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.  

Taiwan, Asia's New Wood Pellet Market

After Japan and Korea have been the main markets for wood pellets in Asia for years, Taiwan is predicted to emerge as a new destination for the wood pellet market in Asia. This is because Taiwan's energy policy targets 20% renewable energy use by 2025. Namely by focusing on the energy transition from coal and other fossil fuels to renewable energy sources including biomass, solar and wind to increase renewable energy from 10% to 20% by 2025. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act requires annual carbon emissions to be reduced by 20% by 2030 and 50% by 2050, below 2005 levels or a reduction of 53 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030 and 133 million tons by 2050. This is also part of Taiwan's nuclear-free vision and supports the national goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Renewable energy development is the most important implementation to achieve this goal and wood pellets are a top priority. Taiwan will import wood pellets in large quantities to achieve its new green energy production targets.

The need for wood pellets in Taiwan reaches millions of tons or more detailed estimates are 1.7 million tons per year specifically for Taiwan Power Company, which will be implemented immediately when the policy is implemented. And there are also a number of independent power plants (IPP) that use coal boilers to generate electricity, especially the plastic industry, petroleum refineries and papermaking. Currently, renewable energy accounts for less than 10% of the total energy output in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the government aims to have 778 megawatts (MW) of biomass-based power plants by 2025, allowing production of 4.1 billion kWh.

The world's major wood pellets producing countries are looking to Taiwan, such as the United States, Vietnam and Canada. Vietnam has even become the second largest wood pellet producer in the world, overtaking Canada. And nationally, Vietnam's wood product exports are more than 70% for furniture and interior applications, 7% for wood-based panels, 17% wood chips and 5% for wood pellets. And to produce these products, Vietnam also imports large amounts of wood from more than 114 countries and 700 species / subspecies, amounting to $ 3.1 billion in the form of logs, sawnwood and plywood and imports almost 2 million cubic meters of tropical hardwood.

Basically, the major wood pellet producing countries are competing to convince Taiwan as a user or buyer of wood pellets about the supply capability, including quantity and quality, logistics reliability and sustainability of its supply. Although the Japanese and Korean markets continue to grow, penetration into a new market will add an opportunity to these producers. Even in Japan, many new power plants are being built so that the need for wood pellets is also increasing. In addition, the increase in the cofiring ratio in power plants in Japan will also increase the demand for wood pellets.

And globally according to Hawkin Wright, wood pellet sales are the highest among other biomass fuels, which is more than 27 million tons/year in 2025. While FutureMetric that the market for wood pellets for industry (industrial pellet fuel) can reach 55 million tons in 2030. Thus the need for wood pellets will continue to increase with an average of more than 5.5 million tons per year so that the production of wood pellets. Indonesia still has great potential to become a world wood pellet producer because of the potential raw materials that can be sought, both from wood and forestry industry waste and from energy plantations. With a location that is not too far from Taiwan (compared to wood pellet producing countries such as the United States and Canada) so that logistics or transportation costs are cheaper, the opportunity to compete is also quite large. In addition, PKS (palm kernel shell) are also an alternative biomass fuel besides wood pellets and as a producer of palm oil / CPO or the owner of the largest palm oil plantation in the world, Indonesia is number one for that. 

The Urgency of a Justice Energy Transition

A Muslim from the United States (US) who is also an environmental activist, Ibrahim Abdul Matin (2012), in his book Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet calls renewable energy as energy from heaven. According to him, energy from heaven is energy that comes from above, namely that energy is not extracted (dug up) from within the earth, and can be renewed (renewable). "Extraction causes imbalance (causes climate change), while energy from above is like from heaven."

And so in the carbon perspective when carbon as an energy source comes from (extraction) in the earth, namely fossil energy (petroleum, coal, natural gas) then it contributes to increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, or the term carbon positive, while if it comes from plants (biomass) which because it comes from the process of photosynthesis then it does not increase the concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, or the term carbon neutral. Energy sources that come from the sun, wind and water are also included in the carbon neutral energy sources. Meanwhile, if the carbon source from plants (biomass) from photosynthesis, then it can be stored (carbon sequestration) for hundreds or even thousands of years then it will reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, or the term carbon negative.

Even more specifically related to coal mining, the fatwa of Muhammadiyah, one of the largest Islamic mass organizations in Indonesia, stated that the four main problems of coal mining in Indonesia are (a). environmental damage; (b). regulations that are not based on justice and welfare; (c) neglect of the rights of communities around the mine, and (d) mining business as a political tool. If the fatwa is used as a basis for policy and motivation in a just energy transition, environmental damage can be minimized.

Currently, to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, decarbonization efforts are being carried out, namely reducing or replacing the use of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. The production of biomass fuels such as wood chips, wood pellets, wood briquettes and so on is in the context of decarbonization. Likewise, the production of biochar, then the carbon can be stored for a very long time (carbon sequestration) is starting to be widely carried out today. Even the application of biochar is also used to improve the condition of damaged or less fertile soils so that agricultural or plant productivity will increase. In this context, biochar can even be used to overcome the food shortage crisis, for more details read here.

Renewable energy sources come from plants (bio-energy) which is also in line with QS. Yaasin (36): 80. To produce these energy sources such as tree trunks, fruits, 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 a source of energy for living things, especially for plants. The sun is a very abundant source of energy, free and will not run out except when the apocalypse arrives. The word sun is mentioned 25 times in the Qur'an and is one of the names of the chapters that Allah immortalized in the Qur'an. This shows that Allah wants to give a sign that there is something that needs to be explored by humans through asy-shams or the sun. Plants through the process of photosynthesis will store energy from the sun in the form of its biomass and this is likened to a battery. This green battery of plants can be used as a very large source of energy, for more details read here.

Regarding the action to mitigate climate change, the role of Islamic scholars can be very important. Even a survey conducted by Purpose and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) said that the role of Islamic scholars in this action has the highest influence or level of trust compared to other groups (including environmental activists, government and scientists). And even the results of the National Climate survey also show that legislative members are in last place in terms of public trust. Efforts to prosper or manage the earth according to Allah's command, namely Q.S. Hud: 61 and this is indeed also the duty of humans as Allah's caliphs on earth or on this planet (Q.S. Al-Baqarah: 30) so that the management of the earth must be based on Islamic teachings or values. While the concept of western secularization has resulted in its perspective, namely that humans have dominance over the earth, not as its managers, which is the Islamic view. Muslims must be guardians or managers of the earth, for the sake of their environment and most importantly for the sake of Allah SWT's command.

Although Islam teaches its followers to maintain or manage the earth or caliphate on this planet. And that they will be held accountable by Allah for their actions, but the fact is that the world's inaction continues despite the declaration of Muslim countries in 2015 to play an active role in combating climate change. This certainly has a negative impact on the global climate problem. Concern and real action on this climate should be increased along with efforts to increase faith and piety and mastery of science and technology, especially coupled with a number of natural disasters due to climate change. Gradual energy transition or migration is one solution. Muslim countries should have an advantage in the climate race. They have a framework and belief system that mandates the protection of the earth and its natural resources.

Decarbonization of the Iron and Steel Industry Part 3: from Low Carbon Production to Carbon Neutral Production

When the decarbonization target must be achieved according to the specified deadline, various efforts will also be made, including through a transition phase. The transition phase in the iron and steel industry is from low carbon production to neutral carbon production. There are a number of factors that influence towards this goal, especially the readiness of the market to buy iron and steel products produced from the production process and also the readiness of fuel and reducing agents for blast furnaces in the iron and steel industry. Charcoal is a fuel and reducing agent derived from biomass which has great potential for use in this transition phase. Charcoal as a carbonization or biomass pyrolysis product has a high calorific value, high fixed carbon and is stable.

Meanwhile, carbon neutral production conditions will be achieved when iron and steel production in the industry uses 100% renewable energy. The use of an electric furnace (EAF/Electric Arc Furnace) can be done as long as the electricity is produced from renewable energy sources. Likewise, the use of hydrogen fuel in blast furnaces (with electrical energy for plant operations also from renewable energy) is also able to achieve carbon neutral production conditions, and even the use of hydrogen fuel in blast furnaces is considered to be the ultimate goal in decarbonization of the iron and steel industry. With the target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and the average service life of blast furnaces being 20 years, the iron and steel industry's efforts to achieve the target must be well formulated and programmed. Even if efforts to replace blast furnaces do not follow this target time, it will put the achievement of net zero emissions by 2050 in jeopardy.

In fact, currently it is still far from achieving this goal because the construction of blast furnaces - basic oxygen furnaces (BF -BOF) is still being 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) highlighted this critical issue to achieve the Paris Agreement's net-zero target by 2050. CO2 intensity in this industry has only slightly decreased so that the use of renewable energy becomes increasingly important and accelerated.

A case example is the Japanese iron and steel industry. As a steel producer of more than 85 million tons per year with main use in domestic construction projects and automotive manufacturing and with more than 25% (more than 21 million tons) being exported, the Japanese steel industry has a significant influence on the global market. The dominant dependence on coal is the main problem of decarbonization and moreover, Japan is also the third largest coal importer in the world. Furthermore, decarbonization in Japan is considered inadequate because the Japanese steel industry lags behind other major world steel producers. Japan is a G7 country that does not implement a coal phaseout period.

Nippon Steel has even been labeled a climate laggard or slow to respond to the climate crisis in the Asian region. This is because the decarbonization strategy is inadequate or not in accordance with the IPCC's 1.5°C warming pathway or the IEA's net-zero pathways. This condition threatens national and global decarbonization targets and puts Japan's steel industry at risk. Meanwhile demand for low-carbon steel is increasing rapidly because steel industries and governments around the world are committed to reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels. The Japanese steel industry needs to immediately decarbonize to remain competitive in the global market. Decarbonizing by investing in low-carbon steel production will address these risks and can position the Japanese steel industry as a leader in the green transition of the global steel industry.

 

Regarding the issue of fuel or renewable energy sources, biomass has a strategic position and role, namely in blast furnace operations, charcoal, which is a product of biomass carbonization, is used as a fuel and reducing agent, while in electricity production for iron and steel plant operations, biomass can be used as a renewable energy sources or biomass power plants. This is why the availability of biomass is very important so that the creation of energy plantations as a source of biomass is very necessary. Not only is the plantation a source of energy, it can also play a role in the production of food and feed, both of which are very beneficial for human life. And of course optimizing the use of the plantation by utilizing all parts of the tree (whole tree utilization) also provides maximum financial / economic benefits and with good management it will also provide benefits or improve the environment. And ideally by 2050 the steel industries will use electric arc furnaces / EAF, 100% hydrogen in blast furnaces and even a combination of carbon capture, to achieve net zero emissions in 2050 or even negative emissions so it is very good for the climate.

Coal Companies and New Business Development in Renewable Energy (Wood Pellets and PKS)

Coal is a fossil fuel which is one of the main causes of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, which causes global warming and climate change. Even though this fuel is cheap and available in abundance in Indonesia, its use will be increasingly reduced over time to achieve safe conditions for the earth. Indonesia is the 5th largest coal producer in the world with production of around 570 million tons per year with reserves reaching 38 billion tons, the main production of which is on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. A large coal company in Indonesia can produce 50 million tons of coal every year.

Policies to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, especially coal, also continue to be implemented globally. For Asia, for example, Japan and Korea with their Feed in Tariff and Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) are leading the way in the use of renewable energy, especially wood pellets. Meanwhile in Europe, with the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II), renewable energy is targeted to reach 32% by 2030, biomass fuel is predicted to reach around 75% of the share of renewable energy and the target is that coal will not be used completely by 2050. Germany has announced that it will not use coal. By 2038, the UK is even targeting no longer using coal for its electricity production starting October 2024. North America, namely the United States and Canada as members of the G7, are also committed to reducing coal consumption, in 2018 Canada even announced regulations to no longer use coal for electricity generation by 2030. On the other hand, coal power plant construction projects funded by China in various countries have collapsed. Plus, the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, England and the United States) are aggressively blocking the use of coal. Countries that still support coal use, such as China and Indonesia, are increasingly isolated and could face more pressure to stop such activities.

Seeing the world energy trend which is starting to decarbonize, many coal companies are then developing new businesses in the renewable energy sector. A number of coal companies are known to have planned to produce large capacity wood pellets and also become palm kernel shell (PKS) exporters. And seeing the global trend in the use of renewable energy which continues to increase, especially biomass fuel, it is possible that in the near future they will immediately execute this plan. With the large profits from the coal business, developing new businesses should also be easier.

For these coal producers whose business sector is in the energy sector, marketing these biomass fuel products should not be difficult. Wood pellets and palm kernel shells / pks can be used as fuel in power plants just like coal. In fact, a number of coal-fired steam power plants also use certain amounts of biomass fuel which is mixed with coal, namely by cofiring. In fact, biomass fuel can be used 100% in certain types of technological power plants such as stokers and fluidized beds. As both products for energy, more specifically solid fuels with the same users, it is indeed easier for coal companies to develop into the wood pellet industry and export palm kernel shells / pks.

In contrast to palm kernel shells / pks which is waste or by-product from palm oil mills or CPO mills which are obtained by collecting from palm oil mills, wood pellet production for large capacities requires a stable and sustainable supply of raw materials with one of the best options being wood from energy plantation. Energy plantations with a certain area need to be created according to the wood pellet production targets to be achieved. Post-mining land can be reclaimed for energy plantations. And for coal companies developing renewable energy also gives a positive image because it contributes to the decarbonization program and if in time the coal business has to be reduced or even stopped, they will be ready with a new business in the form of renewable energy.

2nd Generation Biofuel with Biodiesel Production from Calophyllum Inophyllum and the Like

Biodiesel production from CPO is a 1st generation biofuel where the raw material competes with food products, which of course is not good. Biodiesel production from oils that do not compete with food products will be much better. The image of producers and even their country will also be improved if the program can be carried out on a massive scale. There are a number of trees that produce oil for biodiesel production. The selectivity of plant types related to productivity, climatic conditions and so on is certainly a serious consideration if production is on an industrial scale. Nyamplung oil (calophyllum inophyllum oil) is one of the best solutions because apart from high oil productivity, the productive period is long, and the logs after the productive period are also economical or have high selling value.

The productivity of calophyllum inophyllum oil competes with palm oil, whose productivity is around 6 tons/hectare/year, but caring for calophyllum inophyllum trees is easier and cheaper. Meanwhile, jathropha has lower productivity so it is less attractive and profitable to develop. Calophyllum inophyllum trees that grow well in the lowlands or on the coast will be very suitable for Indonesia as an archipelagic country. Indonesia has a coastline of 99,093 km or the second longest in the world after Canada. And it would be even better if the calophyllum inophyllum plantations on the coast also coincided with coconut planting. Indonesia is famous for its land of coconut islands, which generally grow well in coastal areas. Coconut trees also have many benefits from almost all their parts. If this happens, optimization of renewable energy production, namely biofuel in the form of biodiesel from calophyllum inophyllum oil and food products, especially those based on coconuts.

The transportation sector itself contributes 14% of CO2 emissions globally or 27% in Indonesia. Biodiesel produced by transesterfication reaction (C6-C22 chain) has very similar properties to diesel oil so it can be used 100% in diesel engines without the need for modification or mixing/blending with certain portions. Biodiesel contains 10% oxygen and zero sulfur, which makes engine combustion more complete and efficient. Liquid fuel also has its own advantages over gas fuel, including easy use and storage, and most existing vehicles use liquid fuel, so they can be used straight away. The development of biofuel as a carbon neutral fuel needs to be prioritized as part of decarbonization, especially for 2nd Generation Biofuel because it does not conflict or compete with food.

For 2nd generation biofuel from biomass or lignocelullosic biomass (such as wood waste), biodiesel production is still high cost. There are two process routes for biodiesel production from lignocelullosic biomass, namely gasification for syngas production followed by the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process and fast pyrolysis for biooil production followed by hydrotreating and catalytic cracking processes. This is what makes biodiesel production in this way not possible even though it is technically possible. The raw materials for lignocellulosic biomass are much cheaper because they are generally categorized as biomass waste. However, the complexity of the production process makes production costs expensive, so it is not yet an option.

Meanwhile, for 3rd generation biofuel, namely from microalgae, even though the potential is huge, the productivity can even be more than 16 times the productivity of palm oil or calophyllum inophyllum oil (6 tons/hectare/year for palm oil and calophyllum inophyllum, while oil from microalgae reaches 100 tons/hectare/year ) but it seems that it still takes time to enter the commercialization stage. Problems related to cultivation, harvesting and oil extraction also still require extensive research. By producing biodiesel from calophyllum inophyllum oil, biodiesel production from CPO can be gradually reduced. The larger the calophyllum inophyllum plantation, the greater the biodiesel product produced, so that palm oil or CPO can be specialized as edible oil or specifically a food product. Likewise, it is hoped that oil from coconut will increase along with the growth and development of biodiesel production from calophyllum inophyllum oil.

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 7: Use of Biomass Fuel Apart from Clinker Substitution in Cement Plants

Cement plants are unique or different compared to processing plants or other industries, namely that the majority of carbon emissions (CO2) are produced not from fuel use but from clinker production. CO2 emissions from clinker production reach 60%, while from fuel use it is only 40%. This indicates that decarbonization efforts in cement plants must prioritize these two things. 

The use of cement additives or SCM (supplementary cementious material) as a substitute for clinker has played a major role in decarbonization in cement plants. The greater the use of SCM or the smaller the clinker to cement ratio, the smaller the carbon emissions in cement production. The use of SCM is generally used in cement production in plants, but there is use of SCM in concrete production, even in a larger portion than in cement production, which is common in the United States.

Cement plants in general are major users of coal with large volumes so they must be gradually reduced as part of decarbonization efforts. Regarding carbon emissions from the use of this fuel, many cement plants use alternative energy such as used tires or RDF from municipal solid waste (MSW). Ideally, the use of renewable fuels will reduce carbon emissions significantly. This is why a number of cement plants have started using biomass fuel such as agricultural waste or wood waste from wood working industries. The greater the portion of renewable fuel used, such as agricultural waste biomass and such wood industry, the lower the carbon emissions produced.

The use of technology to increase fuel efficiency also reduces carbon emissions, such as the use of preheaters and precalciners, because there is savings in fuel use in clinker production. But there are also certain specific conditions, for example the production of type II/V or type V cement (high sulfate resistance) will require more fuel because cement requires clinker with a low C3A (tricalcium aluminate) content, the process of which requires more heat energy.

The analogy to a coal-fired power plant in decarbonization efforts is more or less the same as a cement plant. Coal power plants are industries that produce large carbon emissions, like cement plants. At coal-fired power plants, decarbonization efforts begin by cofiring coal with biomass. The biomass ratio in the cofiring continues to be increased over time. The greater the cofiring ratio or biomass portion, the lower the carbon emissions. At a certain level, the coal power plants will be 100% replaced with biomass (fulfiring).

If efforts to become zero carbon emissions (net zero emissions) in coal power plants can be done by converting the fuel into 100% biomass, then in cement plants it cannot be done simply by replacing the fuel with biomass because the main source of carbon emissions in cement plants is in the clinker production. That is why in cement plants the use of SCM to substitute clinker, the ratio or portion must also be increased. Maximizing biomass fuel use and using SCM also cannot reduce carbon emissions to zero (net zero emissions), because of the calcination process. This is why to achieve net zero emissions in cement plants it is necessary to add CCS (carbon capture and storage) unit.

Ideally, when a coal-fired power plant converts 100% of its fuel to biomass, the carbon emissions are zero (net zero emissions) and if CCS equipment is added, it becomes carbon negative emissions. Meanwhile, in cement plants, the use of optimum SCM and 100% biomass fuel still cannot achieve zero carbon emissions, so CCS equipment needs to be added to capture CO2 from the calcination process to achieve zero carbon and if want to achieve carbon negative emission conditions, CCS is also needed to be used to capture CO2 from burning or using biomass fuel.

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.

Reducing Emissions or Increasing Electric Vehicles?

The photo from here

Basically the main background of the two things above is climate problem due to greenhouse gases, especially CO2 (carbon dioxide), so of course the fundamental answer or priority is to reduce these emissions (greenhouse gases). Electric vehicles can reduce these emissions if the prerequisites are met. The main prerequisite, of course, is where the source of the electrical energy used comes from. If the source of electricity is from fossil energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas which produce greenhouse gas emissions, in essence the electric vehicle is not environmentally friendly, even though the power plants is far from the use of the electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles should use electricity from renewable energy sources so they don't increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, one of which can be read here. Production of electricity from renewable energy should be encouraged and supported first so that the amount is sufficient and after that only proceed with these electric vehicles. If this is not done, then no matter how many electric vehicles (buses, cars, and electric motorcycles) it will still not have a positive effect on the climate. A comprehensive understanding of the climate problem including its solutions and especially in the field of transportation with electric vehicles is something important, before moving on to the implementation stage.

Carbon capture and storage technology (Carbon Capture and Storage / CCS) has indeed been introduced, but its implementation is still very minimal and expensive so this technology has not been applied in Indonesia, especially in fossil-fuel power plants, the majority of which are coal. A number of CCS technologies that are being tested are amine-based adsorption (organic compounds and functional groups whose contents consist of lone-paired nitrogen atoms) are the most advanced carbon capture technologies. But apart from technical factors, economic factors are still the main obstacle.

So the best choice is to encourage and support as much as possible the use of renewable energy sources as a source of energy for these electric vehicles. If the electric vehicle operates with a renewable energy source that is environmentally friendly because it does not increase CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere or is an effort to decarbonize the transportation sector, then that is essentially a program that is perfectly successful according to the intent and purpose of developing the electric vehicle.

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 4

 

The cement plants apart from being an industry that utilizes or processes waste such as slag and fly ash so that a circular economy pattern is formed, is also an industry that destroys waste by using it as fuel. RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) from municipal solid waste (MSW) is an alternative energy source that is widely used by the cement industry, especially in the manufacture of clinker. In addition to helping overcome environmental problems in the form of environmental pollution from city waste, the use of RDF  also helps reduce carbon emissions or is part of the effort to decarbonize. Related to addressing environmental problems, alternative fuels such as used tires which are chopped into tire chips and plastic are also often used. In addition to these alternative fuels, biomass waste such as agricultural waste and livestock waste are also being used. The biomass waste is 100% renewable fuel, so it is more compatible and environmentally friendly. The use of agricultural waste such as rice husk and camel manure is an example of the use of this biomass waste, for more details, read here.

By operating at high temperatures, the cement plant can function as an effective waste destroyer. In this regard, a DRE (Destruction Removal Efficiency) test is required which must meet a very high score or nearly 100% (99.9999%) to be able to carry out the waste destruction activity. The failure to reach this value is due to the insufficiently high temperature, so the consequence is that not all facilities in the cement plant are able to destroy or burn the waste, only burners in kilns that operate above 1200 degrees Celsius can do it, which technically is waste or alternative fuel also has its own feeding point.

Apart from the power failure, cement plant operations can stop due to blocking. The blocking clogs the cyclone on the preheater and calciner. The main cause of blocking occurs is due to the sulfur content, especially from coal and petcoke or alternative fuels that have a high sulfur content such as tires (tyre chips, the sulfur then reacts with the alkali to form compounds that easily stick to the walls of the cyclone or even the kiln. This means that the percentage of sulfur needs to be limited. And the second cause of blocking is chlorine, which also reacts with alkali so it easily sticks to the walls of the equipment, but the difference is blocking because chlorine occurs at a lower temperature, so it sticks to the top of the cyclone. This means that the percentage of chlorine also needs to be limited.

Based on the conditions mentioned above, the use of alternative fuels, especially from renewable materials, is important, moreover, renewable fuels such as biomass have very low sulfur content, as well as chlorine, but certain alternative fuels must be calculated carefully, especially sulfur and chlorine content. , so no blocking occurs. Meanwhile, fossil fuels such as coal and petcoke apart from being cons of decarbonization efforts also turn out to be the main cause of blocking. This means that the use of fossil fuels must be further reduced.

Green Economy in the Cement Industry Part 2

A number of cement plants can do production well by using only limestone and clay raw materials. This is because the material has fulfilled all the oxides needed in the manufacture of the clinker. The oxides needed are CaO (C), SiO2 (S), Al2O3 (A) and Fe2O3 (F). Limestone itself usually has a CaO (C) content of around 90% and 5% SiO2 (S). But the facts on the ground are that many cement  plants require additional materials to achieve the desired oxide composition or commonly called corrective materials. A number of these corrective materials are high grade limestone which has a CaO content of above 95% as C oxide correction, then silica sand for S oxide correction, then kaolin or bauxite for A oxide correction and iron ore or pyrite for F oxide correction.

So in general, currently the materials needed for the production of clinker are limestone, clay, silica sand and iron ore. In its development iron ore can be replaced with slag. The content of Fe2O3 (F) slag is lower than iron ore but the price is cheaper. The slag used mainly comes from the iron and steel industry, commonly known as GBFS or GGBFS. Slag is actually also an additive material that can be added with clinker and gypsum so that it becomes a product (slag) cement. In addition to other slag materials such as fly ash which are also commonly used as a additive, these two materials are commonly called cement supplement materials or SCM (supplementary cementious materials). Fly ash which is very fine does not need to be crushed anymore so it can be mixed directly with clinker and gypsum, while slag from iron or steel industry needs to be crushed again into GGBFS before being mixed with clinker and gypsum. For the need for these additives, in addition to physical aspects such as particle size, chemical aspects, namely slag chemistry and fly ash chemistry, are important parameters that need attention.

The use of SCM such as slag and fly ash above, will reduce the use, especially of fossil fuels. This is because SCM is added to clinker and gypsum so it does not require heat energy. Heat energy itself is needed in the manufacture of clinker, namely in the calciner and rotary kiln. For example, the manufacture of slag cement produces 38% less CO2 emissions than the process for the production of portland cement because less limestone is burned for the production of slag cement than is required for Portland cement. This heat energy currently still uses a lot of fossil fuels and is gradually starting to use renewable energy. Energy derived from biomass such as agricultural waste and animal manure is also starting to be used.