Production of Electricity and Biochar from Pineapple Plantation Waste

Besides being able to be processed into briquettes or in more detail, read here, pineapple plantation waste can also be used for electricity and biochar production. The use of biochar on pineapple plantation land will increase fertility and improve soil quality so that it will also increase the productivity of the pineapple fruit. The use of biochar on dry land such as pineapple plantations will be more effective so that the benefits will be even more real. Biochar that can last up to hundreds of years in the soil will provide long-term benefits for pineapple plantation owners. The era in the future that tends towards efficient agriculture or precision agriculture will also produce less waste or even zero waste. Agricultural wastes that have been a lot of environmental problems will be reduced and processed into added value, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials such as biochar production.

In large pineapple plantations, the amount of pineapple waste produced is also large. Besides producing biochar, pyrolysis of pineapple waste will also generate electricity. Electricity as a form of energy that is easily converted to various other forms of energy is certainly very useful, especially the pineapple industry. Pineapple processing can use the electricity generated, thereby reducing or even eliminating the need for external electricity. But it is possible that if the pineapple industry needs heat more than electricity, the excess energy from pyrolysis does not need to be converted into electricity but only heat is enough and this is easier and simpler. Of course, these things also further reduce the production costs of these pineapple-based products, thus providing even greater profit.

There are many products from the pineapple industry, including candied pineapple, pineapple jam, pineapple paste, pineapple chips, pineapple juice, pineapple juice probiotics, pineapple jelly, canned pineapple, and dried fruit. As one fruit that is quite popular throughout the world, the demand for pineapple is also increasing. With the prediction of the world's population reaching nearly 10 billion by 2050, the need for food, especially fruit, will also increase. Pineapple peels are also commonly used as animal feed, especially cattle, and cow dung is used for biogas production. The addition of biochar to cow dung for biogas will increase biogas production, more details can be read here and the sideproduct in the form of digestate which is then composted will be of better quality in the presence of biochar. Biochar makes the nutrients in compost not easy washed but is released slowly (slow release fertilizer).

Will PKS for Export Disappear from Circulation and be Replaced by Wood Pellet?

 The need for palm kernel shell (PKS) is increasing due to the increasing need, especially for the export market, making the price even more expensive, even matching the price of wood pellets. Nearly all of the biomass plants in Japan have experienced delays in their operations, now come online for more details can be read here. This has led to an increase in the price of the PKS.

Palm kernel shell (PKS) is a biomass fuel that is the main competitor for wood pellets, because the quality or specifications have many similarities. Previously, PKS were always cheaper than wood pellets, even in the international market some time ago the price of PKS was only about half the price of wood pellets. But currently the price of PKS equals even slightly above wood pellets. This of course will make users switch to wood pellets because of better quality such as lower moisture content, higher calorific value, uniform size and shape, and generally lower ash content.

When users flock change to wood pellets, the PKS commodity for export will get smaller in portions and even disappear altogether. Moreover, wood pellets from Vietnam and Russia are known to be cheap with large capacities. Vietnam is even the largest producer of wood pellets in Asia with a production of more than 1 million tons / year. Of course, this condition is very sad for exporters who have been doing business by exporting the PKS. The high tax and levy in Indonesia make it more difficult for exporters in Indonesia, whereas in Malaysia they do not exist. The most important thing that must be done is to be able to maintain the price of the export PKS so that the PKS is still worth it with its quality. It is not easy, of course.