5F Project For The World!

At least there 7F which became an essential material needs of the people throughout the world, namely Food, Fuel, Fiber, Fodder, Feedstock, Fertilizer, and Favor. 7F became the theme of a variety of warm conversation around the world today to be pursued to find a variety of scenarios to solve the problems associated 7F. The problem of food for example, according to WHO, nearly 1/3 of the world's population or approximately 2 billion people suffer from hunger, even in the FAO country report headline sharper again, that there are 60 million people "... go bed hungry every night ..." in Southeast Asia and almost a third in Indonesia or nearly 20 million people, this is certainly a serious problem to be solved immediately. The complex issue because it involves multidimensional human life.

In this paper, at least I offer scenarios 5F namely fuel (energy), Food, Fodder (forage), Fiber (clothing) and Fertilizer to optimize the potential of land or land available in Indonesia and hopefully can implemented in the near future. In Indonesia a lot of common soilwere damaged or barren, arid even die and some have even begun to happen desertification of not utilized properly. Soil barren damaged or even die must be repaired first if people want to get the food from it. Then how to improve even revive the dead land? Allah SWT gave instructions in the Qur'an : Yaasiin (36): 33, which revive the dead land with use leguminocea plants, it turned out to be in line and supported by numerous scientific studies and has been tested in the fields. Then in the Qur'an :Yaasiin (36): 80 Allah SWT also mentioned energy source from green trees, it is reinforcing the wood of a kind of green plants such as Calliandra species as an energy source for wood pellets production.

There are so many types of plants this legumiceae, ie more than 19,000 species and should be selected which are most suitable according to the characteristics of the area and the specific objectives to be achieved. When the plants grown in dead soil, leguminocea plants then with the rain water will grow and further bind nitrogen (N) from the air and stored in a nitrogen nodules of these plants that enrich the soil as it becomes fertilizer. Calliandra is just one example of the Leguminoceae plants. When soil was broken even been dying to be repaired and able to produce 5F (Fuel, Food, Fodder, Fiber and Fertilizer) above, the calliandra could be one option. Calliandra crop rotation is fast, ie within one year can be harvested and can grow from the its shoots up for decades so it does not need to be replanted every year.

When planting calliandra then the place for sheep grazing with eat the grass on the sidelines calliandra plants, and wood of Calliandra are used for the production of wood pellets (fuel), and the leaves of calliandra plants are used to feed cattle, cows dung used for biogas production, residual biogas production will be organic fertilizer, and feathers sheep into textile materials that are expensive. Calliandra plantation would also be fertile because the sheep are dropping feces and urines into fertilizer at the plantation. Sheep manures are very good fertilizer, following chemical composition: Nitrogen (N) 2.03%; Phosphorous (P) 1.42%; Potassium (K) 1.61%; Calcium (Ca) 2.45%; Magnesium (Mg) 0.62%; Manganese (Mn) of 0.49%; Iron (Fe) 2.19%; Copper (Cu) and 0.02% Zinc (Zn) 12:22%. Thus the enrichment of the soil in addition to bind nitrogen by the roots of calliandra tress will also be accelerated with sheep drop the dungs on it. And each of at least 6 months fleece the sheep are sheared fleece that will be generated as a textile material. In wood harvesting, the leaves caliandra collected to feed the cows, when the leaves remaining much then can be processed further as fermentation so as to spare the future when the supply of food from the plantation can be disrupted or can be commercialized. The woods is then further processed into wood pellets. Wood pellets have a large market share as a fuel or energy. From the environmental aspects of the carbon balance will also give the best effect for the environment because fuel biomass is carbon-neutral fuels.

Calliandra cropping pattern that is generally 1 x 1m, so that enough space including for sheep grazing, or type of pasture are precision grazing. Land to pasture, the sheep in the calliandra plantation insulated to a certain extent depend on topography factors , roads access, woods harvest rotation system and the best grazing radius. For thousands of hectares of land could be made a lot of posts or units to take the sheep grazing. The above pattern will make the soil or land becomes very productive, and certainly if there are many people who do well then crises will be inevitable human needs, let alone there are millions of hectares of land or land in Indonesia abandoned. Sheep as well as the cows will be marketed to those in need both domestically and abroad. Saudi Arabia for example require 8 million sheep, and ¼ of its needs in the Hajj season. Besides freighter sheep graziers will come to them when they are able to provide 20,000 head each delivery (shipment).

So how after the soil fertile? Of course it could be used for a variety of trees more profitable as fruit trees and so forth. Calliandra trees can be harvested well for more than 20 years in every year and without the need for replanting every year. We take 15 years for example, then during the same line with lifetime machines of wood pellet plant in general. Thus practically at that time continued to productive land with a variety of crops with good management and sustainable. If after that too continue with calliandra tress to be used also the result will be the maximum that's because the good management. Calliandra plants is a pioneer or pioneer plant species so it is suitable for soil improvement that damaged or die.

That Muslims should also syirkah (cooperation) in the management of land (grassland or sources of food, water and fire (energy source), it is clear the the direction of the Prophet Muhammad: "The Muslims were syirkah (cooperation) in three ways, in terms of pasture, water and fire "(HR. Sunan Abu Daud). Water management is always in need of land, the trees need land for a place to grow so that it can help absorb water, water source (spring) emergence of surface soil, then to be able to manage our water must also have access to land management. What are the consequences if we do not want syirkah (cooperation)? Sources of livelihood are our primary form of food, water and energy will be managed by others and people become dependent on the fulfillment of the primary needs. When we are not self-sufficient in terms of basic needs, we can easily be misled in a variety of other matters..

Wood Shaving Processing: When Size Being Problems

Wood shaving of barecore mill has a particle size that is big enough but has a small moisture content (MC = 4-6%) or dried. In addition in the form of waste-sawdust shavings also has a low bulk density, at around 150 kg / m3 or about half of sawdust. Densification technology (compaction) suitable for processing the waste. Briquettes and pellets are the two densification technology products are very popular today.

Wood shaving characteristics as mentioned above make some adjustments need to be used directly on the densification technology. The advantage of the dry shaving wood so it does not require longer drying with a dryer (dryer), even as it is too dry so even need water/moisture level is lowered (wetted). While on the other hand because of the small particle size and density, making it hard for densification (compaction) for densification of some densification equipment  that require these materials get into the small diel eg wood pellets or wood briquette type of screw (extruder).

In many cases the wood shaving can be used to manufacture wood pellets or wood briquette (type screw extruder) directly by use waste of barecore that form of wood shaving is used as a mixture (mixed material) with the limited percentage , for example, 10% of wood shaving and 90% sawdust. The densification equipments can run that because the average particle size of the raw material is accepted in the tolerance range of densification technology with small die size.

Hydraulic Press type briquette

Specifically on high pressure briquetting is known three groups of technologies that are currently used, namely:

1. Screw press (Extruder)
2. Piston / ram mechanical press
3. Piston hydraulic press

In piston / ram mechanical technology and piston hydraulic press, wood shaving can be press directly into briquettes and without any additional sawdust or 100% of the wood shaving (single material). This is because the equipment does not encourage the raw materials into the small size of die, but the raw materials are simply filling a particular room and then compacted. While the briquette type of screw (extruder) raw materials pushed and pressed at the same time / simultaneous and entered the mold (die) with small size, so the big size of the particle and low density of raw materials that make the briquette failed to form. In briquetting equipment with type screw (extruder) if it will use 100% wood shaving it needs some modifications from the standard machine so that it can adapt to the characteristics of the wood shaving. Comparison between piston with screw-type briquettes can also be read here.

In the end,the quality or briquette product specifications requested by buyers (market) and manufacturing costs of the use of the densification technologies will be the driving factor of the wood shaving processing business. The mindset of waste management is the early stage is how to cope with such waste, which does not disturb the environment and so while the next stage how such waste can also take advantage or financial profit.

Sawdust Charcoal Briquette and Sheep Consumption In Saudi Arabia and the Middle East

Consumption of lamb, especially in Saudi Arabia each year ranges from 8 million, with a quarter in the Hajj season. Countries exporting sheep to Saudi Arabia today is mainly of three African countries, namely Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti.Countries in Africa is dry and less fertile than Indonesia, but with the way the sheep are grazing in pastures that are available, made of sheep production is abundant there. Indonesia with fertility and breadth of the land is appropriate overlay could become the country's largest exporter of sheep. By improving the effectiveness and efficiency of land as well as the most important mindset that enormous potential of Indonesia that supports this direction then God willing, it becomes very likely to be realized.

Grilled lamb chops with favorite foods are processed in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Need of  sawdust charcoal briquette  continue jump to increase as the high consumption of lamb in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Most of the needs of sawdust charcoal briquette in Saudi Arabia and Middle East come from Indonesia, and in line with the growing need lots of factories sawdust charcoal briquette is built to meet these needs. The buyers scramble up to get this product due to high demand. Today almost all the factories of sawdust charcoal briquette use sawdust or wood wastes as raw material.Regions rich with raw materials is potential to develop this commodity that because of the high demand.

Sawdust charcoal briquette product has many advantages compared to ordinary wood charcoal among other more dense, uniform shape and size, quality of the charcoal and the flame longer. Compact form with uniform shape and size that makes easily packaged and economical transportation. The production process is simple once the raw material is briquetted and then made into charcoal in a carbonization furnace for a few days. Charcoal products subsequently retrieved and sorted based on its quality grade, packed and ready for export market. When raw materials such as sawdust and wood wastes are still available, the production of sawdust charcoal briquette can continue to run. Meanwhile, when the availability of raw materials mentioned above  experienced shortages should be pursued seeking for other raw materials, for example by making Calliandra plantations. Calliandra is fast rotational crop, which only took about one year of harvest so that the sustainable supply of raw materials is not compromised. Grades or quality grouping sawdust charcoal briquette as shown below:

A Grade: The length of  sawdust charcoal briquette more than 10 cm and smooth (no cracks)

B Grade: The length of sawdust charcoal briquette more than 10 cm with a slightly cracked

C Grade: The length of sawdust charcoal briquette 5-10 cm with a smooth surface or small cracks

D Grade: The length of  sawdust charcoal briquette 5-10 cm with a rough surface and many cracks

E Grade (Reject): The average length of  sawdust charcoal briquette less than 5 cm, the surface is rough and a lot of cracks so fragile

When the "Raw" Bioenergy Only "Removed" and Bring Annual Disaster: An Idea as a Solution to the Problem of Forest Fires in Indonesia

Forest fires do not only become an environmental disaster but it has been a humanitarian catastrophe resulted in a number of casualties. The parties deliberately uncontrolled forest fires have exacerbated the disaster. Hundreds thousands of hectares to millions of hectares of forest burned annually, that means the equivalent of millions to billions of tons of biomass simply vanished due to burning vain. Though millions of tons up to billions of tons of biomass has the potential raw material for a variety of renewable energy, or bioenergy. With the amount of biomass only Indonesia could become a world major player of renewable energy, especially wood pellets. Strangely the incident occurred routine or repeated every year and there is no perfect solution to overcome it. While the rainy season some burnt forest areas are also experiencing floods even landslides, so complete has been suffering every year and repeated from time to time. Of course it can not be tolerated, and immediately overcome by breaking the chain.

With densification technologies (biomass densification), the biomass from various plants or trees can be made into pellets or briquettes. Pellets and briquettes are two kinds of  densification product or compaction of biomass for energy are very popular and are used in addition to the domestic industry also for export. Sorting the raw materials are things you need to do to get a product of high quality pellets or briquettes, which is a standard and stable. Selection of raw materials, among others by woody biomass feedstock material separated by grass and so on. The consistent composition to the densification machine must continue to be pursued and maintained in order to achieve high quality is for example the composition of hardwood and softwood also need a certain percentage. Furthermore, the timber is destroyed or customized particle size for densification technology that is selected, it will usually size of sawdust, then mixed with a certain ratio and the mixture is compressed with a high compression into pellets or briquettes.

Then, how about the waste of grasses such as reeds and leaves? Biomass types of grasses and leaves can also be used as pellets or briquettes, but the quality will be lower than the sawdust raw material. If they can be used to feed livestock such as goats or cows then it will be better in utilizing the waste grass and leaves.

While with continous (slow) pyrolysis technology then all the biomass waste can also be processed for useful products and high economic value. Charcoal product is the main product (slow) pyrolysis technology that because it is most appropriate to maximize the solid product. The charcoal can be used in addition to energy, also to the agricultural sector to help improve the soil fertility. For transport efficiency reasons, simplify handling, use and storage of charcoal is also done densification (compressed) into pellets or briquettes. There is a slight difference of course between compacting sawdust with charcoal because of its characteristics (physical-chemical properties) both of which also is also different.

Agricultural charcoal (biochar) will also be in line with the purpose for agriculture after the open land. Biochar or charcoal is able to help fertilize the soil by retaining moisture, hold fertilizer nutrients from washing and the like as well as activate a number of soil microbes. Sorting pattern of raw materials also applied in this technology to produce high quality charcoal product (standard and stable). Raw materials of woody biomass in general is best for variety of biomass utilization for energy. For example, to produce high-quality charcoal using woody raw materials only with composition between certain types of wood as well.

In addition to the (slow) pyrolysis products will also be produced gas (syngas), biooil (Tarry liquid) and pyrolysis acid (wood vinegar). Syngas can be used to fuel a power plant or a heat source a variety of purposes. Almost all the areas hardest-hit by forest fires is also experiencing a shortage of electricity supply so that the power plant will be needed in the area. Biooil as a liquid fuel can also be used for a number of industries could even be further processed into fuel for vehicles. And the last, pyrolysis acid (wood vinegar) can be used as an agricultural bio-insecticide.

While most current scenario is the manufacture of torrefied biomass fuel. Torrefied biomass fuel is made also by pyrolysis technology but  with the process temperature lower than the pyrolysis process for the production of charcoal (biochar) or so-called torrefaction / mild-pyrolysis. Many current torrefaction processes that failed due to a lack of energy for torrefaction process itself. The combination of pyrolysis with torrefaction is a fitting blend that makes both processes run as expected. In the continous (slow) pyrolysis process that running in auto-thermal (self-sustaining) will also be generated excess-syngas that can be used for fuel or energy source for torrefaction process. Just like before sorting /selecting  the raw materials are also needed in this process. The torrefaction process configuration for one of them namely, raw materials such as grass and leaves are used for pyrolysis with charcoal results for agricultural and woody biomass raw materials for feed of torrefaction.

The final results of torrefied fuel is almost all done further densification (compressed) either into torrefied pellets and torrefied briquettes. Calorific value and a number of physical-chemical properties (characteristics) torrefied pellet / briquette is also better than wood pellet and wood briquette. A number of major countries in Europe, America and Asia are competing to be the pioneer and leader in this torrefaction technology. Japan is a country in Asia that has launched this torrefaction and today has become a hot topic there, more can be read here.

Various ideas and scenarios above can be used as a solution for treating waste biomass during land clearing, certainly by cut or felled not burned. Millions tons up to billions tons of biomass will be able to be saved and beneficial manner and clear the environmental disaster in the world spotlight will also be inevitable, but it is also a number of economic benefits is not small.When it has been able to provide further solutions in the next term improvement practices and agricultural or horticultural system should also be done so that other environmental disasters that floods in the rainy season that does not happen. Energy plantations has many advantages of maintaining the environment sustainability of these areas in the long term while also able to improve the economic aspects of the area with production of various bioenergy.

Wood Pellet Production From Calliandra Energy Plantation

Scheme of wood pellet production from calliandra energy plantation:

Utilization of Air Pressure For Biomass Drying

In the process of production of wood pellet and wood briquette, dryer has an important role due to regulate the moisture content before compacted (densification). Almost all wood pellet and wood briquette factories also use a dryer to keep the quality and quantity of the production. Today most of the drying of biomass using heat from combustion flue gas directly (direct heating) and a fraction using the heat of combustion indirectly (indirect heating). Of course the main concern is the issue of effectiveness and economics. Drum dryer or a rotary dryer is the most common type of dryer and popular because it proved capable of drying a large scale economically. Several types of dryers are also widely available and developed at this time with a variety of characteristics. The availability of a number of options also allow users or the industry to make their choice if they wish to withdraw and not fixated on one option only.

One type of dryer that started appearing on the market that take advantage of the heat of compression dryer (heat of compression type dryer). When the compressed air, more energy is converted into heat which is then stored in pressurized air (compressed air) and normally the heat is simply discharged in a cooler (cooler). At dryers that utilize hot air compression, the energy used to regenerate the desiccant, thereby eliminating the need for heating or heat is utilized directly in the drying. This type of dryer is also energy efficient than refrigerated air dryer type while the dew point is also much better than refrigerated type air dryer.

Become the Major Player of Wood Pellets in Asia and the World

The world production of wood pellets in 2013 amounted to 22 million tons, and by 2024 is projected to be at 50 million tones. The European market for the year is projected to more than 30 million tons and the Asian market is projected to more than 15 million tons. Judging from the global energy mix, fossil fuels still holds the largest share of about 80% in the next 15-20 years, as well as in the national energy mix Indonesia based on PresidentialDecree No. 5 of 2006 on National Energy Policy. Although it is not holding the largest share of renewable energy, particularly biomass showed a significant increase over time. Factors such as the environmental crisis and the energy crisis had been the main thrust of the increase in renewable energy, particularly biomass, which is slowly making history repeat itself.

To be a leader or major player in the wood pellet Asian regional level to the global world, it is not impossible for Indonesia. The grace of Allah SWT be on average 11 hours per day of sun in Indonesia makes plants able to photosynthesize optimally, soil fertility due to weathering of rocks of many volcanoes, and the extent of territory that stretches from Sabang to Merauke is undoubtedly a major force potential. Under these conditions an energy plantation from calliandra can harvest very quickly over a period of less than one year, then can continue to harvest each year from coppice generated.

Sweden since the 1970s have used the energy planatation to supply biomass in large quantities consistently. The era of the 1970s was an era of energy crisis due to OAPEC embargo in the Yom Kippur war, so as countries of the Arab oil producers would not export its oil. This resulted in skyrocketing world oil prices, so that western countries should innovate to meet its energy needs, including the use of biomass massively. A number of countries in Europe followed to make energy plantations and included in other places such as the US, New Zealand and Canada. The rapid rotation strees namely poplar and willow cultivated in energy plantations and harvest on average every four years, or four times longer than Indonesia because the climate is sub-tropical. This is what we in Indonesia with the climatic conditions of the above need to be thankful to Allah SWT.

When the world is still largely rely on wood wastes as raw material for wood pellets, with climatic conditions in Indonesia as described above, the energy plantation will be effective and sustainable. And when eg Indonesia will target a major player wood pellets in the world with 50% of world production in 2024 (25 million tonnes / year) means it takes land approximately only 170 thousand ha, it is still much smaller than the land used for oil palm plantations today , which is about 11 million ha. The quality of land needed also unnecessary as well as oil palm plantations, even sloping land or in the form of the slope will be very good for calliandra tree. This is because calliandra very anti to waterlogging. If the plant capacity of wood pellets made of 100,000 tons / year (20 tons / hour) means it takes 250 units wood pellet plant or if the capacity of the plant made 50,000 tons / year (10 tons / hour) means it takes 500 units of wood pellet factory and so on.

Another advantage is calliandra able to control the growth of weeds like kirinyuh. Profits will be optimized by integrating with breeding goats or cows, so the import of meat can also be reduced. The leaves of the plant calliandra for the animal feed, while dung as fertilizer for calliandra plantation. If the number of animals very much so the biogas plant may be made and as a source of additional energy in the wood pellet mill.

Once paddle the two birds so the saying goes. The destruction of tropical forests in various regions turned out to be continued without can be controlled. Allegedly every second there is deforestation of tropical area of a football field, so that every year take place opening of tropical forests around 150,000 square kilometers (15 million ha). Disaster due to human greed in the form of floods, landslides, expansion of the desert and so as a result of forest destruction above. Rehabilitation well as land reclamation is needed for the improvement of environmental conditions so that a disaster could have been avoided, as well as the production of wood pellets as a source of renewable energy from biomass are the most widely produced today. With the improvement of soil fertility using the calliandra plants then in less than 5 years, which was originally barren land can be used for various agricultural activities. In an average period of 10 years, the springs are also very likely to occur in forested areas and the arrangement of these ecosystems. When the springs appeared the agriculture and forestry sectors could be growing, including the processing industry.

Certainly not the mild efforts to achieve this goal. Institutional arrangement, planting understanding of the sustainability of plantation / forest to the actors of business and government, expertise in the form of skill to the production and provision of adequate infrastructure is a challenge that must be overcome to achieve the above targets. The target will be achieved if all parties can be synchronized to achieve that goal. Again not too late, just a willingness to begin.