10 Advantages By Making Energy Plantations for Wood Pellet Production

 

 

Assuredness of supply of raw materials is one of the key factors of business success in the wood pellets. There are two ways to obtain raw materials commonly done today:

a. Buying from the owner of source of raw materials.

b. Producing its own the availability of raw materials.

While the 3^rd way and there is still few for business owners make wood pellets is by mix way, which is partly provide by their own of raw materials and some rest buy from the other source of raw materials.

While examining at the types of biomass raw materials there are two kinds, namely :

a. Woody biomass

b. Non-wood biomass such as agricultural wastes (empty fruit bunches of palm oil trees, corn cobs, rice husks and so on). Currently woody biomass remains a priority to be products of wood pellets as a number of advantages over non-wood biomass which is generally an agricultural wastes, are included in the category of biomass pellets or agri-waste pellets. The comparison between wood pellet and biomass pellet / agri-waste pellets can be read here.

While wood biomass when viewed more specifically for the production of wood pellets, the raw material sources can be divided into 2 types:

a. Wastes from wood processing industry.

b. Wood product from energy plantations/forests.

While in term the degree of dryness of raw materials, then there are dry raw material and wet raw material. The degree of dryness of raw materials should also be arranged so that it can produce quality wood pellets.

Energy plantations / forests as a source of raw materials which strived itself has many advantages, among others :

1. Energy plantations can be made so that the internal control of raw material for wood pellet business easier, as fluctuations in supply, changes in market prices, irrespective of the sources of waste wood and so on.

2. Byproducts of energy plantations as the leaves can be used for livestock such as cattle or sheep, and honey bee farm that utilizes the flowers of energy crops.

3. Wood pellet mill site could be very close or even in the midst of the energy plantations (raw material oriented), so the cost / price of cheap raw materials.

4. Energy plantations also absorb CO2 from the atmosphere (Carbon negative), application of wood pellets is carbon neutral activity that can be included in carbon trading, climate change mitigation through afforestation (planting / addition of carbon stocks), and the construction unit of SFM (Sustainable Forest Management)

5. The pattern of mixed supply of raw materials with partly from energy plantations owned company (the core) and others belonging to the community (plasma) can be done. This pattern will include the role of the community and develop it.

Photos of calliandra nursery for making 1200 hectares of energy plantation

6.Additional income by utilizing the sidelines of energy crops with other crops (agroforestry models) so that the cultivation of polyculture are more resistant to disease.

7. Uncultivated land or marginal land that the millions of hectares can be utilized effectively.

8. Fertilize and improve soil conditions, including the prevention of erosion. Calliandra plant roots in the form of a pimple is able to bind nitrogen that fertilizes the soil.

9. Short crop harvest and grow again, without the need for replanting. Energy crops such as calliandra only be planted once and then grow again after the cut (harvest) for decades, more results and very easy maintenance.

10. Development or enlargement wood pellet plant capacity is possible as long as the land is still available. And this time there are still millions of hectares of potential for the creation of the energy plantations.

Indonesia as a tropical country and fertile land potential for the development of energy plantation and also the world's leading manufacturer of wood pellets.