Production of Synthetic Boards*, Ruminant Livestock and Animal Feed Industry from Biomass Plantation

Synthetic boards such as laminate, particleboard, fiberboard and cement board can be made from wood produced by biomass plantation. In addition to the small size of the wood, it is also of low quality which currently does not have an adequate utilization value. Forests or biomass plantations can be used as the raw material for the synthetic board. With fast rotation crops with short rotation coppice and fast growing species, such as calliandra and gliricidia, it is very potential as raw material for the synthetic boards. The production of this synthetic boards also uses the same type of raw material as wood pellets, namely wood waste or wood worth as wood waste. Wood produced from this biomass plantation is included in the second group, namely wood worth as wood waste. Even on the other hand, the large wood processing industry that produces a lot of wood waste, not a few who process the waste for the production for wood pellets and synthetic boards.

However, it would be better if the source of raw material for the synthetic boards production comes from forests or biomass plantations so that not only wood is the raw material for the artificial boards but also leaves and flowers. The leaves can then be used as ruminant animal feed and even the production of animal feed as a separate industry. While the flowers from the plantation can be used for honey bee farming. In livestock business, especially ruminants, feed is the highest cost component which is estimated to reach more than 80%. The forest or biomass plantations cover an area of thousands of hectares and are capable of being the main feed source for large ruminant livestock. Even if there is a large surplus, the animal feed industry also needs to be made independent.

Animal feed in the form of hay and pellets is suitable for long distance use because transportation costs will be cheap. Basically all parts of the tree can be utilized so as to provide optimal benefits. To maintain the sustainability of the forest or biomass plantation, good management is also needed so that the productivity performance of the forest or biomass plantation can be maintained. Along with the increasing population, the need for housing and other means of living also increases as well as food. Forests or biomass plantations can help overcome both problems.

*Synthetic boards are laminated board, particle board, fiberboard and cement board. While plywood is not included in it, although plywood is also a type of synthetic board. Plywood production from veneer sheets derived from large diameter wood, is not like this biomass plantation.

Bioeconomy Model for Indonesia

When Europe targets their bioeconomy it can move the economic sector of € 2 trillion (34,000 trillion rupiahs or 17 times the Indonesian state budget) by absorbing 20 million workers and more specifically the Netherlands which is about the size of East Java targeting € 2.6-3 billion (around 50 trillion rupiah) with their bioeconomy program, Indonesia as a tropical country, vast and fertile land should be able to boost its economy as well as bioeconomy. The bioeconomy approach and model developed by Indonesia could be different from what is done in Europe and in the Netherlands, because its natural potential and the characteristics of its population are also not the same. With a majority Muslim population Indonesia should develop many bioeconomy models that are in line with Islamic values. This is because bioeconomy will also be related to food and clothing issues which in Islam are very clearly related to halal haram issues. Not only that, of course the model is also optimized so that it can bring as much as possible the prosperity of the people and provide solutions to a number of major problems faced. Islamic economics that has not become mainstream in a majority Islamic country is one of the big problems today. By doing a lot of syirkah and waqf a number of big opportunities in the bioeconomy era can be easily captured and optimized.

With a tropical climate, vast land, fertile and high rainfall, the development of energy plantations for the production of wood pellets, sheep farming, honey bee farming and charcoal production with pyrolysis is one of the bioeconomy models that can be developed. Pyrolysis, besides producing charcoal, also produces syngas which can be converted into electricity. Electricity is useful to run the pyrolysis unit and also the production of wood pellets. Palm oil mill wastes such as oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and oil palm plantation wastes namely fronds can be used for the pyrolysis raw material. Municipal waste can also be used as raw material for pyrolysis. If not, some or part of the wood from the energy plantation can be used for the raw material of the pyrolysis. Other products from pyrolysis are charcoal, biooil and pyroligneous acid (liquid smoke). All of these products have high economic value and can be upgraded to become a number of derivative products. How long the industry chain also depends on the economics value of the industry. The longer the industrial chain should give greater added value and a large contribution to bioeconomy.

How can to realize the bioeconomy of the model above? Of course it's a big job to realize the bioeconmy model because it integrates several units so that it becomes a closed cycle. Entry points can be started from one business unit that is easier to do. Sheep grazing or sheep and cattle grazing (mixed grazing) can be the easiest entry point, because for Muslims it is also supportive for the establishment of syariat Islam, namely syariat qurban every 10 Dzulhijah. It also means that it will increase domestic meat production. Rotation grazing is an effective and efficient grazing pattern, especially compared to traditional grazing patterns, namely continuous grazing. After the pasture, followed by the production of wood pellets from the energy plantation, the waste of the leaves which is also rich in protein will also be an additional food for the livestock. Livestock manure from the cage can be used for fertilizer in the energy plantation, while the pasture itself has received fertilizer when grazing is carried out in the area. The last is integrating pyrolysis units whose main purpose is for electricity production to meet the operations of the wood pellet factory. Industrial chain can be developed longer by using raw materials (feedstock) from the by-products of the pyrolysis process.

When this model can be made and proven to provide great benefits, then the model is then multiplied and enlarged. When the touch screen hand phone was first introduced, many people were skeptical and ridiculed the concept to be used en masse, but today most cell phones and gadgets use the touch screen to operate it. People are attracted and flock to be follower when they see evidence. But who wants to be a pioneer and give evidence to those people? Only very few people want and are able to do it. Steve Jobs, shows that Apple's touch screen phones can be reliably used and provide evidence for people. Steve Jobs's famous expression is "People don't know what they want until you show it to them!"

Palm Oil Plantation

Examples in the world of plantations will be closer to the bioeconomy model. When the Dutch brought four palm oil seeds and grew into oil palm trees, then small plantations were made, then it became more widespread because many were copied and developed into many places. This condition occurs because the business can prove to provide attractive benefits. Likewise with the development of bioeconomy. Increasingly proven to provide better profit and benefits, it is certainly more attractive to be applied and developed to many locations, not only in Indonesia but also in Malaysia and especially other Muslim countries.