Production of Pini Kay Briquette from Plywood and Veneer Factory Waste

Indonesia's plywood production is estimated at more than 10 million cubic meters each year, which is produced from hundreds of plywood factories, even Indonesia once dominated the world wood industry in the period 1980 to 1995. The existence of plywood factories in Indonesia has actually been around for a long time, but its development only became apparent after in 1972. After the period 1980-85 the number of factories increased rapidly. At that time there were no less than 110 medium to large scale factories in almost all provinces in Indonesia. There are five provinces as the largest plywood producers in Indonesia, namely East Java, East Kalimantan, Central Java, South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan. And six other provinces that are starting to develop are Banten, Papua, Central Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Riau and Jambi. Most of the plywood is for the export market.

APKINDO (Indonesian Wood Panel Association) is a forum for plywood and veneer industry players. When APKINDO was formed on February 12, 1976, it was initiated by 13 plywood companies, while currently it has members from more than 125 industries spread throughout Indonesia. APKINDO aims to foster unity and togetherness and voice the interests of the plywood industry to utilize logs more efficiently, absorb more labor and increase added value. APKINDO's role continues to this day, one of which is to support the SVLK policy which is believed to be able to restore the positive image of Indonesian forestry in the eyes of the world, so that it will make it easier for Indonesian wood products, especially plywood, to win competition in the global market. 

The volume of wood waste in the plywood industry is quite large, reaching almost 55% or more than 5 million tons per year of national plywood production. The potential for this waste is quite large and has great potential to be processed into pini kay briquette (wood briquette screw type). Why should have to process it into pini kay briquette (wood briquette screw type)? Pini kay briquette is the choice for the solution to the plywood waste problem because apart from the production process being easier, the machine investment is also cheaper. This is because plywood factory wood waste is already dry so it does not require a drying process. Apart from being quite expensive, the dryer also have operational costs. It is also very possible to obtain high quality due to the low ash content, because the wood for plywood production has been debarked so that the content can be reduced to below 1%.

Veneer is a thin sheet of board used to make plywood. The veneers are arranged and glued together, in odd quantities, so that they become plywood. Many veneer manufacturers do not have plywood manufacturing units, but in general plywood factories have veneer production units. Veneers can be made by peeling (rotary cutting), slicing, sawing and sharpening. Indonesian veneer production is currently quite large as is the waste it produces. This waste will also have great added value by processing it into pini kay briquettes, just like the plywood waste above.

The pini kay briquette production process can use the plywood and veneer industry waste mentioned above. Before being compressed into pinikay briquettes in a briquette machine or screw press, the waste needs to be uniform in size to the size of sawdust and also have a dryness level of around 10%. Wood waste that is large in size needs to be reduced in size first and the dryness level also needs to be tried to reach the 10% range. With a screw press / extruder, wood biomass from these wastes can be compacted (densified) up to 1400 kg/m3 or much denser than wood pellets which are around 700 kg/m3. The pini kay briquette product can then be cut into certain sizes and ready to be marketed, especially for the export market. The need for pini kay briquettes is mainly as space heating fuel. Furthermore, this pini kay briquette can also be further processed into charcoal briquettes or commonly called sawdust charcoal briquettes. With this density, the burning time for briquetted charcoal is twice that of ordinary charcoal or more. Meanwhile, the main use of charcoal briquette is for barbeque.

For the plywood and veneer industry which produces up to thousands of tonnes of woody biomass waste every month, potentially becoming an environmental problem, the production of pini kay briquette could be an effective solution. And if there is a plywood and veneer industry that is interested in producing pini kay briquettes, we are ready to help the market.

Another Form of Reclamation - Energy Plantation for Wood Pellet Production and Integrated Farming

 

Post-mining reclamation is the obligation of mining companies / IUP (Mining Business License) holders so they must prepare funds for this. Apart from reforesting mining areas in forest areas, other forms of reclamation are more flexible because there are many types, but the aim can provide economic, social and environmental benefits. If the mining company does not carry out reclamation, it will receive heavy sanctions, namely a fine of up to 100 billion rupiah. Post-reclamation business or activity management is also flexible according to the agreement as long as it does not conflict with the above objectives.

Don't Choose The Wrong Machine: Wood Pelletizer With Feed Pelletiser, and Wood Extruder With Charcoal Extruder

The visual appearance alone can sometimes be unbelievable. Two things can visually appear the same or very similar but turn out to be different. This often happens in the production of wood pellets and wood briquettes (pini kay briquette / uncarbonised briquette). And what's worse, this machine is the heart of the industrial production process, namely the pelletiser in the wood pellet industry and the extruder in the wood briquette industry (pini kay briquette / uncarbonised briquette). So that errors in selecting the machine can also have fatal consequences, namely not only is the production target not achieved, even the product in question is not successfully produced. This is why the buyer or user of the machine must be careful about the machine that will be purchased and used.

In the wood pellet industry, mistakes often occur, namely pelletisers are used for animal feed but are used for wood pellets. As a result, wood pellets may not be formed at all because the power for feed pelletisers is much smaller compared to pelletisers for wood or wood pellet production. Offers of cheap prices often make buyers or users tempted and do not look further, so that as a result they will be disappointed.

Likewise in the wood briquette industry (pini kay briquette / uncarbonised briquette). Wood extruders also have much larger motors than charcoal extruders. Briquettes produced with a wood extruder apart from not requiring additional adhesive are also denser and harder due to the use of a high-powered motor. The mistake that can occur is that a charcoal extruder is used for a wood extruder and this also usually happens because the price is cheaper. The briquettes produced from the wood extruder can then also be made into charcoal, producing the final product in the form of charcoal briquettes. Although charcoal briquette production using a charcoal extruder will also produce this product, the process route and product quality are different. Below is the route for the charcoal briquette production process.

The raw material used in route 1 is wood dust such as sawdust which is then pressed or compacted with a wood extruder. With strong pressure and high heat, no additional adhesive is needed, but lignin, which is a natural polymer found in wood, acts as an adhesive. The resulting briquettes can then be charcoaled in a carbonization furnace and the final product is charcoal briquettes. Meanwhile, in route 2, the raw materials are charcoaled or carbonized first, then the charcoal is mixed with adhesive, usually starch and pressed or compacted using a charcoal extruder. The use of additional adhesive is because in charcoal, lignin has been decomposed in the previous carbonization or carbonization process. The final product produced is charcoal briquettes. The quality of the charcoal briquettes in the route 1 process is better than the route 2 process because apart from being denser so the burning time is longer as well as the heat produced.

So, in order not to make the wrong choice, buyer / user have to be careful and precise about the specifications of the machine, as well as knowing the raw materials and production process and don't be easily tempted by offers of cheap prices. The greater the production capacity, the greater the need for pelletiser and extruder equipment, so that if the wrong choice occurs, the risk is fatal, because these machines are expensive. It is also important to note that the equipment purchased also comes from a manufacturer that has been tested so that it has reliable performance.

Why Is It Better For Palm Oil Mills To Use Pyrolysis Rather Than Combustion Furnaces?

The palm oil mill production process or CPO production always requires steam for sterilization, this means a boiler is needed. The heat needed by the boiler usually comes from a furnace with fuel in the form of mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shells. Apart from being used for sterilization, the steam is also used to rotate turbines and produce electricity. With continuous pyrolysis, heat for the boiler can be supplied from syngas and biooil products. Apart from that, pyrolysis also produces biochar as the main product and pyroligneous acid, which is a kind of wood vinegar. The last two ingredients will be very useful in palm oil plantations. Using these two fuels (gas and liquid fuel) will make the furnace produce cleaner smoke compared to burning solid fuel in the form of mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shells which is usually done up to now.

Many palm oil plantations are on acidic soils so the pH needs to be raised and biochar can be used effectively. The biggest operational cost for palm oil plantations is fertilizer and the use of biochar will increase fertilizer efficiency thereby reducing fertilizer input and saving costs. The application of biochar in palm oil plantations apart from improving soil quality thereby increasing the productivity of palm oil fruit or FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunch) is also part of the climate solution, namely carbon sequestration which receives compensation in the form of carbon credits. The carbon credits will also provide additional income for the palm oil company. Apart from that, pyroligneous acid can also be used as fertilizer and biopesticide.

The development of combustion technology is also increasingly developing, starting with the use of moving grates to reciprocating grates used to increase boiler efficiency. But the basic question is how profitable is the use of this technology for palm oil companies in overall? The use of the combustion furnace only increases the efficiency of the boiler, whereas the use of continuous pyrolysis in addition to sufficient boiler heat can also produce other benefits in the form of environmental and financial benefits. Environmental benefits from improving soil fertility conditions and minimizing fertilizer being leached or lost into the environment with the slow release fertilizer technique, for more details read here and also the income from carbon credits which is also big.

The application of biochar is for palm oil plantations, while biochar production is from palm oil mills, while the plantation division and mill division are two separate organizations within the palm oil company. The role of the general manager in particular is needed to handle this so that the company's big goals as a profitable, environmentally sound and sustainable company can be achieved. Factors in the form of maximizing profits, improving land and the environment, as well as being part of the climate solution with carbon sequestration will be a strong driving force for the use of continuous pyrolysis compared to combustion furnaces.

Decarbonization of Coal Mining with Reclamation for Energy Plantations for Wood Pellet Production

Wood pellets are carbon neutral fuel so they do not add CO2 to the atmosphere, which is different from fossil fuels such as coal which are carbon positive, namely adding CO2 to the atmosphere, which is part of the climate solution. Net zero emissions and decarbonization efforts are also accelerated by the use of carbon neutral fuel such as wood pellets. This is an important and main reason for the production of wood pellets in mining companies, especially coal, so that they can reduce CO2 emissions from burning coal. Post-mining land at coal companies can be reclaimed in another form, namely by creating energy plantations as raw material for wood pellet production. There are millions of hectares of ex-mining land that have potential as energy plantations, for more details read here.

Cofiring coal with biomass is an easy and cheap entry point for coal power plants to gradually use renewable fuels. Over time the biomass to coal cofiring ratio can continue to be increased so that CO2 emissions from carbon positive coal are reduced. Technically, a cofiring ratio of up to 5% does not require equipment modifications at the coal power plants. The amount of CO2 that can be replaced (carbon offset) with carbon neutral fuel such as wood pellets also has the opportunity to get carbon credits or other compensation. The implementation of a carbon tax also increasingly encourages a reduction in the use of coal in power plants and vice versa, namely encouraging an increase in the use of renewable fuels, especially wood pellets in these coal power plants or an increase in the cofiring ratio, even ideally fulfiring can be done, namely 100% using renewable fuel.

The implementation of a carbon tax in Indonesia is planned for 2025, after several postponements. The lowest carbon tax rate is IDR 30 per kilogram of carbon dioxide equivalent (IDR 30,000 or around US$ 2 per ton of CO2 equivalent). This tariff is actually much smaller than the initial proposal of IDR 75. With a tariff of IDR 30, Indonesia is one of the countries with the lowest tariff in the world for carbon tax. By burning 1 ton of coal, it will produce around 3 tons of CO2 emissions, so the carbon tax imposed will reach IDR 90,000 per ton of coal. Meanwhile, the use of renewable or carbon neutral fuels such as wood pellets is not subject to the carbon tax. Apart from that, mining companies are also obliged to reclaim their post-mining land, which if not done will be subject to heavy sanctions.

Energy plantation plants are a type of pioneer plant, easy to grow, efficient at using water, fertilize the soil and have strong roots to resist erosion. Legume types such as calliandra and gliricidia are commonly used as energy plantation plants. Integration of energy plantation product processing must be carried out so that optimal benefits are obtained, namely the main product is wood for wood pellet production, leaves as ruminant animal feed and honey as high quality food. The energy plantation must also be created to be able to produce sustainably, namely by maintaining a balance between wood productivity for wood pellet production, environmental functions in the form of maintaining erosion and groundwater, and the volume of wood harvested must not exceed the growth rate or be at least the same (carbon balance) and using by-products for additional revenue, such as using leaves for animal feed and honey from honey bee farms.

Optimizing Wood Pellet Production from Wood Waste

The volume of wood waste from the woodworking industry in Indonesia is estimated to reach 25 million tons every year. Every wood processing will produce waste such as sawdust, wood shavings, wood chips and so on, the volume of which is around 40% of the raw materials used. However, there is still a lot of waste that has not been processed so it pollutes the environment. Meanwhile, the development of the Indonesian timber industry continues to increase due to high export demand, even though actual realization of the timber industry is still low.

It is estimated that the Indonesian wood industry can actually be optimized until its production capacity reaches 91 million cubic meters per year, but in reality in 2022 the forest products industry will only be able to produce 42.19 million cubic meters per year or around 48.7% of its optimum capacity. There are 3 factors that cause the low realization of the wood industry, namely, efficiency of the wood industry, problems related to raw materials and market availability.

The low efficiency of the woodworking industry is due to the use of old machines or traditional methods for production. Meanwhile, problems related to raw materials are caused by the reduction in forest areas due to the large amount of development that causes forest land to change its function. Efforts to maintain a stable and sustainable supply of wood raw materials need to be made, including land rehabilitation programs and coaching for community forest farmers. National mapping of wood potential also needs to be carried out so that industry can obtain information regarding the supply of raw materials needed. Market availability is also an important factor in the development of the timber industry, so the ability to access information and identify market aspects, both domestic and international, is needed.

As the wood industry increases, wood waste also increases. An environmentally conscious industry certainly pays great attention to waste issues so that ideally it can achieve zero waste. These wastes are raw materials for wood pellets. The need for wood pellets continues to increase in line with the global decarbonization trend. Just as the woodworking industry requires consistency to maintain its products, so does wood pellet production. The consistency of the wood pellet raw material mixture is the key to the quality of wood pellets, including making production optimal.

In large woodworking factories, wood pellet production can be carried out simply by using its own waste, so that apart from solving the waste problem according to the zero waste concept, it can also be used as a new business development. Meanwhile, in the small - medium woodworking industry, because there is insufficient wood waste, some wood waste as raw material for wood pellets needs to be sourced from other places. A wood pellet factory can also be made independently, namely with raw materials that come 100% from other people's woodworking factory waste, meaning that the wood pellet factory is not owned by a wood processing industry. So basically a wood pellet factory is a factory or installation for processing wood waste that produces products with high selling value and is in line with the global decarbonization trend.

Export-Oriented Large Capacity Wood Pellet Production

Availability of raw materials and market control are the two absolute main things that must be fulfilled so that the wood pellet production business can be sustainable. Investing in expensive equipment will be useless if the two things mentioned above are not met. In large capacity wood pellet production, the quality of the production equipment used is very important. The production goal of achieving large capacity will be achieved if it is carried out with an efficient and safe production process so that production costs are low. Production equipment that is capable of working non-stop 24 hours, easy operation and maintenance with good performance is vital. Regarding raw materials, apart from continuous availability, there are 2 important things that need to be considered, namely the consistency of raw materials and cheap logistics to the location of the wood pellet factory.

Mapping the potential of raw materials needs to be done well, as well as the wood pellet market. Wood pellet raw materials from one type of wood (single material) are certainly easier than mixed raw materials from several types of wood. This is related to the composition of the mixture, which of course is not a problem if the raw material is from one type of wood (single material) which is homogeneous. To strive for homogeneous raw materials, this can be done by creating energy plantations, while mixed raw materials can be taken from several wood processing sources such as sawmills and so on. Energy plantations that can be multifunctional so that they provide many benefits. This can be done by maintaining a balance between wood productivity for wood pellet production, environmental functions in the form of maintaining erosion and groundwater, and the volume of wood harvested must not exceed the growth rate or be at least the same (carbon balance) and the use of by-products for additional revenue such as utilization leaves for animal feed and honey from beekeeping.

 

Meanwhile, from a market aspect, a number of requirements also need to be met so that sustainable transactions occur. Apart from technical factors in the form of wood pellet specifications and production volume, non-technical factors such as sources of raw materials related to environmental sustainability are also often required nowadays. Users of wood pellets abroad, especially power plants, are in decarbonization efforts through cofiring programs with coal. Sustainable decarbonization efforts usually require environmental certificates such as FSC regarding the source of the raw materials used. This is to prove that the renewable fuel chain, especially wood pellets, indeed complies with mutually acceptable environmental sustainability standards. There are certain countries that impose long contracts for the purchase or procurement of their wood pellets, but there are also those that choose short-term contracts. The typical buyer or market for wood pellets also needs to be given special attention.

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 6: Clinker Substitution in Cement Plants

Substituting clinker with additives or SCM (Supplementary Cementious Material) plays a major role in efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in cement plants. This clinker substitution is ranked second after carbon capture or CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) in efforts to reduce CO2 emissions or decarbonization in the cement industry. This is because the largest CO2 emissions in cement plants are not from combustion or related to fuel but in the calcination process. CCS technology is still expensive so its implementation still faces many obstacles, but clinker substitution is easier to do, so many cement plants are already doing it. 

In the cement industry, all fuel use and around 60% of electricity use is used for clinker production starting from grinding raw materials, fuel preparation and cement kilns. The higher the clinker to cement ratio, the higher the electricity and fuel used for each ton of cement produced. The clinker to cement ratio can be reduced if less clinker is used in cement production or more additional materials or SCM are added to the clinker. This also means that substituting clinker with SCM can significantly reduce energy use (electricity and fuel) for each ton of cement produced. 

China currently has the lowest clinker to cement ratio in the world, namely 0.58, while a number of areas in other countries have the highest ratio, up to 0.9. It can also be understood that China uses the highest portion of SCM compared to countries in the world. The most commonly used SCMs today are fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) and ground limestone. Meanwhile, other SCMs such as pozzolan and calcined clay have the potential to be used in the future.

Fly ash comes from by-products or waste from coal-fired power plants. Decarbonization of coal power plants is also continuing to be carried out, namely by cofiring coal with biomass, but this is being done in stages so that fly ash production will still be large for a while. Fly ash from coal-fired power plant waste is very useful in cement production because it reduces the clinker to cement ratio, thereby reducing energy requirements for cement production or in other words reducing the carbon footprint of cement products. Meanwhile, GGBFS comes from iron and steel plant waste. Not all iron and steel plants produce GGBFS waste, this is because it depends on the type of furnace used. Only plants that use blast furnaces - basic oxygen furnaces (BF - BOF) can produce GGBFS, while those that use electric arc furnaces (EAF) cannot. Around 70% of iron and steel plants in the world currently use the BF – BOF process so as to produce quite a lot of GGBFS, even in China more than 90% use this BF – BOF process. Decarbonization in the iron and steel industry is marked by the switch from BF – BOF to EAF which results in the availability of GGBFS. However, the process is running slowly and gradually, so that for a while the amount of GGBFS will be available and can reduce the carbon footprint of cement production.

The use of fly ash in cement production is usually limited to 25-35% for technical performance reasons. Meanwhile, GGBFS can be used in larger portions than fly ash or other SCM. Even European standards allow the use of GGBFS up to 95% but in practice it is lower. Other SCMs commonly used are pozzolan and calcined clay. Pozzolan comes from mining, namely from deposits in nature. Pozzolan requires drying and grinding before being used in cement production. The electricity used for crushing (grinding) pozzolan is also almost the same as crushing clinker. Calcined clay can also be used as a substitute for clinker. The initial use of calcined clay with a higher portion causes a decrease in the compressive strength of the cement product produced. However, further developments using a combination or mixture of calcined clay with limestone powder have the potential to substitute up to 50% clinker without affecting the quality of the cement. Calcined clay is produced from the clay calcination process which requires energy, but the energy required is much less than the energy for clinker production. It is predicted that in 2050 by the IEA (International Energy Agency) / WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) cement production with the above combination of materials will reach more than 25% worldwide.

It turns out that the use of SCM is not only a substitute for clinker in cement production but also in concrete production. The use of SCM in concrete production is also no less than a substitute for clinker, even in the United States SCM is mostly added during concrete production and not during cement production. A study in the United States estimated that only 5% of SCM was added to cement production and around 13% to concrete production. But basically the addition of SCM to both cement production and concrete production has reduced the carbon footprint or is in line with decarbonization. The problem is that the lack of education regarding the benefits of SCM, especially in concrete production, is a barrier to increasing the use of SCM. Other factors such as the availability of SCM, price and its relation to cement and building quality are also similar barriers. The creation of new standards and codes related to increasing the use of blended cement with SCM and concrete production needs to be developed to transform the current market.

Biochar to Increase the Porosity of Damaged and Marginal Soils

Basically, porous materials will have large surface areas. The more pores, the greater the surface area of the material. Efforts to increase pores or expand the surface can be done in many ways depending on the goal. The type of pores also affects the total surface area and also the use or application of the material. For example, materials that have more micropores will have a larger surface area and have different specific uses than materials that are dominant with medium pores (mesopores) or large pores (macropores). Designing a material so that it is micropore, mesopore or macropore dominant can be done, namely by selecting raw materials and process technology, for example biochar produced from pyrolysis will produce a larger surface area compared to the initial unprocessed biomass.

In land related to use for agriculture or plant cultivation, the aspect of soil porosity or pores is an important aspect. This is mainly related to nutrient and water retention as well as soil aeration. Expanding soil pores will be very useful for improving soil quality so as to support the success of agriculture or plant cultivation. Soil that has more pore space will be able to store large amounts of water and nutrients too. Soil that has a high number of small (micropore) and medium (mesopore) pores will tend to hold water and nutrients more strongly than soil that has many large pores (macropore). And if there is evaporation or use of water by plants or a leaching process occurs in nutrients, then the large pores (macropores) left behind by the water and nutrients will follow the medium (mesopore) and  micropore.

Providing organic material in the form of compost to the soil is generally used to form more micropore spaces. The more micropore spaces that are formed, the more moisture the soil will have. Soil organic matter has more pores than soil mineral particles, which means that the surface area for absorption is also greater. Providing organic material in the form of compost, apart from increasing the number of pores or soil porosity, also reduces the volume weight. This organic material or compost is a source of energy for soil microbial activity, reduces soil volume, improves soil structure, aeration and air binding capacity. Soil with high total pores, such as clay, tends to have a low volume weight, while soil with low total pores, such as sandy soil (coarse texture), tends to have a high volume weight.

Apart from increasing total pores, adding compost also increases soil pH, namely in sandy soil and acidic soil, including entisol, ultisol and andisol and is able to reduce soil exchangeable Al. The increase in pH is due to the process of breaking down the compost. The results of this overhaul will produce basic cations which can increase the pH or release basic cations from the compost into the soil so that the soil is saturated with basic cations. The weathering or decomposition process of the compost will release alkaline cations which cause the soil pH to increase.

Soil organic C will also increase with the addition of compost and total N (nitrogen). The more organic matter added to the soil, the greater the increase in organic C in the soil. Compost from animal waste has the lowest C/N ratio compared to compost from plants. Organic materials that have a high lignin content will inhibit the speed of N mineralization and the C/N ratio will be high. In fact, further decomposition of organic matter is characterized by a low C/N ratio. Meanwhile, a high C/N ratio indicates that decomposition has not yet continued or has just started. In this process there is a decrease in carbon / C and an increase in nitrogen / N.

The need for compost on marginal land such as sandy land is also much greater, reaching almost twice as much as on ordinary or standard land. Meanwhile, the need for chemical fertilizer on marginal land is usually less than on normal/standard land. Ideally, using compost at optimal doses will be able to increase plant productivity and preserve the environment.

Unlike compost which will completely decompose, as a soil amendment, biochar can last hundreds of years in the soil. Biochar, which has a large surface area, also has many micropores which increase soil porosity, like compost. Pyrolysis conditions are important in determining the quality of biochar besides the biochar raw material itself. In rough textured soils such as sandy land, biochar will improve water and nutrient retention because its micro pores slow down its release (slow velocity). The quality of biochar is directly proportional to the efficacy of biochar treatment. A number of parameters related to the application of biochar for soil improvement/treatment are also similar to compost, including: soil carbon content and mineralization, soil micro-structural & aggregation, bioavailable nitrogen, and microbial activity & diversity. Almost all biochar is not fertilizer like compost, read more details here, so inoculation (charging) of biochar before application can be done by filling the biochar pores with water containing specific chemical elements or microbes. This will produce rapid positive effects compared to biochar alone. Apart from that, biochar is also used to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere as carbon sequestration. This is very much in line with the current problems of climate change and global warming.

Biochar is a heterogeneous substance rich in aromatic carbon and minerals. Biochar is produced from the pyrolysis process (a process where organic material is decomposed at temperatures between 350 to 1000 C with well-controlled conditions of minimal or no oxygen and is widely used for soil amendment). The carbon content for biochar must be above 50%, whereas if pyrolysis products of organic material with a carbon content of less than 50% are not included in the biochar category but are referred to as pyrogenic carbonaceous material (PCM). The organic carbon content of pyrolyzed char fluctuates between the range of 5% and 95%, depending on the raw material and temperature. process used. For example, the carbon content from pyrolysis of chicken manure is around 25%, while from wood it is around 85% and bone is less than 10%. When using mineral-rich raw materials such as sewage sludge or animal waste, the pyrolysis products will contain high ash so that the total pores are smaller.

Apart from that, biochar must also have a molar ratio of H/Corg of less than 0.7 and a molar ratio of O/Corg must be less than 0.4. The molar ratio of H/Corg is an indicator of its degree of carbonization (pyrolysis) and is therefore closely related to the stability of biochar, which is one of the most important characteristics of biochar. This ratio fluctuates depending on the type of biomass used and the conditions of the production process. A ratio value that exceeds 0.7 indicates non-pyrolytic char or inadequate pyrolysis process conditions. Meanwhile, the O/Corg ratio is also used to differentiate it from other carbon products. Specific surface area is also a measure of the quality and characteristics of biochar, and also a control value for the pyrolysis method used. Although a surface area of less than 150 m2/gram can be used in certain cases, it is preferred or preferred if it is more than 150 m2/gram.

With the characteristics above, compost and biochar as well as chemical fertilizers can be used together, even in the composting process biochar can also be added to reduce N organic released into the atmosphere. Apart from increasing the number of micro pores in the soil or increasing the total pores, the nutrients from compost and chemical fertilizers will also be released more slowly (slow release). How slow release the fertilizer can be designed depends on needs, for more details you can read here. When biochar is used properly, it can maximize harvest productivity, improve soil fertility and minimize environmental impacts. Four things need to be considered when applying biochar, namely the right source of biochar, the right location (right place), the right dose (right rate) and the right time. Not all types of soil and plants will produce increased yields from biochar applications, so it is important to know what type of soil produces increased productivity. A soil map can help to identify soil types that have the potential to provide benefits or advantages from the application of biochar. Farmers can consult with agricultural consultants or professionals in the field to help with the selection and application of biochar. 

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 5 : Increasing Production and Reducing Emissions

Increasing production capacity but simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions (carbon dioxide, the dominant greenhouse gas) sounds contradictory / paradoxical. It is indeed like that in passing. However, with a decarbonization or CO2 removal (CDR) program, efforts to reduce emissions can be done while increasing cement production. How big the target of reducing emissions and increasing cement production will depend on how much decarbonization efforts are made. The greater the reduction in emissions, the more expensive it will usually be. This is why efforts to reduce emissions while increasing production must also be carried out in stages with certain strategies.

Cement plant is an industry that contributes to an increase in CO2 of more than 6% globally. However, there is something unique about this cement industry, namely that most of the CO2 emissions produced do not come from fuel use, but from the calcination process. The percentage of CO2 produced from the calcination process reaches around 60%, while from fuel use it is only around 40%. The fossil fuels commonly used in cement industries are coal and petcoke, both of which are the two fossil fuels that pollute the air the most. In fact, in a number of areas cement plants are the largest coal users. Cement plants close to oil refineries will use more petcoke.

Decarbonization programs or efforts to reduce CO2 emissions that can be carried out in cement plants include increasing energy efficiency, using clinker substitute materials, using alternative/renewable energy, and using CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage). With these characteristics, total decarbonization in the cement industry cannot be carried out by using only the best efficiency technology or by simply replacing the fuel. Meanwhile, the use of clinker substitutes and CCUS is very important among other technologies to achieve near-zero emissions in cement production.

The best scenario for increasing production and reducing emissions can be done by using much higher energy efficiency improvements using commercially available technology, using more aggressive fuels to low carbon or even carbon neutral fuels, using higher rates of clinker substitute materials. and adopting a higher portion of commercially available CCUS technologies.

And it's worth noting that all suggested improvements in these best-case scenarios can be achieved by implementing technologies that are already commercially available and most of them should also be cost-effective. As for CCUS, while the technology is commercially available, implementation requires large investments that demand higher financial incentives or carbon prices. However, on the other hand, CCUS has the largest contribution to CO2 reduction, followed by the use of clinker substitutes and the switch to low-carbon or even carbon-neutral fuels. And the use of efficiency-enhancing technology has the smallest contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. This is mainly because process-related emissions from calcination account for around 60% of total CO2 emissions and are not related to energy use.

EFB Pellets with Low Potassium (K) and Chlorine (Cl) for Power Plants

Palm oil mills that have excess energy, especially electrical energy, will have more freedom to develop their business. The excess electrical energy could have come from the production of electricity from the use of biogas. Liquid waste (pome) from palm oil mills is the raw material for biogas production. A palm oil mill with a production capacity of 30 tons of FFB/hour will be able to generate 1 MW of electricity and so on. One of the products that can be processed from the utilization of palm oil solid waste as well as the development of this business by utilizing excess energy is EFB pellets production. With the high price of palm kernel shells or PKS and wood pellets, the driving force or need for EFB pellets is increasing. Global awareness regarding decarbonization or CO2 removal (CDR) or CO2 reduction is the main driving force.

Apart from that, the production of EFB pellets can also be carried out by a separate company by purchasing the raw materials for EFB from palm oil mills. With conditions in Indonesia where there are still very few palm oil mills that have biogas units so that they have electricity supply and can process EFB into EFB pellets, there is still a lot of EFB that has not been utilized and becomes waste that pollutes the environment. This makes EFB pellet producing companies not have to worry about the supply of EFB raw materials. In fact, because the amount or volume of EFB is very large, the EFB pellet plant will be overwhelmed by the abundance of this raw material.

However, due to the high content of EFB in potassium and chlorine (ash chemistry), the use of EFB pellets is limited or can only be used in certain types of power plants, especially stokers and fluidized beds. In fact, most power plants currently use pulverized combustion technology. This is so that the chemical content of ash in EFB must be made as friendly as possible to boilers, especially those with pulverized combustion technology. This can be done so that the chemical content of the ash in the form of potassium (K) and chlorine (Cl) is only less than 2000 ppm. Potassium (K) with a low melting point causes deposits or scale to form in the heat exchanger pipes in the boiler so that the efficiency of heat exchange decreases while chlorine (Cl) is corrosive which shortens the life of the equipment. The treatment was even successful in reducing K and Cl by up to 80% so that the problem of fouling thickness and corrosivity was also reduced by 80%. With the number of palm oil mills in Indonesia reaching around 1000 units, of course the amount of EFB that can be processed into EFB pellets is also very large.

Post-Mining Reclamation with Energy Plantation Revegetation for Wood Pellet Production

Revegetation is one option for post-mining reclamation. The choice of revegetation options also has certain considerations apart from environmental, social and of course economic or business aspects. The vision for the future in the form of sustainability is an important factor for post-mining reclamation, especially the revegetation.

Revegetation with palm oil plantations is one of the most popular revegetation options. This is because palm oil product (CPO) and their derivatives sell well in the market. However, the land requirements and operational costs for palm oil plantations themselves are not easy and cheap. The choice of revegetation with other plants should also be considered.

Creating an energy plantation from short rotation crops (short rotation coppices) can be considered. This is because land and operational requirements are much easier and cheaper. Even in the long term the use of the land will also improve the quality of the land. Products from energy plantations will also become a world trend and the current global climate solution, namely wood pellets. Meanwhile, by-products in the form of animal feed (feed pellets or hay) and honey from beekeeping are no less interesting by-products.

The extent of post-mining land, which reaches millions of hectares, is of course a very attractive potential for the development of these energy plantations. The need for bioenergy, especially wood pellets, is also getting bigger along with the global decarbonization program. Likewise the need for animal feed which is a link in the chain of human food needs, especially meat or protein. Efforts to increase land use value, prevent natural disasters, absorb employment and economic benefits are the thrust for revegetation reclamation with the energy plantations.

 

Biochar and Specific Organic Fertilizer for Post-Mining Reclamation Treatment

Mining activities are not just digging, loading and transporting, but environmental sustainability is also an important thing that must be considered. Even post-reclamation has become an obligation for mining companies with severe sanctions if neglected. Environmental damage due to mining if left unchecked will become a serious environmental problem such as natural disasters, and become a bad legacy for future generations. This means that post-mining reclamation must be carried out properly or adequately so that the negative impact on the environment can be minimized or even eliminated. Reclamation planning and implementation needs to be done well so that the reclamation goals can be achieved.

Low fertility on post-mining land is indeed a separate problem for revegetating the land. When a mining company has good management of overburden (OB) and top soil so that it can be returned (backfill) to the former mining pit (void) as before, the decline in soil fertility can be minimized. But if the management is bad, the fertility of the soil will drop drastically or be severely damaged so that in these conditions certain treatments need to be carried out to restore, improve or increase the fertility of the soil. The condition of land that has low fertility or is like barren land is almost the same as sandy land. In general, coastal sandy land has the following characteristics: sandy soil texture (90%), granular soil structure, loose consistency, low nutrient content, low soil ability to store nutrients, very fast permeability, drainage and infiltration, porous (majority with mesopores and macropores, and less of micropores), low water holding capacity, low soil ability to support plant growth and relatively high salt content or is a marginal land for agriculture or plant cultivation, so the treatment approach on sandy land with post-mining land is an effort effective approach.

Agriculture or cultivation of sandy land can be done for both seasonal and annual crops, the same goes for post-mining land. Factors of effectiveness and efficiency need to be done to get optimal results such as the type of nutrient and its amount, water requirement and so on. Conditioning the land so that it can hold water and nutrients must be done so that the added fertilizer can be utilized properly. Minimum input so that production costs can be reduced or economic factors are other important things. With post-mining land areas that can reach thousands of hectares, the input in the form of quality fertilizer is a must. In addition to inorganic fertilizers as macro elements, organic fertilizers as a provider of micro elements also need to be added. Specific organic fertilizer according to land conditions and plant needs can be made for this purpose. The use of compost with volumes ranging from 20-30 tons/hectare can be significantly reduced by using this specific organic fertilizer.

Sandy soils generally have high P and K content. The function of organic matter, in this case manure, can stimulate the availability of P nutrients that have accumulated in the sandy soil in the form of total P, so that available P becomes greater. With the availability of P, the available K is also greater, because P interacts with K. Amelioration technology to increase soil fertility is needed. Amelioration itself is an effort to improve soil fertility through the addition of certain materials. Amelioran is a substance that can increase soil fertility by improving physical and chemical conditions. Biochar as a soil amendment will be effective for this purpose, even when compared to other soil amendments, biochar has many advantages, one of which is being able to last or not decompose in the soil for hundreds of years. While increasing the efficiency of using biochar is by designing slow release fertilizer (SRF) so that the release of fertilizer is according to plant needs or can be used by plants optimally.

Plants are composed of 92 elements, but only 16 are essential for their growth and development. Of the 16 elements, elements C, H, and O are obtained from air and water (in the form of CO2 and H2O), while 13 other essential mineral elements are obtained from the soil and are generally classified as "nutrients". There are 6 macro nutrients namely N, P, K, S, Ca and Mg. These macro elements are needed by plants in large quantities with a critical content (value) between 2 – 30 g/kg dry weight of plants. These macro nutrients are divided into two, namely primary nutrients (N, P, K) and secondary nutrients (S, Ca, Mg). Primary nutrients are provided in the form of all types of plants and all types of soil. Meanwhile, secondary nutrients are only for certain types of plants and certain types of soil. While micro nutrients consist of 7 elements consisting of 5 elements which are metals namely Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Mo, and 2 non-metallic elements namely Cl and B. The need for micro nutrients is relatively small ranging from 0.3 – 50 mg/kg dry plant weight. The combination of macro fertilizers and specific organic fertilizers will maximize plant growth.