pellets.