Reviving the Integrated Coconut Industry in Indonesia Part 2: Production of Coconut Sugar with Biomass Energy from Energy Plantation

Energy needs have always been a hindrance to the development of an industry, including the integrated coconut industry. In the previous section the integrated coconut industry could be run by utilizing their coir/fiber waste as fuel (read here), with the main product being coconut fruit itself. Another alternative to the integrated coconut industry is the production of coconut sugar, because the need for sweeteners is still very large. Whereas if coconut oil for oil production such as cooking oil is currently unable to compete with palm oil derived from CPO, even though coconut oil has its own advantages. Coconut sugar production uses the raw material of coconut roomie, and when coconut roomie is taken then the coconut fruit is not produced from the coconut tree or the coconut tree does not bear fruit. When coconut sugar production is more profitable, coconut sugar production becomes the main product of the integrated coconut industry.

Coconut sugar

In 2016 Indonesia became the largest sugar importer in the world with a value of $ 2.1 billion or around Rp.28.4 trillion. The value of Indonesia's imports was greater than the three other importing countries whose populations were actually greater than those of Indonesia, namely the United States ($ 1.9 billion), China ($ 1.2 billion) and India ($ 922 million). Whereas in the colonial era, Indonesia was once the largest producer and exporter of sugar. The need for sugar is very large it should be substituted with coconut sugar which in some ways is better than cane sugar. In the food industry coconut sugar or brown sugar has advantages over other sources of sweeteners such as sugar from sugar cane. That is because the brown sugar or coconut sugar contains other elements such as aroma and distinctive physical properties whose effects on a food production cannot be replaced by other sweetener sources.

The use of coconut sugar ranging from kitchen herbs to various types of food from households, small industries to large industries. Indonesia's current coconut sugar production is estimated at around 500,000 tons / year and is expected to increase as the potential for coconut sugar replaces the very high shortage of sugar cane, as mentioned above. Even a number of large industries in Indonesia such as Unilever, ABC, and Indofood have great interest in the development of coconut sugar. These companies which are also big soy sauce producers apparently need coconut sugar for their soy sauce production which is estimated to reach 70 thousand tons / year.

Integration Coconut Sugar Industry with Gliricidae Plantation

For the energy needs of coconut sugar production can be done by planting gliricidae between coconut plantations or as intercrops. Gliricidae is a fast rotation plant that can grow anywhere and is most optimal in the lowlands. Gliricidae is also a crop so that no need replanting  after harvesting the wood for about fifteen years. And because gliricidae is a leguminocea plant, its roots can bind nitrogen from the atmosphere which fertilizes the soil and its leaves are also rich in protein so it is very good for livestock such as sheep, goats and cows. The practice of coconut plantations with intercropping of gliricidae has been carried out in Sri Lanka hundred years and the coconut industry is developing well there.

With the plantation pattern as above, besides producing coconut sugar, it can operate because energy sources are available, it is also very potential with the integration of ruminant farms above and also honey bees. When the animal husbandry is integrated, land potential can be optimized and manure from the farm can be used as organic fertilizer for the coconut plantation. In addition, among the coconut trees and gliricidae, with the grass including them can also be used for pasture such as sheep, cattle or both. Grass from pasture fields can be used as the main feed of the sheep or cattle and gliricidae leaves as additional feed. With the combination of a number of coconut sugar based businesses, the production of coconut sugar can be done anywhere and gives maximum profit. Insha Allah

Reviving the Integrated Coconut Industry Part 3

When continuous pyrolysis is used for processing coconut shells and producing charcoal and is not processed further into activated carbon, excess syngas and biooil can be used as energy sources for processing fruit flesh and coconut water. Fruit flesh and coconut water can be processed into a variety of products needed by the market. The production costs of various processed coconut products have become very competitive because energy costs are very minimal or even zero. In addition, energy needs can also be added from coconut fiber which is used as fuel as well. The energy source can be used for electricity or heat or both depending on industry needs.

If gliricidae is planted as a crop between coconut plantations, wood products will also be obtained. The wood can be used as raw material for wood pellets as an export commodity which is predicted to continue to increase demand in line with awareness of environmental problems and climate change. Gliricidae leaf waste can also be used as animal feed such as goats, sheep and cattle. Maintenance of gliricidae is very easy and planting patterns as intercropping with coconut plantations are also common in Sri Lanka. Land optimization can also be done by using land between coconut plantation and gliricidae as pasture fields such as goats, sheep and cattle and for beekeeping.

To make the business profitable and sustainable, professional management certainly needs to be applied in the business. Management of the upstream sector namely plantations and livestock should be separated from the downstream sector namely factory or plant as a processing unit. This is similar to the organization in the palm oil company which separates the plantation division from the factory or mill division. In addition to facilitating business operations, the business will become efficient and competitive. 

Reviving the Integrated Coconut Industries in Indonesia

The absence of a market causes the coconut industry to not develop, stagnate and even tend to die. Although various products can be produced from coconut fruit but with a small product uptake is not able to turn on the coconut industry. When the products that the demanded by market are already obtained, such as CPO in the palm oil industry, it is possible for the coconut industry to stretch and rise and be taken into account. Modernization of technology also needs to be done so that the coconut industry becomes a modern industry even though the production capacity is not as big as the palm oil industry. Another factor needed to revive the integrated coconut industry and this is almost the same experienced by all industries in general that is the availability of energy. So that to meet the energy needs, not all coconut fruit should be processed, but some are used to produce energy, for example coconut fiber, because the economic value is the lowest.

Activated carbon is a product that has a very good market potential and with continuous pyrolysis technology followed by activation, the product can be produced without the need for additional external energy. Thus the activated carbon plant can stand on its own using its coconut shell waste. But to get the coconut shell, someone must process the coconut fruit. Products such as VCO, dedicated coconut, and coconut milk can be the main products so that the processing of the coconut fruit. The coconut water can be processed into isotonic drinks or nata de coco. The use of coir-fired boilers (if in a palm oil mill, high efficient boilers only use the fiber) or even fronds and leaves can be used for electricity and steam production. Similar to operations in palm oil mills as well, namely electricity can be used to move a variety of mechanical equipment for processing coconut and steam as well as a source of heat, especially if the processing of the coconut fruit does need it.

With the above pattern, the coconut industry can be operated even though the location is in a remote area and there is no electricity network there, a place where coconut plantations are located. Indonesia as a seduction country of coconut islands with the plantation area of almost 4 million hectares and the widest in the world today or the equivalent of 1/3 of palm oil plantations should be also the leader in the world coconut industry.  

Export Wood Pellets to Japan, Is It Possible?

The consumption of biomass fuels especially wood pellets in Japan continues to increase over time according to the target of 4-6 GW in 2030. Supply of wood pellets for Japan, especially from Canada, have a volume of more than 250 thousand tons annually. The use of wood pellets is mainly for fuel generating electricity (read the background here). Wood pellet producers in Asia are also increasing, but the fact is that not many of them can export to Japan. Japan applies strict standards for the quality of wood pellets and also guarantees that wood pellets are produced in an environmentally friendly manner as evidenced by a sustainability certificate in the form of FSC. Another factor that makes it difficult to export wood pellets to Japan is the application of long contracts with fixed purchase prices for a certain time. That is because with the FIT (Feed in Tarrif) policy, the selling price of electricity produced is also fixed for 20 years with prices depending on the type of fuel. In addition, the volume of shipment needed is also quite large, which is 10 thousand tons for each shipment. This has consequences for the capacity of the wood pellet plant.

Then how about the track record of export wood pellets from Indonesia? It turns out that wood pellet exports from Indonesia to Japan are still very minimal, in general only for the trial phase. This is very different from other biomass fuel commodities namely palm kernel shells (PKS) whose export volume to Japan alone is estimated at more than 1 million tons annually. Why did it happen? First, the average wood pellet producer in Indonesia is still in small capacity or less than 5000 tons / month. In addition, the majority of raw materials used come from sawdust from sawmills and wood wastes from the wood processing industries. This condition also makes it very difficult or impossible to obtain a sustainability certificate because it is very difficult to trace the source of wood from its origin. Second, the amount of PKS is abundant in palm oil mills because it is one of the solid wastes from palm mills or CPO production. With national CPO production estimated to reach more than 40 million tons / year, the resulting PKS are estimated to reach more than 10 million / year and only through a simple process can the PKS be exported. Technically, PKS also have many similarities with wood pellets for technical specifications such as heating value, size, etc., as well as having advantages namely of easier handling and lower prices.

One scenario to be able to export wood pellets to Japan, is the production of wood pellets from energy plantations. With an energy plantation, the origin of the wood so that all aspects of its cultivation can be clearly monitored and verified so that certificates like FSC can be easily obtained. The supply of raw materials can also be guaranteed and it is possible for large capacity production. To optimize the energy plantation can also be integrated with sheep, cattle and goat farms and honey beekeeping. The three important aspects for human life, namely food, energy and water can be done with these activities, for more details can be read here.

Another alternative is to produce EFB pellets or palm oil empty fruit bunches pellet, but EFB pellets are not a wood pellet group, because they originate not from woody biomass, but from agricultural waste so they are called agricultural waste pellets or agro-waste pellets. The quality of agro-waste pellets is generally lower than that of wood pellets mainly because of the higher ash content and the lower heating value. In addition to the technical factors above, there are important things to consider for the production of EFB pellets is the availability of electricity. This is because palm oil mills are generally in remote locations making it difficult to get electricity supply, while electricity produced by palm oil mills is also inadequate when used for EFB pellet production. To be able to produce electricity, namely by producing biogas from POME (palm oil mill effluents), and for more details, please read here.

Which is Better, Efficient Boiler or Pyrolysis System ?

Fiber and palm kernel shells (PKS) are palm oil mill solid wastes that are produced in CPO production in that mill. The amount of fiber and PKS waste is quite a lot, which is around 20% of each fresh fruit bunch (FFB) or almost the same as the CPO produced. A palm oil mill with a capacity of 60 tons / hour FFB can produce fiber as much as 8.1 tons per hour or 194.4 tons per day and PKS of 3.3 tons / hour per hour or 79.2 tons per day. And because both of them are waste, generally the utilization of the waste is not initially considered, including for use as fuel in boilers in palm oil mills for the production of electricity and steam. The use of fiber and PKS for boiler fuel generally uses 100% fiber and about 30% of the PKS. Under these conditions the remaining 70% of the PKS can be used for other things including being sold or even exported.

When the shell becomes a commercial commodity and demand is greater, palm oil mills replace their old inefficient boilers with new boilers that have a high level of efficiency. In this way, 100% of the PKS is no longer used to boiler fuel and only requires fiber as fuel. In this condition a paradigm shift in thinking begins to occur, that is when the solid waste is almost unnoticed and tends to be considered a problem, then it becomes an important part of earning additional income and it can even be estimated that if the shell is successfully sold then it is sufficient to cover the operational costs of the palm oil mill. Certainly something interesting if the production of CPO (crude palm oil) with 0% operational costs so that profit is increasingly attractive especially amid the recent decline in CPO prices.

Another thing that can be done is to use a pyrolysis unit, to run the boiler. With pyrolysis, not only fiber is used but also the empty fruit bunch (EFB). EFB are solid palm oil mill waste which to date have generally not been utilized. Besides producing energy, pyrolysis also produces products in the form of charcoal (biochar). Although charcoal (biochar) can also be used for energy sources, but in the business of palm oil companies the use of biochar for plantations can be more compatible. The use of biochar in palm oil plantations is mainly to  fertilizer saving, which is one of the major cost components (around 30%) in the CPO production business. With an area of ​​20 thousand hectares of oil palm plantations, fertilizer costs are estimated to reach Rp. 71.50 billion (around US$ 5 million) per year or Rp. 35.75 billion (around US$ 2.5 million) per year for every 10,000 hectares, for more details, please read here. Palm oil mills with big vision certainly try to maximize their potential with the aim of maximizing profits from upstream to downstream production activities. With Biochar can also target the increase in productivity of FFB, for more details, please read here.

The application of biochar will be easier to do in Indonesia than in Malaysia, this is because almost all palm oil mills in Indonesia also have palm oil plantations while in Malaysia the mills generally do not have their own palm oil plantations. The palm oil industry also has an important role for the two countries because Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest CPO producers and owners of biggest palm oil plantations in the world today. The palm oil industry contributes around 7% of Malaysian GDP and 3% of Indonesian GDP, so its role cannot be ignored. Both with pyrolysis and high efficient boilers, biomass waste can be used as an energy source and 100% of the PKS can be commercialized, but with pyrolysis is better because waste of EFB can also be processed, there are biochar product (while only ash if only with regular combustion) for Fertilizers saving in the palm oil plantations and the exhaust gases from the palm oil mill boilers are also clean because they burn gas (syngas) produced from the pyrolysis process. 

Water Crisis, Bioeconomy and Climate Change

The water crisis is part of an environmental disaster that greatly affects the lives of all living things including humans. Environmental disasters such as the water crisis also have a cause. The main cause of this is due to environmental damage caused by human hands. If the environment is not maintained, a number of such disasters occur. Victims of the disaster not only affected the perpetrators of environmental destruction but also other communities. Deforestation so that the land becomes barren and arid is the main cause of the water crisis. In the dry season it results in a water crisis and in the rainy season has the potential for floods and landslides. Deforestation and illegal logging in general are closely related to economic interests and ignore environmental aspects.

During the dry season as it is today, many of us encounter areas that are drought and even some areas of forest fires occur. More technically and in detail the drought causes the decrease in the supply of clean water from water sources to decrease, the level of lake water or reservoirs to hold water, the wells to dry up as well as the rivers. A number of regions have even experienced a marked decline in water supply and levels. There is no living creature that can live without water, because water is a vital need for living things, even in the Qur'an it is explained that Allah SWT created living things from water (QS Al-Anbiya, verse 30), the human body itself 70% is water.

So many critical lands, marginal lands, up to idle lands that are not utilized, and these lands will be increasingly damaged such as desertification and the potential to cause various disasters. This should be utilized so that potential disasters can be minimized. Furthermore, these lands should also be able to provide economic benefits so that forest destruction can also be minimized. When the community has been able to be economically independent by utilizing these lands, the protected forest can be well preserved. The solution to environmental problems as well as economic aspects is the right solution and below there are 2 scenarios that can be done, namely first,bamboo plantation for biomaterials and energy plantations for biomass  energy supplies. Aside from deforestation, water crisis is also a result of climate change. The high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere affects the climate change and the solution of making these plantations as well as a medium to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Bamboo as Biomaterial
Bamboo trees are very familiar to almost all people and many people still use bamboo until now. But the use of bamboo is mostly still on a variety of products that have low added value so that it is economically less attractive. Bamboo trees also have great potential for large plantations with a top priority for environmental improvement and a second priority as a source of biomass feedstocks for biomaterials. Bamboo plantations are for environmental improvement because the plantations are able to prevent erosion, absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, O2 sources and are able to lift groundwater so that it helps the availability of water. Although basically all trees are able to absorb and retain water, but bamboo trees have the ability above average that can lift the surface of ground water an average of 10 meters in 20 years or 0.5 meters annually. The water crisis that occurs can be reduced or eliminated by making bamboo plantations.

Bamboo plantations are also very effective for the supply of biomass  for biomaterials. When the bamboo tree is 5 years old, every month from its clump, bamboo stems can be harvested every month until the productive period reaches 60 years without replanting. As for wood from other trees, it generally takes 10 years or even more to be harvested once and replanting it for the next cycle. Furthermore, the use of bamboo so as to produce high economic value products is an important thing to do. Products such as bamboo composites, bamboo textiles, and flooring, are a number of uses of bamboo with high economic value. The quality of bamboo composites is special as well as bamboo textiles. Imports of textile raw materials that are still dominant today can also be reduced with bamboo textiles. Bamboo plantation and processing can be a model of bioeconomy and for more details can be read here, as well as further bamboo as a biomaterial can be read here.

Energy Plantation to Supply Biomass Energy
Although currently almost all energy producers from biomass are limited to utilizing waste wood from wood working industries, sawmill and agricultural waste, but because the supply of these wastes is limited and fluctuating, it is difficult to be relie upon to supply for large capacity and sustainable. In the near future it is estimated that the energy plantation will replace it. Energy plantations with fast rotation plants are the ideal solution for supplying large amounts of energy and sustainability. Wood pellets are one of the products that can be made from these energy plantation. The demand for wood pellets in the international market is increasing along with the awareness onenvironmental problems. Wood chips as a simpler product can also be made if the user of the biomass fuel is close enough to the energy plantation.

On a smaller scale, wood from energy plantations can also be used for briquette and charcoal briquette production. Briquette needs are not as much as pellets and charcoal briquettes, especially only for barbecue. Charcoal briquette or more popularly known as sawdust charcoal briquette has a large market especially in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Leaves from the energy plantation can also be used for animal feed, such as sheep, goats, cows and buffalo. The leaves also have a high protein content so that it becomes nutritious feed for these animals. Pasture can also be made in the energy plantation area so that the livestock business becomes effective and efficient, for more details, please read here. In terms of environmental aspects the energy plantation also plays a role in CO2 absorption, preventing erosion and water conservation. Even the roots of energy plantation plants that can absorb N2 from the atmosphere will increasingly fertilize the soil.

 If humans can make optimal use of the land to meet their daily needs by maintaining balance, caring for and not damaging it, then disasters such as water crises and landslides, InsyaAllah, will not occur. Utilize while maintaining the environment wisely so that it can continue to grow and be sustainable as well as a form of gratitude for the blessings of Allah SWT so that these favors are added by Him.
"If the inhabitants of the countries of faith and god fear, surely We will bestow upon them blessings from heaven and earth, but they deny (Our verses), then We torture them for their actions." (QS, Al A'raf: 96).

Rotary Dryer for Biomass Drying

When using biomass as a raw material for wood pellet and wood briquette production, the level of dryness of the biomass must be dry enough so that it can be compacted in the form of the pellet or briquette. Biomass raw materials in the form of wood or agricultural wastes are often still wet, so the drying process needs to be done first. As a tropical country the sun's rays will continue to shine throughout the year, but relying on drying in the sun under the hot sun will take a long time, large space and inefficient handling. Based on these conditions, the drying carried out with certain equipment needs to be done. The characteristic of the dryer in the industry is that it can dry out large capacities in a short time and economical.

Rotary dryer or drum dryer is a type of dryer that is most widely used in the pellet and briquette industry. That is because the rotary dryer has a simple construction, easy to operate and also maintenance. The use of a rotary dryer is not only for drying biomass but also in other fields such as minerals, fertilizers and a number of aggregates. The use of rotary dryers in a number of fields with various types of material also has consequences for a number of supporting devices, for example the use of cyclones, scrubbers, bag houses to induced drafts (ID) fans. Meanwhile, from the operational side it also varies according to the characteristics of the dried raw material such as counter current or co-current drying flow, and the use of indirect drying or direct drying.

Each dryer also has its own characteristics and is suitable for certain types of material. Selection of the type of dryer that is not suitable results in the drying goal not being achieved, for example a rotary dryer is suitable for drying materials that are not broken or damaged when dropped from above, while the type of dryer fluidized dryer is suitable for materials that are lightweight and break easily or are damaged when dropped. Biomass especially in small particle size is material that is not damaged or broken when dropped, so the use of a rotary dryer is more appropriate. In addition to more expensive investment costs, operational and maintenance fluidized dryers are also more expensive compared to rotary dryers. The choice of material for manufacturing rotary dryers is also important. Metal material that is not suitable is feared that it will make the quality of the drying product not meet the target besides the shorter service life.

In biomass materials with small particle sizes, a rotary dryer is the most commonly used dryer. For drying flow using cocurrent, not counter current based on a number of considerations. In large capacity wood pellet and briquette plants, the rotary dryer usually operates 24 hours a day, so the performance of the rotary dryer becomes very important. Inadequate installation makes the performance of the rotary dryer is not optimal and the service life. The occurrence of many vibrations and unbalanced rotation indicates that the rotary dryer installation is inadequate and makes the performance not optimal and the service life of the rotary dryer shorter.

CNSL and Charcoal Briquette Production From Cashew Nut Shells

Indonesia is the largest cashew nut producer in the world after India, Vietnam, East Africa, West Africa and Brazil. Cashew nut production in Indonesia is estimated at 131,302 tons and is distributed to a number of production centers, including Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Maluku province. The thing that is still unfortunate is that most of the cashew nut production in Indonesia is still in raw or spindle (cashew with shell / cashew in shell) which reaches 60% or 78,781 tons, and not in processed products such as peeled (cashew without shell) even ready for consumption. To increase the added value, the cashew produced should be processed first. With this treatment, side product will be produced or waste in the form of cashew nut shell. With Indonesia's cashew production of 131,302 tons, the potential of cashew nut shell produced reaches 52,520.8 tons (40% of cashew). Although cashew nut shells can be used directly for fuel as well as firewood, but if processed will also provide interesting added value.

The cashew nut shell can be processed into cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and charcoal briquette. To obtain CNSL, mechanical extraction is done so that the oil and solids are separated. The oil or CNSL has many benefits because it can be used for a variety of industrial raw materials, such as vegetable pesticides, wood preservatives, car and aircraft brake oil, for industrial paints, anti-rust, lacquer, cable wrapping materials, making vehicle brake linings motorized, as a fuel (which is renewable), and renewable adhesives for the wood industry. The yield of cashew oil to cashew shells is around 20%, which means that every ton of cashew shells produces 200 kg of cashew shell oil (CNSL), which is quite a lot and gives added value economically. While the cashew shells are then compressed into briquettes and followed by a carbonization process. The quality of the charcoal briquettes produced by the above process route will also be better compared to the way the charcoal is made first and then compressed into briquette with additional adhesive.

The processing of cashew nuts into products that are ready for consumption requires energy for the production process. In many industries, energy or fuel is a high cost component, so energy saving efforts are very common in many industries. In the process of carbonization or charcoaling the briquetting, there will be a large amount of waste heat so that it can be used for processing of cashew nuts. When the factor of production costs, especially energy costs can be minimized and even eliminated altogether, the processed cashew nut products ready for consumption become increasingly competitive and profitable. The use of cashew shells for the production of CNSL and charcoal briquettes in addition to economic added value also makes the zero waste cashew nut processing industry.

Conversion of Industrial Furnaces and Boilers with Biomass Fuels

 

The use of biomass fuels especially palm kernel shells (PKS) has been increasing lately. This was mainly due to the high price of natural gas and non-subsidized industrial LPG. Viewed from the environmental aspect it is a progress because there is a reduction in fossil fuels (carbon positive) which causes climate change and global warming. Industries that initially used furnaces and gas-fired boilers needed to replace them into biomass, especially palm kernel shells which are solid fuels. The availability of palm kernel shells is  also very abundant inline with CPO products or palm oil plantations in Indonesia. Biomass such as wood chips, wood pellets and so on can basically be used as fuel for the furnace, but economic considerations and continuity of supplies are the main considerations. The quality of the palm kernel shell is also almost equal to the wood pellet and in the international market indeed the palm kernel shell is the main competitor of wood pellet. And when compared to other agricultural waste biomass such as rice husks, palm kernel shells  are also far superior both in terms of calories and bulk density, so palm kernel shells are increasingly becoming a favorite fuel.
 

At present the palm kernel shell has also become an export commodity especially for the Japanese and Korean markets. The two countries are the biggest consumers of the palm kernel shells, especially in Asia but with the main motivation due to the implementation of environmental programs in the country. Large incentives are given by the states to companies, especially power plants, when using biomass fuels, especially palm kernel shells because they are a renewable energy group. This is very encouraging the use of palm kernel shells in the two countries. While the main suppliers of palm kernel shells are from Indonesia and Malaysia as the world's largest CPO producer as well as the owner of the largest palm oil plantation in the world today. This condition will certainly create competition especially when the demand for palm kernel shells is equally large. When these conditions occur, special strategies are needed to react to them, thus providing a large added value for Indonesia and Malaysia, or the pks sources. 

 Palm kernel shells are biomass fuels that have almost no processing and can be used directly, while for wood pellets an industry is needed for processing. Based on the fact above, palm kernel shells should be prioritized for the domestic market and wood pellets for the export market. When the production of wood pellets currently still relies on sawdust and wood wastes which are limited in quantity, then in addition to the the environmental aspects of sustainability recognition are also difficult to be obtained. When wood pellet production is made from energy plantations by growing energy crops such as calliandra and gliricidae, although the availability of raw materials can be guaranteed and capable of large capacities and environmental aspects of sustainability can be obtained, but in general producers are still not interested because the process route is long and need mastering the aspects of energy plantation cultivation. EFB pellet production can be a solution for  this. EFB or palm oil empty fruit bunches like palm kernel shells are an abundant amount of solid palm oil mill waste and are currently largely untapped, for more details, please read here.

If the use of biomass fuels, especially palm kernel shells in Indonesia is getting bigger, it means that it is comparable to efforts to reduce greenhouse gases or CO2 derived from fossil fuels. An achievement in the environmental field that can be proud of course. At present, there are not a few palm oil mills which have not yet sold their palm kernel shells, especially those in remote areas. The effort to take the palm kernel shells at the palm oil mills is also a challenge, but with users in the country it is also easier. If the palm kernel shells for the export market, especially Japan, require a large minimum quantity of an average of 10,000 tons per shipment and the quality of a tight palm kernel shell (especially aspects of cleanliness anddryness), the domestic market in addition to the volume of each shipment is smaller, the quality requirements are also not so tight. The transportation of palm kernel shells to Japan with such quantities requires large bulk vessels, while for the domestic market it is sufficient by barges.

 

Conversion from natural gas to solid fuels especially palm kernel shell biomass does require different equipment and operational aspects. Biomass fuels, especially palm kernel shells, require a larger space for storage, the combustion process is not as easy as gas fuel, and solid ash is also produced. The industrial users of palm kernel shell fuel usually have to replace their furnaces or boilers with furnaces or industrial boilers with biomass fuel, especially palm kernel shells. Basically there are 3 groups of combustion technologies that can be used namely grate, fluidized bed and pulverized combustion. The aspect of mixing air with fuel is an important aspect in the combustion process. Solid fuels have low mixing qualities with air compared to liquid fuels moreover in the gas fuel. In liquid fuels and especially gas, fuels can be atomized so that they are close to the molecular size of air, whereas solid fuels cannot. Grate combustion has the lowest air-fuel mixing rate, fluidized bed has a better homogenisation air-fuel mixture and pulverized combustion has the best homogenisation air-fuel mixture level that can be obtained from combustion of solid fuels. The choice of combustion technology is mainly based on the heat capacity needed and economic aspects including the price of the equipment, operational and maintenance costs.