Strengthening Sustainability Efforts by Reducing or Eliminating the Use of Chemicals in Palm Oil Mill Boiler Feedwater Treatment

A lot of palm oil companies now have sustainability certificates, such as ISPO (Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil) and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). To market palm oil and its derivatives to Europe, the European Union has implemented the EUDR, or European Union Anti-Deforestation Regulation. This regulation requires every business actor to prove that their palm oil does not originate from deforested land after the deadline of December 31, 2020. The EUDR itself will be implemented on December 30, 2026, for large and medium-sized companies. Sustainability certifications such as ISPO and RSPO are not the same as EUDR compliance, but they complement each other. This is because ISPO or RSPO serve as important tools to strengthen traceability and due diligence to comply with the EU's anti-deforestation regulations. Once certified, ISPO or RSPO simply add detailed spatial geolocation data to fully comply with the EUDR standard.

As the decarbonization trend continues to penetrate various sectors of life, various efforts aligned and relevant to decarbonization and aspirations will become a concern, even an option, and even an obligation. Sooner or later, these climate-smart efforts will become increasingly accepted and become an integral part of human life. For example, the palm oil industry is currently moving towards the use of electric vehicles in the plantation sector. The use of electric vehicles has the potential to provide added value, especially for companies that have obtained sustainability certifications such as the RSPO and ISPO. The use of electric vehicles allows palm oil companies to claim reduced fossil fuel use and reap sustainability benefits.

Another example is the use of organic fertilizers or biofertilizers. The use of biofertilizers or organic fertilizers can have several positive effects on environmental sustainability, as they can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 25%. This effort not only reduces environmental pollution and health risks but also enriches biodiversity and supports climate-smart agriculture. In an era where sustainability is a focus and a "selling point" for products (especially in Europe), this effort is very effective. This is especially true given the intense competition from other vegetable oils, such as soybean oil and sunflower seed oil.

This is also closely aligned with water treatment, particularly boiler feedwater treatment, which uses less or no chemicals. This also reduces environmental pollution and health risks. Boilers can be considered the "heart" of palm oil mills, converting water into high-pressure steam to power the production process and generate electricity for the mill and its employee housing. Like all production equipment, boilers have a lifespan. When a boiler's lifespan is exceeded, it is not only uneconomical due to high maintenance and operational costs but also dangerous. Good and well-maintained water quality will ensure the boiler's lifespan meets or even exceeds standards.

The average lifespan, which is the technical and economic life of a palm oil mill boiler, is 20 years, and by maintaining water quality, it is expected to be 20% longer, to 24 years. In addition to the technical and environmental benefits, there are also economic benefits. A palm oil mill with a capacity of 45 tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per hour using electrochemical technology will achieve an estimated annual savings of over 250 million rupiah. For more detailed information, please contact us. Currently, according to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, the number of palm oil mills in Indonesia is recorded at around 1,200 to 1,500. This is understandable, considering the increasing area of ​​oil palm plantations, currently reaching nearly 17 million hectares, thus increasing the need for palm oil mills.

Why make calculations or simulations for a palm oil mill with a capacity of 45 tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB)/hour? This is because this capacity is the average capacity of palm oil mills in Indonesia. For example, one of the largest palm oil companies, PT Astra Agro Lestari (AALI), has 32 palm oil mills with a total capacity of 1,570 tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) /hour, or an average of 49 tons of FFB /hour, which is close to a capacity of 45 tons of FFB /hour. And with the number of mills in Indonesia, say 1,500 units and each mill can save 250 million rupiah/year, there will be an estimated savings of 375 billion rupiah per year from this boiler feed water treatment, in addition to technical and environmental benefits, especially to strengthen sustainability efforts to meet EUDR requirements.

Environmentally Friendly Boiler Feedwater Treatment in Palm Oil Mills & More in Line with Sustainability Missions

As the decarbonization trend continues to penetrate various sectors of life, various efforts aligned and relevant to decarbonization and aspirations will become a concern, even a choice, and even an obligation. Sooner or later, these climate-smart efforts will become increasingly accepted and an integral part of human life. The upstream palm oil industry (particularly palm oil mills/CPO mills) is no exception. With the use of biomass fuel for boiler operations, which outputs high-pressure steam for palm oil mill operations and electricity production, from a climate perspective, the palm oil industry contributes approximately 1.4% of carbon emissions to the atmosphere.

Emissions from the palm oil industry primarily come from carbon loss during land clearing/deforestation, emissions from peat drainage, and emissions from palm oil mill effluent (POME). In addition, there are also emissions from the use of vehicles for transporting raw materials and palm oil products, as well as for plantation operations (soil cultivation, fertilization, harvesting, etc.), and during palm oil mill start-up. Compared to other sectors, such as energy, power generation is the largest global contributor of emissions at 29%, followed by industry (cement, steel, chemical, etc.) at 21%, and transportation (land, sea, and air) at 15%. Although the global palm oil industry is quantitatively small at 1.4%, in the NZE (Net Zero Emission) effort, it must still be reduced.

This also includes the water treatment sector. In palm oil mills/CPO mills, where steam generated from boilers is used not only for electricity generation but also for mill operations, water treatment, especially for boiler feedwater (BFW), is crucial. Water is likened to blood for the human body. Environmentally friendly water treatment, without secondary pollution and without chemicals, is predicted to become a new trend in this era of decarbonization and sustainability. The high water quality specifications required for boiler feedwater (BFW) require a series of water treatment unit operations. In addition to being clean and clear (TDS <700 ppm), it must also have low hardness, mineral content, and oxygen content.

A number of equipment such as ion exchangers, activated carbon filters, RO membranes, and deaerators are used to produce boiler feedwater (BFW). For an environmentally friendly water treatment process that is more in line with the sustainability mission, the electrochemical method is the solution. By using the principle of redox reactions (reduction and oxidation), electrochemical cells will produce ions capable of sterilization, deodorization, scale prevention, rust protection, decomposition of organic compounds that are not easily biodegradable, remove heavy metal ions, remove residual chlorine, remove residual insecticides, and so on. The use of this method will also save or extend the service life of ion exchangers, activated carbon filters, and especially the RO membrane.

This not only provides environmental and sustainability benefits but also economic benefits. Technical and economic comparisons can also be made between conventional and chemical methods and this electrochemical method. Please contact us if you'd like to make such a comparison, and we'll create a simulation. Besides the longer lifespan of boiler feedwater treatment equipment, which requires less frequent cleaning, another important piece of equipment that can be saved or extended is the boiler. Boilers, which have a lifespan of around 15-20 years, can also last 30% or even more, depending on a number of factors, including water conditions.

Related to decarbonization and sustainability, the palm oil industry is also currently moving towards electric vehicles in the plantation sector. The use of electric vehicles has the potential to provide added value, especially for companies that have obtained sustainability certifications such as the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and ISPO (Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil). The use of electric vehicles allows palm oil companies to claim fossil fuel reduction and benefit from sustainability aspects. Technically, when charging the electric vehicle's battery, it comes from renewable energy sources, namely electricity produced by palm oil mills that use biomass fuel (fiber and palm kernel shells) as their energy source, and not from PLN (Indonesia state owned company electricity) , which uses fossil fuels like coal. 

What is Sumatran Flood Wood For?

Former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Susi Pudjiastuti, urged President Prabowo Subianto to evaluate and halt the timber industry if it turns out that state revenues from the sector are not commensurate with the environmental damage and human lives lost. The devastating floods in Sumatra (Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra), which killed thousands of people, have captured national and even international attention. The government must elevate the status of the disaster to a national disaster so that the causes, perpetrators, impacts, and future anticipation can be identified. Without an elevating status, the problem will not be adequately addressed and foreign aid will be reluctant to enter. The perpetrators who caused the natural disaster, including the makers of the policies that supported it, must be investigated and prosecuted.

And that's not even counting other material losses, such as the destruction of infrastructure, homes, and so on. This tragic and heartbreaking situation would not have occurred if forests had been properly protected. When forests are cleared for palm oil plantations without adequate consideration and calculation, or solely for profit, the price is thousands of human lives, as Susie Pujiastuti noted. The timber from land clearing for palm oil plantations is so abundant that it becomes a source of significant profits.

Indonesia is currently the world's palm oil king with production of more than half (50%) of the world's palm oil or around 50 million tons of palm oil / CPO per year and the demand for palm oil continues to increase as the world's population continues to need a supply of vegetable oil (for food and biofuel). Palm oil is the world's largest vegetable oil production, beating other vegetable oils such as soybean oil, sunflower oil and canola oil. Palm oil with soybean oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed / canola oil are the four main vegetable oils in the world, where producing countries compete with each other (read: trade war) to market their vegetable oil products. The advantage of palm oil is the highest productivity of palm oil among other vegetable oils or the most efficient among the four most consumed vegetable oils in the world. For comparison, to produce 1 ton of palm oil requires 0.25 hectares, while to produce 1 ton of soybean oil requires 2 hectares, then 1 ton of sunflower seed oil requires 1.43 hectares and production of 1 ton of rapeseed / canola oil requires 1.25 hectares.

Another advantage is that palm oil tree cannot grow in subtropical countries like Europe and North America, so this should be a blessing for Indonesia, not a disaster. This is despite the fact that they are not native to Indonesia but originate from West Africa. With an area of ​​nearly 17 million hectares, Indonesia is the owner of the largest palm oil plantations in the world and a significant source of foreign exchange for the country. However, efforts to boost palm oil production through extensification must not ignore the aspects of safety and environmental sustainability. This extensification can even be slowed down through a number of intensifications, one of which is the application of biochar. For more details, read here.

The sustainability and deforestation aspects are 2 important points especially for a number of European countries to assess plantation products, especially palm oil and even the EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) will be implemented in about 1 year or fully effective January 1, 2027. But unfortunately, these European countries apply double standards because palm oil is treated very strictly even with various layered regulations, but this is not the case with other major vegetable oils, namely soybean oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed / canola oil.

The Sumatran floods recently demonstrated a haphazard policy (out of the bounds of sustainability) that was then exposed by the disaster. Land clearing resulted in a massive amount of logs. The abundance of logs created a seemingly endless island of logs, but they also polluted the environment and disrupted mobility. The losses caused by the floods were so great that they formed a seemingly endless island of logs due to the sheer size of the piles. One of the post-flood measures is clearing these logs. Some of these logs have high economic value and can therefore be utilized. Of course the profits from the sale of these logs are given to the people affected by the disaster caused by the indiscriminate logging. This distribution helps accelerate post-disaster recovery.

Technically, the wood needs to be selected based on its type, size, and market potential. Meanwhile, wood that is less economical or considered waste, such as because it is too small, broken into small pieces, split, and so on, can be used for biomass fuel, such as wood pellet production. The production capacity of a wood pellet factory is adjusted to the volume of waste, market demand, and investment in the factory's production machinery. The location of the wood pellet factory should also be close to the raw materials and not far from the export port. Several treatments, such as washing, are necessary because the wood is dirty and muddy. Similarly, wood submerged in the sea can potentially increase its chlorine content. Besides wood pellets, other biomass fuel products that can be produced include wood chips and wood briquettes. Market readiness is crucial in selecting biomass fuel products to be produced.

Biomass fuel production from flood wood waste is certainly not sustainable. Although the volume of wood waste is mounting and will only be depleted in a few years, consideration must be given to continuing to produce sustainable raw materials, especially after the flood wood waste is gone. Bare lands need to be reforested, as do critical and even idle lands. Appropriate plant selection and land mapping are essential. To sustain the production of biomass fuels such as wood pellets, energy plantations need to be established on suitable land. Energy plantation plants such as calliandra and gamal/gliricidia have taproots, making them useful for controlling erosion and landslides. In fact, within a certain area, these energy plantations can generate hundreds of trillions in revenue; for more details, read here. Likewise, other production forests, which produce wood for various industries and purposes, must also be managed properly to be a blessing, not a disaster. 

Harvesting Energy from the Sun

The sun is crucial as a source of energy for living things, including plants, animals, and humans. It is an abundant, free, and inexhaustible source of energy, except at the time of judgment. The word "sun" is mentioned 25 times in the Quran and is the name of one of the chapters mentioned by Allah in the Quran. This suggests that Allah intended to signal that there is something for humans to explore through the sun (Asy-Syams).

An American Muslim and environmental activist, Ibrahim Abdul Matin (2012), 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 originates 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." 

By 2024, solar power production will reach 453 GW. With wind power generation added, the two sources will account for 97.5% of the total renewable energy, making them the dominant renewable energy source. With wind power production reaching 114 GW, or about a quarter (25%) of solar power, solar energy is crucial due to its competitive cost and rapid development. China is currently the world's leading producer of solar PV. 

China's ambition is to build a "solar great wall" designed to meet Beijing's energy needs. The multi-year project, expected to be completed by 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). 

Even Elon Musk has been saying it for years, and it's something solar energy pioneers already know: the sun has enough energy to meet all our energy needs. The problem lies not only in ensuring that people have the technology to harvest the sun through solar panels, but in cities and urban centers, one of the biggest issues is storage and what to do with excess energy when the sun is shining, which is why batteries for storing that energy are so important. Consumers and businesses, when possible, typically feed energy back into the grid, where they receive cash or credits for their contribution.

But harvesting solar energy is of course not only done with solar panels (solar PV). Trees or plants also harvest solar energy and convert it into other energy sources, namely biomass-based. Renewable energy sources derived from plants (bio-energy) are also in line with QS. Yaasin (36): 80. To produce these energy sources, whether such as 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. 

Plants, through the process of photosynthesis, store energy from the sun in the form of biomass, and this is likened to a battery. This green battery of plants can be used as a very large energy source; for more details, read here. Unlike harvesting solar energy with solar panels (solar PV), which is highly dependent on the weather, resulting in intermittent electricity supply, or likewise with wind, which sometimes does not blow, biomass energy from plants will produce stable electricity. Once converted into biomass and harvested as an energy source, the energy will always be available. And to generate electricity from solar panels (solar PV) to overcome weather problems and prevent intermittent electricity supply, very large batteries are required, and currently not available. 

Indonesia is believed to be a tropical country, the biomass heaven. This needs to be translated into more concrete terms so that it can be understood, implemented, proven, and optimally utilized. Its potential is immense and should be used to support the well-being of its people. The simple diagram below illustrates the many possibilities in this tropical "biomass heaven." 

The availability of raw materials is a vital and absolute must for various biomass processing processes to be carried out and be sustainable. On the other hand, there is a huge potential for land that can be utilized for this purpose, amounting to tens of millions of hectares, namely critical land / marginal land, dry land and post-mining land (coal mines, tin mines, nickel mines, copper mines, gold mines and so on). In more detail, it is estimated that for critical / marginal land reaches 24.3 million hectares (Times Indonesia, 2017), while dry land reaches 122.1 million ha consisting of dry acid land covering 108.8 million ha and dry climate dry land covering 13.3 million ha and post-mining damaged land reaching 8 million hectares. Energy plantations or biomass plantations need to be created in these areas and can even be used for various food crops. In fact, currently there are plant species that can only be economically viable in these lands. 

The Quran, as a source of knowledge, teaches how to obtain renewable and sustainable energy that will save humanity and the earth. By delving into and studying the verses of the Quran in detail, we will uncover various important guidance for navigating life. This should motivate and inspire humans, especially Muslims, to conduct beneficial scientific research. Applying existing resources, in line with Quranic guidance, and developing and refining efforts to harvest solar energy must continue. Furthermore, the Quran provides a solid moral, ethical, and legal basis for the balanced and responsible development of science and technology. 

The Quran explicitly emphasizes the importance of knowledge. This is evident in the first verses revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which contain the command to read, and the story of Adam being taught the names of all things, signifying humanity's superiority through knowledge. The Quran encourages travel and observation, thus opening minds to scientific discoveries. The Quran provides guidelines to ensure that the knowledge developed is used for good and does not conflict with moral values. 

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. 

Bioeconomy in a Tropical Country “Biomass Heaven”

Indonesia is believed to be a tropical country of biomass heaven so this needs to be translated into a more concrete form so that it can be understood, executed so that it is proven and the potential can be utilized optimally. There is so much potential that should be used to support the welfare of its people. The simple diagram below illustrates so many things that can be done in a tropical country "biomass heaven".

The availability of raw materials is a vital and absolute factor so that various biomass processing can be carried out and sustainable. On the other hand, there is a lot of land potentials that can be utilized for this purpose, the amount of which reaches tens of millions of hectares, namely critical land / marginal land, dry land and post-mining land (coal mines, tin mines, nickel mines, copper mines, gold mines and so on). In more detail, it is estimated that for critical / marginal land it reaches 24.3 million hectares (Times Indonesia, 2017) while dry land reaches 122.1 million ha consisting of dry acid land covering 108.8 million ha and dry climate dry land covering 13.3 million ha and post-mining damaged land reaching 8 million hectares. Energy plantations or biomass plantations need to be created in these land areas and can even be used for various food crops. Even now there are plant species that can only be economically viable on these lands.

Both energy and biomass plantations can be planted with various plants that support sustainable bioeconomy in line with decarbonization, including calliandra, gliricidia, bamboo, calophyllum inophyllum, coconut and even oil palm, including food crops such as rice, corn and soybeans. The selection of plant species will be adjusted to the product to be made, land conditions, and technological and business readiness.

Meanwhile, biomass waste that is currently produced annually, especially from the agricultural and forestry sectors, which also amounts to millions of tons, can be optimized so that in addition to reducing or avoiding environmental pollution, it will also provide added economic value, environmental and social benefits. The utilization of biomass, both from agricultural and forestry waste or from energy plantations and biomass plantations, will be a sustainable bioeconomy activity and in line with the global decarbonization trend that is in line with climate solutions.
 

Learning from the Success of Wood Pellet Industry in Asia (Vietnam) and Europe (Latvia)

The trend of using wood pellets globally has not been long, it only started around the early 2010s and a number of countries responded quickly so that their wood pellet industry grew rapidly as part of their economic engine in line with the global trend for decarbonization and green economy or bioeconomy. The readiness of a number of countries to respond to this opportunity is also not without reason but indeed their insight and knowledge have supported them to do so. Indonesia as a tropical country with vast land and abundant human resources should also be able to boost the opportunities of this wood pellet industry so that it becomes one of the world's main players.

Vietnam and Latvia are two countries in the world that are currently leading the wood pellet industry, there is even the largest wood pellet factory in the world there, for more details read here. Initially, both countries also started this industry from a small capacity. For Vietnam, Vietnam's wood pellet production began in 2012 with a very small capacity of around 175 tons/year and currently in 2021 or around 9 years later, production has reached around 4.5 million tons/year, placing Vietnam in second place as a world wood pellet producer, after the United States. The total production of 4.5 million tons/year is supplied from 74 wood pellet factories in Vietnam. In 2020, 3.2 million tons of wood pellets were exported to Japan and Korea for power plants with an export value of nearly USD 351 million. In addition to Korea and Japan, Vietnam's wood pellet production is also exported to Europe.

Initially, Vietnam's wood pellet production used waste from the furniture industry. Furniture waste in the form of sawdust from the industry was dry and its particle size was suitable for wood pellet production, so equipments such as hammer mills and dryers were not needed. Many Vietnamese wood pellet factories at that time did not have hammer mills or dryers. With raw materials ready to be pelletized, the cost of producing wood pellets was very cheap, plus the cost of labor was also cheap. However, as the demand for furniture industry waste for wood pellet production increased, the availability of these raw materials became increasingly scarce, so that new wood pellet factories could no longer use these wastes. Waste from other wood processing industries such as sawmills and veneer factories also became raw materials. Furthermore, with the increasing production of wood pellets, forest wood waste and other round wood became the next source of raw materials. This also increased production costs because tools such as hammer mills and dryers were needed so that the raw materials were ready to be pelletized.

Meanwhile, Latvia, as a small country in northern Europe, saw an opportunity to lead in this growing industry. With almost half of its territory covered by forest, Latvia had the natural resources to produce wood pellets. In the early 2000s, with government support for responsible forest management, sustainable wood production was introduced, including support for entrepreneurs who wanted to start producing wood pellets. It wasn’t long before the world caught on. Countries across Europe, including the UK, Denmark and Italy, began relying on Latvian wood pellets for their heating and power plants.

Despite being a small country, Latvia has become a major player in the wood pellet industry, competing with larger countries such as Germany and Sweden. Latvia is now one of the largest exporters of wood pellets in the world. Latvia's success story teaches us that even a small country with strong will, focus on quality, innovation and sustainability, natural resources can lead to global success. Latvia's success shows that when there is government support, technology investment and dedicated people, even a small country can lead in a competitive global market. And as the world increasingly looks for clean and sustainable energy solutions, the success of Latvia's wood pellet industry is an inspiring example of what can be achieved with vision, hard work and a commitment to sustainability.

Tropical countries like Indonesia are a "heaven" for biomass energy, this biomass energy is like a green battery that must be developed, for more details read here. When small countries like Vietnam and Latvia can boost their wood pellet industry, then Indonesia should not want to be left behind. When great potential is wasted, then besides being an ungrateful attitude that will have an impact on poverty and environmental damage, it is also stupidity. The large amount of land available, even millions of hectares becoming critical land and multi-benefit from energy plantations should motivate the wood pellet industry. When Vietnam and Latvia can do it, Indonesia should do the same.

Biochar as Deforestation Solution in Palm Oil Plantations and EUDR

The development of the palm oil industry and its plantations in Indonesia is very rapid, especially in the last 10 years and currently the area of ​​Indonesian palm oil plantations is estimated to reach 17 million hectares. As the largest vegetable oil producing plant in the world and the largest palm oil plantation area in the world, of course palm oil has a strategic value in the Indonesian economy. The average speed of Indonesian palm oil plantation area is 6.5% per year or equivalent to around 1 million hectares per year for the last 5 years, while the increase in palm oil fruit production or FFB (fresh fruit bunches) is only 11% on average.

Even the largest land expansion occurred in 2017, which increased by 2.8 million hectares. From 2015 to 2019, the total area of ​​palm oil plantations increased by 3.7 million hectares. The extensification or expansion of palm oil plantations has been widely "accused" and has become the focus of the world as a result of the conversion of forest land, resulting in a lot of deforestation to be converted into palm oil plantations.

Pressure from the European Union in particular, due to these conditions, has worsened the image of Indonesian palm oil, which in turn has affected the selling price of palm oil products, both CPO and its derivative products. Improving this image is also not easy. One effective effort is to stop the extensification efforts so that forest land remains forest land and does not turn into oil palm plantations. The European Union on Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR), which will come into effect on December 30, 2024, as an effort to prevent deforestation, is also an important consideration. The regulation requires consumers and producers along the supply chain of certain commodities to conduct due diligence and risk assessments to ensure that their products do not contribute to deforestation. The EUDR also applies a tiered inspection and penalty system based on the level of risk perceived in the country of origin.

With the extensification of oil palm land of more than 1 million per hectare each year but the increase in oil palm fruit production is only 11%, it is certainly less attractive and must be avoided, especially with the world's spotlight on the increasingly rapid deforestation. This also increasingly indicates the low productivity of palm oil plantations. In fact, by improving soil quality, palm oil fruit productivity can be increased significantly and the opening of new land for the creation of palm oil plantations can be avoided. Biomass waste in palm oil plantations and in palm oil mills can be used for biochar production as a solution to this problem.

With the increase in productivity of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) with the use of biochar, new palm oil plantations do not need to be opened again. Assuming an average increase in productivity of 20%, CPO production will also increase by 20% or equivalent to 2 million tons. This increase will be equivalent to opening new land covering an area of ​​more than 2 million hectares. Of course, it is not a small area of ​​land. With a 20% increase in production, it is very likely that national needs for CPO in particular have been met and so too for the export market. Another advantage of using biochar is as a climate solution as carbon sequestration/carbon sink. So the two main problems in the palm oil industry in the form of increasing productivity and climate change resilience can be overcome at once with the application of biochar.    

The Urgency of IOT and Biochar Applications in Palm Oil Plantations

The sustainability trend in palm oil plantations is increasingly important and urgent, which is of course part of the global solution to environmental and climate problems. The vastness of palm oil plantations and the large production of palm oil are in the spotlight in the industry. Waste management and environmental pollution are important concerns. The large volume of biomass waste has the potential to be a source of environmental pollution and so is the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in palm oil plantations which will also cause environmental pollution. Inappropriate land use, for example deforestation and land conversion, are also other concerns.

Two important issues in the palm oil industry are increasing FFB productivity (yield improvement) and climate change resilience. And thank God, both of these things can be handled at once, namely by applying biochar. Palm oil mill biomass waste (especially palm oil empty fruit bunch) will be converted into biochar and then applied to plantation soil (sustainable soil amendment) with fertilizer so that it becomes a slow release fertilizer that will increase NUE (nutrient use efficiency) and minimize environmental pollution. With the increase in NUE, there will be yield improvement or an increase in FFB productivity. And the application of biochar which will remain in the soil or not decompose for thousands of years will become carbon sequestration / carbon sink which is in line with climate change resilience. A precise solution with one action, of course this should be very interesting and awaited by these palm oil companies.

To ensure that the biochar can work properly, an instrument is needed to measure performance and monitor it. That is why IoT (Internet of things) in this sector is needed. How slow can it goes fertilizer nutrients can be measured and monitored accurately, quickly and precisely. In this way, palm oil productivity can also be predicted. The area of ​​land on palm oil plantations that reaches thousands or tens of thousands of hectares is also not an obstacle. The area of ​​palm oil plantations in Indonesia is currently estimated to reach 17 million hectares and in Malaysia it reaches 5 million hectares, of course these palm oil companies are also trying to achieve their best level of sustainability according to the demands of the times. This is so that the application of biochar on palm oil plantations will become a trend and even its operational standards. The entry point by ensuring biochar performance with IoT is an important consideration.

This biochar application also follows the 4Rs rule, namely the right source (appropriate biochar raw material), right place (appropriate application area), right rate (appropriate dosage) and right timing. The physical and chemical properties of biochar differ depending on the raw material and production process. By following the 4R rule, biochar performance can be maximized. On the other hand, modernization in the palm oil industry also continues to be improved. The public perception of work in oil palm plantations, abbreviated as 3D (dangerous, difficult, dirty), will be gradually changed with mechanization, automation and digitalization. The ratio of workers to plantation land currently around 1: 8 ha will be increased to more than double to 1: 17.5 ha with the above modernization so that workers' wages can also be increased. This modernization is expected to help overcome the two important issues above with the biochar application.   

Energy Plantation: Wood Pellet or Wood Charcoal Production?

Energy plantations are starting to develop and large-capacity wood pellet production is emerging in line with the development of these energy plantations. It could be that now is the right momentum as predicted several years ago by the author in the following article. It is also possible that the Covid-19 era which has lasted for about 3 years has slowed down this momentum. The vast area of ​​industrial plantation forests (HTI) in Indonesia allows for the creation of energy plantations for large-capacity wood pellet production along with additional products such as animal feed and food (honey). The production of wood pellets as biomass fuel or carbon neutral fuel is mainly made or produced in the context of the energy transition towards the net zero emission era.

Viewed from the business side, the production of wood pellets is demand driven because efforts to achieve the net zero emission target require industries, especially coal-fired power plants, to carry out gradual decarbonization through cofiring biomass fuel (wood pellets) with coal. The target, which is getting closer in time, with various efforts that require planned programs and large costs, does require serious and sustainable efforts. Not only in the power generation industry, especially coal-fired power plants, but also other industries such as the iron and steel industry. Coal-fired power plants contribute 40% of CO2 concentration globally, while the iron and steel industry contributes 9% globally.

In the current power generation industry, more than a third of global electricity production still uses coal. That portion must drop to 4% by 2030 and 0% by 2040 if the world is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and prevent the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Developed countries should be able to reach zero coal faster because they have a stronger financial position than developing countries, most of which still rely on coal. The world has 6 years from now to reduce coal use in power generation to less than 4% by 2030, and a number of countries have taken rapid steps to eliminate coal use, which can be read here.

Meanwhile, in the decarbonization of the iron and steel industry, the fact is that 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% globally the 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. The CO2 intensity in this industry has only decreased slightly so that the use of renewable energy is becoming increasingly important and accelerated.

Currently, large energy plantations have begun to be created in the context of the energy transition. The main production of energy plantations is wood pellets which can be said to be carbon neutral fuel. Almost none of these energy plantations are designed for charcoal production, even though the need for charcoal is also projected to be very large. The difference is that wood pellets will be used in power plants while charcoal is for the iron and steel industry. The production process for wood pellets is biomass compaction / densification while charcoal is carbonized or pyrolysis. In the future, a number of these energy plantations could be designed for wood pellet production while other energy plantations are designed for wood charcoal production. Given that the agreed time target for net zero emissions is not long away, the creation and utilization of energy plantations for these things will automatically not be long away.