Premium Biochar and Compost Production from Organic Waste Processing

Biochar and compost production both use organic materials. The difference lies in their compatibility level. Wet, nutrient-rich organic materials with little lignin are more suitable for compost production. Dry, lignin-rich organic materials are more suitable for biochar production. Therefore, sorting these organic materials is necessary to achieve optimal results. With organic waste comprising up to 60% of municipal waste, the raw material requirements for both biochar and compost production are estimated to be substantial.

Biochar production is a thermal process, while compost production is a biological process. A biochar production unit, a pyrolysis unit, can be installed adjacent to and integrated with a compost production unit at municipal waste treatment facilities and similar facilities. The biochar product is then used to produce compost, improving the quality of the compost to premium compost and accelerating composting times. For more details, read here. Premium compost can also be sold at a higher price commensurate with its quality. Excess energy from biochar production or pyrolysis operations can be utilized in the waste processing of RDF fractions or others. 

The production potential of this premium compost is enormous. This makes it suitable for use on critical land from post-mining reclamation, which covers millions of hectares, or even hundreds of millions of hectares of degraded drylands. When premium compost is applied to unproductive or less productive land, it becomes fertile. For example, revegetation of post-mining reclaimed land will yield a variety of agricultural or plantation products that are economically, environmentally, and socially beneficial. Biochar, with its high carbon content, will persist in the soil for hundreds of years and, as a carbon sequestration measure, can be offset by earning carbon credits. 

Compost Production with Biochar to Improve Compost Product Quality and Business Profit

Although compost and biochar production both utilize and recycle organic waste, there are several differences: compost production through aerobic fermentation is a biological process, while biochar production through pyrolysis is a thermal process. Furthermore, regarding raw materials, ideal compost production requires a moisture content of 60–70%, high nutrient content, and low lignin content, such as food waste and animal manure. Conversely, ideal biochar production requires a moisture content of 10–20% and a high lignin content, such as woody biomass.

Recent research suggests that adding biochar to the composting process accelerates composting, reduces greenhouse gas emissions such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), reduces ammonia (NH3) loss, increases aeration and reduces compost density, and reduces odor. The biochar itself is not damaged or decomposed during the composting process but enriches it with various nutrients.

To achieve optimal results, the biochar dosage must be appropriate to the amount of organic matter used in the compost. Using too much biochar will disrupt the composting biodegradation process, and using too little biochar will diminish the positive effects mentioned above. With the appropriate dosage, biochar can accelerate the composting process. This is because it increases the homogeneity and structure of the mixture and stimulates microbial activity in the composting process.

This increased microbial activity will increase the temperature and speed up the composting process. Several studies have shown that adding 5% to 10% of the biochar volume at the start of composting can speed up the composting process by 20%. While the average compost production time is 2 months (9 weeks), adding biochar at the above dosage can speed up the composting process by 20%, or approximately 1.6 months (7 weeks). With the shorter production time and better compost quality, the added biochar can lead to a higher selling price, potentially equivalent to premium compost. This can offset the cost of adding biochar to the compost production process.

The pores in biochar reduce the bulk density of the compost and aid aeration during composting. For nitrogen-rich compost materials such as livestock manure, adding biochar can reduce N loss during composting, particularly NH3. The unpleasant odor is caused by the release of NH3 during composting, and for this reason, many composting facility developments are rejected by local residents. In a study, adding 20% ​​biochar (mass basis) to poultry litter reduced NH3 concentrations in gas emissions by 64% and N loss by 52% without negatively impacting the composting process.

When used, compost decomposes, with nutrients absorbed by plants, while biochar remains in the soil for centuries. This makes biochar a long-term solution for improving soil quality. Using biochar in compost offers both short-term and long-term benefits. The short-term benefit is as an organic fertilizer, while the long-term benefit is improving or stabilizing soil quality and sequestering carbon. CO2 absorbed through photosynthesis becomes biomass, or organic matter, as the raw material for biochar, and the carbon in biochar remains stable for hundreds of years, and is not released into the atmosphere during this time.

There is no data yet showing the calculated amount of compost production in Indonesia per year. However, the potential for compost production from domestic organic waste is very large, reaching around 60% of the total national waste generation which reaches more than 60 million tons per year or more than 36 million tons of organic waste as raw material for compost. There are a number of parties carrying out compost production in various regions in Indonesia, both government and private parties who contribute to compost production, with varying production capacities. With the very abundant organic raw materials (more than 36 million tons/year), the production of biochar-enriched compost can be carried out so as to maximize the quality of compost and other benefits.

This can be achieved by building a biochar production unit or installing a pyrolysis unit at the organic waste source. Organic waste materials that are less suitable for composting can be used for biochar production. Several companies are already planning to do this. Read the related article here. 

The Urgency of a Justice Energy Transition part 2

The sun is the source of energy for all living things on Earth. It is an abundant, free, and inexhaustible source of energy, except at the end of the world. The word "sun" is mentioned 25 times in the Quran and is one of the chapters mentioned by Allah in the Quran. This indicates that Allah wants to signal that there is something that humans need to explore through the sun or asy-syams. Utilizing the sun for electricity production has attracted the attention and focus of scientists worldwide. And Muslim scientists, in particular, with this divine motivation from the Quran, should be motivated and driven to research and implement it. This driving force is especially strong in the era of decarbonization, or the substitution of fossil fuels for renewable energy to address climate change and global warming.

Ibrahim Abdul Matin (2012), a Muslim from the United States (US) and environmental activist, in his book Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet, refers to renewable energy as energy from heaven. According to him, energy from heaven comes from above, meaning it is not extracted from the earth and is renewable. "Extraction causes imbalance (causes climate change), while energy from above is like energy from heaven."

In practice, solar energy has been widely utilized to generate electricity. Humanity is challenged to develop the best science and technology to maximize the harvest and utilization of solar energy. Technology and supporting infrastructure have even been widely used as a powerful weapon to address climate change and global warming. However, in practice, not all implementations of this technology have been successful and yield significant financial returns. The Ivanpah project in California, USA, is one such project. The electricity production project, utilizing solar heat with CSP (Concentrated Solar Plant) technology, failed to achieve its business objectives and lost out to the more accessible and affordable solar PV (photovoltaic) technology.

CSP technology, or solar thermal technology, uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight, generating heat to produce steam to drive turbines, generating electricity. Meanwhile, in solar PV, the solar panels will directly absorb sunlight using semiconductor materials. The Ivanpah project, which cost 2.2 billion USD (more than 35 trillion rupiah), became a bitter pill for the development of solar energy utilization technology. The Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) company, as the main buyer, even terminated its long-term contract (PPA / Power Purchase Agreement) for purchasing electricity from the previous 14-year agreement from the Ivanpah project, forcing 2 of its 3 units to shut down. This was because the Ivanpah project with CSP technology was unable to produce adequate performance or performance, even for its operations still with additional natural gas.

For solar PV power generation, China is currently the world's leader or largest producer of solar power. China's ambition is to build a "solar great wall" designed to meet Beijing's energy needs. The multi-year project, estimated to be completed in 2030, will be 400 kilometers (250 miles) long, 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and reach a maximum generating capacity of 100 gigawatts. Currently, the project is reported to have reached a capacity of 5.4 gigawatts. Since 2024, China has led the world in electricity production from solar panels. As of June 2024, China led the world in operating solar power generation capacity with 386,875 megawatts, representing about 51 percent of the global total, according to Global Energy Monitor's Global Solar Power Tracker. The United States ranked second with 79,364 megawatts (11 percent), followed by India with 53,114 megawatts (7 percent).

In the coming decades, large-capacity batteries, up to several MW, are predicted to be widely used in solar PV power plants. These batteries will enable solar PV power plants to continue supplying electricity at night or on cloudy days. Research and development of these batteries is ongoing, and it would be preferable if some of the battery components were derived from renewable sources, such as electrodes made from biographite (which is made from biochar), rather than synthetic graphite derived from fossil fuels, which are currently dominated by China.

Climate and weather factors significantly influence the operation of solar PV power plants. When weather conditions, such as cloudy days without sunlight, occur, electricity production is hampered or intermittent. Furthermore, the use of large-capacity batteries is not yet available and requires considerable time. This is why renewable energy sources that are ready at any time and are not affected by the weather are highly needed. Biomass energy sources such as wood pellets are one such energy source. Renewable energy sources derived from plants (bio-energy) are also in line with QS. Yaasin (36): 80. To produce these energy sources, whether from wood, fruit, seeds, or other parts of the plant, plants carry out photosynthesis. In addition to water and carbon dioxide (CO2), this photosynthesis process requires sunlight. The sun is very important as an energy source for living things, especially for plants. Renewable energy sources from biomass (bio-energy) are like "green batteries" that have great potential as a means of capturing solar energy, and for more details, please read here.  

Palm Oil Mill Operation with Pyrolysis and Biogas Unit Integration for Zero Waste, Maximizing Profits and Sustainability

The goal of a palm oil mill to achieve zero waste, maximum profit, and sustainability can be achieved, among other things, through the integration of pyrolysis and biogas unit. This is because nearly all solid and liquid waste from the palm oil mill can be processed into products needed by the palm oil industry, both in the palm oil mill for CPO (crude palm oil) production and on the palm oil plantation for FFB production. With pyrolysis, solid waste is converted into biochar, producing excess energy in the form of syngas and biooil for boiler fuel. Biochar is first used to increase biogas production before being applied to plantation or agricultural land. 

The biogas product can also be used as fuel for palm oil mill boiler, along with syngas and biooil. This method allows 100% of the palm kernel shell (PKS) to be sold or even exported, thus providing additional profits for the palm oil industry. Currently, 30-50% of the palm kernel shell (PKS) is generally used for boiler fuel, mixed with mesocarp fiber, and the remainder is sold or exported. Biochar production with pyrolysis. The biogas product can also be used as fuel for palm oil mill boiler, along with syngas and biooil. This method allows 100% of the palm kernel shell (PKS) to be sold or even exported, thus providing additional profits for the palm oil industry. Currently, 30-50% of the palm kernel shell (PKS) is generally used for boiler fuel, mixed with mesocarp fiber, and the remainder is sold or exported. Biochar production by pyrolysis can utilize both coconut fiber (MF) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) of palm oil. The integration scheme is as follows:

 

The use of biochar on plantations and agricultural lands will save or reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. This is especially true for oil palm plantations, where the largest operational cost is the use of chemical fertilizers. Reducing chemical fertilizer use will result in savings in fertilizer costs. Furthermore, it will provide other environmental benefits, reducing environmental impacts by minimizing waste from excessive chemical fertilizer use. Biochar slow-releases chemical fertilizers, increasing fertilizer efficiency or Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE). Furthermore, when combined with biochar and organic fertilizer from biogas residue, the slow-release capacity of chemical fertilizers is further enhanced, resulting in higher NUE. Furthermore, another pyrolysis byproduct, pyroligneous acid (PA), is also highly beneficial for palm oil plantations as a liquid organic fertilizer and biopesticide.

Another source of income is carbon credits, or BCR (biochar carbon removal). Furthermore, carbon credits are currently a strong motivator for producers to produce biochar. To obtain these credits, biochar producers must register with a carbon standards organization and follow their methodology. Some popular carbon standards organizations include Puro Earth, Verra, and CSI. Meanwhile, for biogas production, carbon credits can also be obtained through methane avoidance mechanisms. However, the price of biogas from methane avoidance is usually lower than carbon credits from carbon removal or carbon sequestration with biochar. However, both can be accumulated and yield greater profits.

The operational potential of palm oil mills with integrated pyrolysis and biogas units for zero waste, maximizing profits, and sustainability is enormous and is predicted to become a trend because financial returns align with environmental benefits. Furthermore, environmental and sustainability issues are currently a global concern. With approximately 17 million hectares of palm oil plantations and 5.5 million hectares in Malaysia, the potential for biomass waste, particularly EFB and mesocarp fiber for biochar production, and POME waste for biogas production, is abundant. Globally, palm oil plantations cover nearly 27 million hectares. By 2024, Indonesia will be the world's top CPO producer with 56%, followed by Malaysia with 26%, and Thailand with 5%. There are more than 1,000 palm oil mills in Indonesia and approximately 500 in Malaysia. 

Biochar and Biographite for Decarbonization in the Iron and Steel Industry

The decarbonization trend continues across all sectors, particularly strategic industries such as the energy industry, iron and steel industry, and transportation. These industries contribute significantly to CO2 emissions, which increase atmospheric concentrations (carbon positive). The energy industry, particularly power generation, contributes 27.45%, the steel industry 8%, and the transportation sector 24%. With an estimated total CO2 emissions from fossil fuels of 36.3 gigatonnes (36.3 billion metric tons) in 2024, the iron and steel industry's contribution is approximately 2.9 gigatonnes (2.9 billion metric tons).

In the steel industry, carbon neutral production will be achieved when iron and steel production in the industry uses 100% renewable energy. The use of electric arc furnaces (EAFs) can be done as long as the electricity is generated from renewable energy sources. However, the use of EAFs that still use electricity from fossil fuels can be a transition medium before 100% carbon neutral production because of its lower CO2 emissions compared to blast furnaces that use coke from coal. CO2 emissions from blast furnaces are around 2.33 tons for each ton of crude iron / pig iron, while with EAFs, they are only around 0.66 tons for each ton of crude steel. The raw material processed with EAFs is steel scrap, and approximately 80% of steel scrap is currently recycled with EAFs. Globally, steel production with EAFs reaches approximately 22%.

And the fact is that currently, to achieve this goal is still far because the construction of blast furnaces - basic oxygen furnaces (BF -BOF) is still being carried out a lot, which should be EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) or currently only about 30% of the global iron and steel industry uses this EAF. The construction of new blast furnaces is indeed tending to increase, in fact, by mid-2024, around 207 million tons per year of new production has been announced and around 100 million tons per year is under construction.

Nearly all CO2 emissions in the steel production sector come from blast furnaces (BF) for refining iron ore into crude iron or pig iron. The challenge is enormous: there are approximately 1,850 steel mills worldwide, with approximately 1,000 using blast furnaces, with pig iron production reaching approximately 1.5 billion tons per year. The International Energy Association (IEA) has even highlighted this critical issue in achieving the Paris Agreement's net-zero target by 2050. With an average blast furnace lifespan of 20 years, the iron and steel industry's efforts to achieve this target must be well-formulated and programmed. Failure to replace blast furnaces within the specified timeframe will jeopardize the 2050 net-zero emissions target.

This makes the use of charcoal to replace coal-based coke in blast furnaces crucial. Charcoal derived from biomass is a renewable, sustainable material used as a reducing agent or fuel in blast furnaces. The chemical reaction separates oxygen atoms from iron atoms, releasing CO2. This converts iron ore (Fe2O3) into crude (pig) iron. The difference is that because the carbon source as a reducing agent or fuel in blast furnaces comes from renewable and sustainable sources, this process is carbon neutral. Using coke from coal, which comes from fossil fuels, is carbon positive. Similarly, using natural gas as a reducing agent or fuel in blast furnaces, despite its lower carbon intensity, is still carbon positive. 

However, if hydrogen from renewable energy sources (green hydrogen) is used as a reductant in the blast furnace, it will not produce carbon emissions but will produce water vapor (H2O), thus it is also a carbon neutral process. However, this will still take a long time, predicted to take several decades to implement. To produce a carbon negative process, the iron and steel mills that are already operating carbon neutrally must be equipped with CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) devices, which will certainly be the next step. Furthermore, the use of renewable energy as an EAF energy source is also becoming increasingly important and must be accelerated, which should also be in line with the use of bio-graphite in the EAF.

The use of EAF in iron and steel mills is estimated to reach 550 units worldwide with steel production reaching around 548 million tons or around 30% of the world's steel production which will reach around 1.8 billion tons in 2024. The use of EAF requires graphite electrodes and every ton of steel produced requires an average of 3 kg of graphite. The current source of graphite is almost all derived from fossil sources so it is a source of carbon emissions (carbon positive) and also currently around 80% of the world's graphite supply comes from China. With steel production from EAF of 548 million tons, the annual graphite demand reaches more than 1.6 million tons. Every ton of graphite production from fossil materials emits CO2 emissions of 17-40 tons.

This makes the use of biographite crucial because it is carbon-neutral, producing CO2 emissions. Biographite is produced from biochar, or charcoal, which undergoes a special purification process. The biochar is converted into high-purity graphite suitable for EAF electrodes. Biographite is used for its strength, density, and conductivity, not only because of the CO2 emissions mentioned above, but also because of its technical advantages. Naturally mined graphite cannot meet these technical specifications, while synthetic graphite from fossil fuels is not environmentally friendly and is highly dependent on imports. This is the driving force behind biographite production.

The demand for biochar or charcoal as a reducing agent in BF will be very large, while for biographite as an EAF electrode is not as large as in BF. This makes it crucial to obtain a source of biomass raw materials as a source of biochar or charcoal in sufficient volume, good quality, and sustainable. Similarly, in terms of biochar or charcoal production, which primarily uses pyrolysis/carbonization technology, it must also be able to produce products with adequate quality and quantity, sustainably, and with a production process that is high in productivity, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Biochar or charcoal with specifications of at least 85% fixed carbon and a minimum conversion (gravimetric yield) of 30% is the reference for selecting this pyrolysis technology. 

In addition to biomass waste groups such as forestry waste and plantation waste, energy plantations can also be specifically created for this purpose, for more details read here. These energy plantations must also be created according to the land allocation and area of ​​monoculture energy plantations in accordance with proper planning and procedures, as well as efficient and environmentally friendly pyrolysis / carbonization technology. Biomass sources as raw materials for charcoal / biochar can also be said to be sustainable if the harvested product is less or at most equal to the growth of the plantation's wood. This is to prevent what happened in Brazil, namely in the state of Minas Gerais. Due to the large area of ​​monoculture eucalyptus plantations whose wood products are mostly for charcoal production for iron and steel mills, this has caused various negative impacts on the environment. Brazil is the world's largest charcoal producer and produced 5.2 million tons in 2017, 90% of which was used by the iron and steel industry, with 80% of the charcoal produced from eucalyptus plantation wood.

Approximately 70% of Brazil's iron and steel production occurs in the state of Minas Gerais, and this sector is unique in that 34% of iron production uses charcoal, not mineral coke/coal, and coke is also widely used in steel production. Historically, this was due to a lack of mineral coke in Brazil, but abundant forests for coke production. Minas Gerais currently has nine steel mills and 41 iron plants producing 3.1 million tons of crude iron in 2018, approximately 50% of which was exported. In 2018, Brazil had 5.7 million hectares of eucalyptus plantations, and Minas Gerais continues to have the largest plantation area in the country, covering 24% (1.4 million hectares) of Brazil's eucalyptus. Iron and steel companies also have eucalyptus plantations in an effort to secure a supply of charcoak for their iron and steel mills. Indonesia also has vast land potential, reaching hundreds of millions of hectares for these energy plantations. 

Wood Pellet Production, Solution to Urban Wood Biomass Waste Problems

Sorting is 50% of the solution to the problem of urban waste. The best sorting is at the location where the waste is generated, such as in households in housing or residential areas. With sorting, further waste processing will be much easier. The better the sorting is done, the easier the waste processing can be done. The reluctance of the community to sort waste makes the waste problem more complicated, prone to social conflict and protracted. Although difficult and complicated, cultivating waste sorting must continue to be done because if not handled it will become a serious environmental problem. The paradigm of waste processing also continues to change according to conditions, namely related to environmental impacts, availability of landfills, types and volumes of waste, as below.

If urban waste or MSW (municipal solid waste) can be sorted and processed properly, the environment will be clean and healthy. For example, such sorting is leaf waste made into compost, organic waste from the kitchen and leftover food for maggot feed or farming, wood waste in the form of twigs, pieces of wood and so on for wood pellet production, and plastic waste to be pyrolyzed into fuel or naphtha. And to be processed adequately, the volume of waste must also be sufficient and continuous. This is because the procurement of units for waste processing is also quite expensive. Waste processing should also be decentralized, so that it does not pile up in one place. The production capacity of the village or sub-district scale seems quite good and suitable for the manufacture of such waste processing units.

Among the urban waste is wood waste in the form of twigs, pieces of wood and so on that can be used for the production of wood pellets or wood pellets. The wood waste can come from pruning and felling trees, wood processing industry waste or wood that clogs waters such as rivers. The use of wood pellets or wood pellets can be for household cooking or SME industries. The use of wood pellets in addition to being a fuel or renewable energy that is environmentally friendly, easy to store and use and a solution to overcome biomass waste and reduce LPG imports which are worth around IDR 63.5 trillion each year.

Along with the innovation that continues to be done, wood pellet cooking stoves are becoming easier to use, efficient, clean and safe. For local governments, the production of wood pellets from wood waste also provides many benefits, namely as a solution to handling the waste, creating jobs and socializing the use of environmentally friendly renewable energy for the community. If this is successfully done, in the future the utilization of wood waste can continue to be developed.

Optimization of Palm Oil Mill Operations to Maximize Profits by Utilizing EFB Waste

As a profit-oriented company, palm oil companies will also do various things necessary to maximize their profits, both in the operations of their palm oil mills and on their plantations. The more efficient the operations of the palm oil mill, as well as on its plantations, the higher the profits obtained. Minimizing the environmental impact of waste produced, even zero waste, and becoming part of responsible and sustainable environmental management practices, including part of climate solutions, are important parts of this industry that cannot be abandoned. That is why palm oil mills must innovate to achieve optimal conditions. To achieve these conditions, it can be done by evaluating current practices and finding better solutions.

CPO (crude palm oil production) requires steam for the sterilization process. This is why palm oil mills definitely need boilers for their production process, for more details read here. Steam from the boiler is also used for power generation with steam turbines to drive generators. The operation of the boiler is generally carried out by burning fiber (mesocarp fiber) and some palm kernel shells / PKS, so that some palm kernel shells /PKS can still be sold or even exported. This common practice in palm oil mills has also been running for decades, but it turns out that there is still a lot of biomass waste from palm oil mills that has not been utilized, especially empty fruit bunches or EFB (empty fruit bunches) which account for around 23% of the fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed. These EFBs are usually only piled up behind the palm oil mill and tend to pollute the environment.

The EFB can be processed into biochar. Biochar production with thermal processes, either pyrolysis or gasification, will produce energy as cogeneration in palm oil mills. Cogeneration is the right solution for biochar production while supplying energy needs for boiler operations. In this way, 100% of palm kernel shells / PKS can be sold or even exported, meaning that palm oil companies' profits are greater. But to maximize biochar production, pyrolysis is the right choice. This is because gasification technology is to maximize gas products while pyrolysis is to maximize solid products (biochar). By-products from pyrolysis are also beneficial for the palm oil industry.

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) are solid waste from palm oil or CPO production which is the largest in number. This is what makes many machine manufacturers make these EFB processing machines. Most of the machines made are equipments for cutting and pressing the EFB so that the water content decreases and the material size becomes smaller. However, both the water content and the size of the EFB as the output of the machine or equipment still do not meet the requirements to be further processed into biochar. The typical output is more than 4 inches and the water content is more than 45%. EFB must have a low water content of 10% and can be less than 1 inch for biochar production or as fuel in the boiler.

  

To obtain the EFB with a dryness level or water content of 10%, waste heat recovery from palm oil mills can be utilized for the drying process. Other biomass waste from the palm oil industry can be utilized as fuel or a source of heat energy for drying the EFB. By utilizing these biomass wastes, mill operations can be more efficient so that profits are maximized and environmentally friendly with zero waste. 

Biochar for Biographite, Important Material for Future Strategic Industries

The decarbonization trend continues in all sectors, especially in strategic industries such as the energy industry, iron and steel industry, and transportation equipment industry. The contribution of a number of these industries in producing CO2 emissions that increase concentrations in the atmosphere (carbon positive) is very significant, namely the energy industry, especially power plants, contributing 27.45%, the steel industry contributing 8%, and the transportation sector industry 24%. Various efforts have been made to reduce CO2 emissions from these fossil sources. Biographite is one of the important components for this purpose. The use of graphite currently comes from fossil sources, namely petcoke and coal tar, which are synthetic graphite. This is because graphite mined in nature cannot meet the expected technical specifications in the form of strength, density and conductivity.

Graphite is a material that is used for steel making, lithium ion batteries, nuclear power plants, fuel cells and the defense industry. In the steel industry, every ton of steel produced with EAF uses 2-4 kg of graphite electrodes. On average, each electric car battery contains 70 kg of graphite. According to the Economist, in 2030, the demand for graphite is expected to exceed supply by 1.2 million metric tons, threatening the steel and battery industries. Meanwhile, according to the IEA for Europe, the need for graphite is predicted to increase by around 20-25 times from 2020 to 2040. Including why currently there is no very large battery capacity so that even coal-fired power plants or from fossil sources can be eliminated, it is very possible because of this graphite problem. In addition to graphite, nickel is an important component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars with an average of 30 kg, especially in the cathode. Nickel helps increase the energy density and storage capacity of batteries, allowing electric cars to have a longer range.

In the steel industry, carbon neutral production conditions will be achieved when iron and steel production in the industry uses 100% renewable energy. The use of electric furnaces (EAF / Electric Arc Furnace) can be done as long as the electricity is generated from renewable energy sources. And the fact is that currently to achieve this goal is still far because the construction of blast furnaces - basic oxygen furnaces (BF -BOF) is still widely carried out, which should be EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) or currently only around 30% of the global iron and steel industry uses this EAF. Even the International Energy Association (IEA / International Energy Association) highlighted this critical issue to achieve the Paris Agreement's net-zero target by 2050. With an average blast furnace life of 20 years, the iron and steel industry's efforts to achieve the target must be formulated and programmed properly. Even if the blast furnace replacement effort does not follow the target time, it will put the achievement of net zero emissions 2050 in danger. This makes the use of renewable energy as an energy source for EAF increasingly important and must be accelerated, which should also be in line with the use of bio-graphite in the EAF.

The use of biographite will reduce CO2 emissions and reduce dependence on imports. Bio-graphite which is basically derived from biomass offers a sustainable alternative solution to graphite derived from fossil materials. When applied in steel mills with EAF, although biographite emits CO2 emissions when used, this CO2 or carbon comes from biomass. And the biomass from the plant absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere when it grows, making the process carbon neutral. The bio-graphite production process begins by converting biomass into biochar. Furthermore, with special purification, the biochar is converted into high-purity graphite which is suitable for electric arc furnace (EAF) steel electrodes and battery anodes.

Graphite demand / supply showing market deficit beginning 2025E

 

 Source: Macquarie Research (March 2023)

With the potential for various applications in a number of strategic industries, bio-graphite is not just a new environmentally friendly material but an important material supporting future industries. The shortage of this material could slow the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, which has an impact on many industries. And specifically in the steel industry, the shortage of this material will threaten to increase the cost of steelmaking and hinder progress towards climate goals. This is why the development of biochar production for biographite is very important and needs to be accelerated for the growth of various green industries or renewable industries in the future. 

Food Estate or Biochar? Indonesia becomes the Champion of Global Climate Solutions?

Currently, there are millions of hectares of land in Indonesia that are in dire need of biochar, namely dry land 122.1 million ha; post-mining land 8 million ha; critical land 24.3 million ha; total around 154.4 million ha. Meanwhile, the potential raw materials for biochar production are also abundant (agricultural, plantation and forestry waste) such as dry empty fruit bunch of palm oil around 30 million tons/year, baggase 2 million tons/year, corn cobs 5 million tons/year, cassava stems 3 million tons/year, waste wood 50 million tons/year, rice husks 15 million tons/year, cocoa shells and so on. With biochar, agricultural productivity will increase from an average of around 20% to even 100%.

If applied on a macro or national scale, say with a 20% increase in production, for example, rice production will increase to 36 million tons/year from the previous 30 million tons/year, corn will increase to 18 million tons/year from the previous 15 million tons/year, crude palm oil or CPO will increase to 60 million tons/year from the previous 50 million tons/year. This will save land use so that the opening of forest land for food crops and (bio)energy such as food estates may not be necessary or at least slow it down.

For example, Indonesia's current CPO production reaches around 50 million tons per year with a land area of ​​around 17.3 million hectares. This means that the average CPO production per hectare is only 2.9 tons or per million hectares produces 2.9 million tons. If biochar is used and there is a 20% increase, it means there is an increase of 10 million tons of CPO per year and this is equivalent to saving around 3.5 million hectares of land, or the use of biochar will slow down forest clearing for palm oil plantations.

There is a rough calculation that with an investment of 10 million US dollars, approximately 200,000 tons of biochar produced with more than 400,000 carbon credits will be produced over a period of 10 years. And for example, with a selling price of biochar of 200 dollars per ton and a carbon credit of 150 dollars per unit (per ton of CO2), then within 10 years, the income will be almost 10 times the investment or it is estimated that in less than 2 years the initial investment has been returned (payback period). Carbon credits sellers or biochar producers also try to get sales contracts for 5-10 years.

Of course when the price of biochar is higher and / or its carbon credit then of course the return on investment will be faster. And that does not include the utilization of liquid and gas products and excess heat from pyrolysis which also have economic potential that is no less interesting. 

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 8 : A Comprehensive Approach and the Role of Biomass

Efforts to reduce or lower CO2 in the cement industry continue to develop with various methods to achieve adequate targets. The global target is to achieve Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 while intermediate targets depend more specifically on the cement industry itself, for example, there is a cement industry that targets to reduce its emissions by 35% with a 1990 baseline in 2025 and then to more than 40% in 2030. This can practically be translated into a reduction in CO2 emissions in cement production from around 800 kg CO2/ton of cement, to 520 kg/ton of cement in 2025 and less than 475 kg/ton of cement in 2030. To achieve this target, the industry must create a roadmap that refers to the latest climate solutions in the cement industry, so that it is easier to achieve based on science (Science-Based Targets / SBT).

While the motivations for reducing CO2 emissions are similar across the world, progress is not uniform across regions. Europe is the fastest region to move forward due to its readiness, supported by a number of factors, including:
• Regulations that prioritize efficient resource use and promote a circular economy.
• Economic incentives to switch to cleaner fuels, which in many cases result in negative energy costs.
• Greater market acceptance of blended cement and consumer demand for low-carbon products.
• Significant government support for research and testing of cleaner technologies.
• Carbon emissions regulations, which result in a predictable carbon price.

Efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in cement plants directly or directly related to cement production are focused on three things, namely the use of alternative fuels or renewable energy or low-carbon fuels, reducing emissions from the calcination process and the use of cement additives (supplementary cementious material / SCM) or lowering clinker factor. While indirect efforts can be done by using electricity from renewable energy for the operation of the cement plants.

Technically or technologically in achieving the target of reducing CO2 emissions in the cement industry, the alternative energy sector or more specifically biomass fuel is in third place. This is because the largest source of emissions in cement plants or around 60% comes from the calcination process (clinker production), while combustion or related to fuel is only around 40%. This is so that carbon capture or CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) in an effort to achieve emission targets is ranked first, then clinker substitution with additives or SCM (Supplementary Cementious Material) is in second place, and the use of alternative fuels including biomass is in third place. CCS technology is still expensive so that its implementation is still constrained, so that in practice it has not been done much but clinker substitution and the use of alternative energy including biomass are easier to do, so many cement plants have done it.

If efforts to become net zero emissions in coal-fired power plants can be done by converting their fuel to 100% biomass, then in cement plants it cannot be done by simply replacing the fuel with biomass because the main source of carbon emissions in cement plants is in their clinker production. So if a cement plant does this, the percentage of CO2 that can be reduced is only a maximum of 40%, meaning that CO2 emissions from the calcination process (clinker production) of 60% still occur. The use of clinker for cement production can be reduced so that CO2 emissions from clinker production can be reduced. That is why in cement plants the use of SCM for clinker substitution, the ratio or portion must also be increased. But of course it is impossible to reduce clinker production to zero or eliminate the calcination process and replace it entirely with SCM (lowering clinker factor) to reduce the 60% CO2 emissions.

This is so that the higher the ratio of clinker to cement produced (C/S), the greater the CO2 emissions produced and vice versa. China has the lowest ratio of clinker to cement (C/S) in the world today, which is 0.58, while a number of areas in other countries have the highest C/S ratio of up to 0.89, namely in the United States. While in Europe 0.77, then in India 0.68, in Latin America 0.71 and the global average is 0.76. It can also be understood that China uses SCM with the highest portion compared to countries in the world. That is why to achieve net zero emissions in cement plants, CCS (carbon capture and storage) equipment need to be added.

About CCS (carbon capture and storage) a number of innovations are being developed so that this technology is cheaper and easier to apply to cement plants. This also includes increasing the efficiency of CO2 capture, the use of new generation non-aqueous solvents, and cheaper modular technology. The transformation of captured CO2 into new marketable products is also the next focus.

The use of alternative fuels with high biomass content is highly recommended for cement plants to reduce CO2. But in reality, there are usually still a number of obstacles during its implementation so that it is even difficult to increase the ratio. These obstacles include the availability, quality and quantity of biomass waste, logistics and supporting infrastructure, market dynamics, the economics of the price of biomass waste-based fuels and a number of limiting technical factors related to the characteristics of the biomass fuel. A number of agricultural or plantation biomass wastes such as rice husks, palm kernel shells, cashew nut shells and olive seeds have also been used as biomass fuels in cement plants. Obtaining a supply of biomass fuel in sufficient volume, standard quality and continuous / sustainable is very important for cement plants to support the reduction of CO2 emissions. And basically there is no choice for cement plants to avoid climate problems, so what must be done is to respond to it with real action.  

If We Don’t Cut Emissions, Creating Carbon Sinks is Irrelevant

The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is already high so it must be reduced to save the earth. Efforts to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere apparently cannot simply absorb CO2 from the atmosphere (carbon capture and storage). Maximizing the absorption of atmospheric CO2 but on the other hand CO2 emissions continue to increase, it will be very difficult (read: impossible) to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, let alone to a certain target agreed upon by the global community. So what makes sense is that CO2 emissions are not increased again so that the concentration does not increase further and existing CO2 is reduced to a certain level as targeted.

In practice, the production of wood chips and wood pellets as carbon neutral renewable fuels will complement each other with biochar. Wood chips and wood pellets do not add CO2 emissions and biochar absorbs CO2 as a carbon sink (carbon sequestration) or carbon negative. The application of biochar as part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is currently developing the fastest compared to other CO2 reduction efforts (CDR / Carbon Dioxide Removal). Biochar leads in CDR credits in the voluntary carbon market (VCM), namely with more than 90% globally in 2023 as stated in the cdr.fyi database. From this data, it is estimated that at least 350 thousand tons of biochar have been produced globally in 2023 with an estimated 600,000 units or more of CDR credits (Carbon Credit).

And as in Europe, namely in 2023 there are a total of 48 new biochar plants, installed and operating, although 7 plants are closed, but a total of 41 biochar plants or an estimated total of 171 biochar plants are operating. And in 2024 there are an estimated 51 new biochar plants in Europe or in 2024 the total number of biochar plants is estimated to grow to more than 220 units. In terms of biochar volume, there is an estimated increase of 75,000 tons in 2023 and in 2024 the increase in production to 115,000 tons. Electricity production with 100% biomass fuel and equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) devices will also absorb CO2 or carbon negative, but this method is expensive and slow to develop. While biomass and coal cofiring because the cofiring ratio is small, efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are not too significant but cofiring is indeed the easiest entry point for using renewable energy in , especially in the energy or power generation sector (coal power plants). And in the end, creating a carbon sink, but the emission source is not reduced (cut), then it is the same as a lie or an irrelevant effort.