Biomass Boiler Testing and Selection of Suitable Biomass Fuel

In line with the trends toward decarbonization and sustainability across various sectors of life, particularly in the processing industries (manufacturing/process industries), the use of biomass boilers has become a realistic option today among boilers that utilize other renewable energy sources. Fossil-fuel-fired boilers—such as solid-fuel boilers (coal), liquid-fuel boilers (industrial diesel), and gas-fired boilers (natural gas)—must be replaced with renewable fuel boilers, namely biomass boilers. Apart from technical factors in the form of operational adjustments from previous fossil-based fuels, the suitability and availability of biomass fuels are important factors. Suitability refers to the technical aspect and availability refers to the economic aspect.

Combustion technology for biomass boilers also continues to develop so that efficiency continues to increase. From the beginning in the form of static grates to dynamic moving grates such as chain grates and reciprocating grates, even fluidized beds. And to get optimal performance, biomass fuel specifications must also match the shape, size, calorific value and dryness. If the specifications do not meet the requirements of the combustion technology in the boiler then of course the performance will not be optimal. For example, chain grates are suitable for using fuel that has a uniform size and low water content such as palm kernel shells, wood chips and wood pellets. Apart from that, biomass fuel with ash content which has a high melting point is highly preferred so that the ash does not melt and clog the chain lattice cavity.

Meanwhile, using a reciprocating grate, this system is very reliable for burning biomass with high moisture content (up to 60%), non-uniform size, and high ash content, such as empty oil palm fruit bunches (EFB), bark, and municipal solid waste (MSW). The combustion system moves back and forth periodically (like a moving staircase that moves back and forth) which functions to mechanically turn and stir the fuel. And for fluidized beds, this system has the highest thermal efficiency (>89%) and is very suitable for biomass with very small size (powder/dust), low calorific value, or fluctuating chemical content such as rice husks, sawdust, and coffee grounds. The biomass particle size must be maintained within certain limits so that it can float and fluidize perfectly with the sand bed media. The ideal particle size for a fluidized bed boiler (FBC) generally ranges from 0.1 mm to 10 mm (maximum 30–50 mm for certain components), depending on the specific type of technology used.

As a country located on the equator with a tropical climate, Indonesia is a biomass paradise in the world; read more here. A wide variety of biomass fuels in large volumes can be sourced in Indonesia. The most readily available biomass fuels in Indonesia today are wood chips, palm kernel shells, and wood pellets. Wood briquettes are also available but in limited quantities. Choosing the right biomass fuel will ensure optimal boiler performance, but of course, the economic factors for each metric ton of high-pressure steam produced are equally important. 

Ideally, biomass fuel is available in large quantities, ensuring affordability and high quality. The price of biomass fuel is influenced by various factors, including availability, location, logistics infrastructure, and transportation costs. Furthermore, if the biomass fuel undergoes processing, such as wood pellets and briquettes, production costs also contribute. Palm kernel shells for industrial boiler use in Indonesia require almost no processing; they are simply collected from palm oil mills or CPO mills, which produce waste in the form of palm kernel shells (PKS).

There is a case study regarding the selection of this biomass fuel involving a multinational company. In a certain country, the company’s boilers operate using wood briquettes—specifically, industrial briquettes produced by a mechanical press. This approach was also planned for the company’s plant in Indonesia. However, because producers of wood briquettes are still very scarce in Indonesia—making it impossible to secure a supply—the company ultimately conducted various experiments and trials with different types of biomass fuels and now operates its boilers using wood pellets. Thus, in addition to technical factors, economic factors are also crucial for ensuring optimal and sustainable biomass boiler operations. The trial phase is a critical step in achieving these conditions. 

Opportunities to Supply Biomass Fuels to Japan

Loading palm kernel shells / PKS for export

Japan currently operates approximately 290 biomass power plants. Its installed capacity is 7.3 GW, but only 4.96 GW (~68% of installed capacity) are actively operating, with peak electricity output reaching 2024. A projected 6 GW of additional power plants are expected by 2030, but several slowdowns have occurred due to power reductions and even closures. This has occurred at the Taketoyo JERA plant, which reduced its operating level or power output, and the Suzukawa plant, which was closed due to economic pressures. Despite this, plans for new biomass power plants remain strong, with 11 new plants scheduled to be operational by 2025, which could increase annual biomass fuel demand by approximately 1.1 million tons. The need for biomass fuel is a business opportunity that must be exploited, especially since biomass fuel for biomass power plants in Japan is largely imported. Here are two examples of brief profiles of biomass power plants in Japan :

1. Renova

Renova is a 75 MW biomass power plant located at Omaezaki Port in the southernmost part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The biomass fuel used in the Renova plant is wood pellets and palm kernel shells (PKS).

Fuel quality and sustainability are key concerns for Renova, for example, in palm kernel shells (PKS), where the presence of foreign impurities and moisture content must be within acceptable limits or as low as possible. Meanwhile, for wood pellets, technical aspects such as density and the percentage of fine particles are of concern. This is why Renova feels the need to encourage investment in fuel testing and analysis.

The renewable energy facility had previously delayed its commercial operation twice due to the need for additional time for final adjustments to the boiler and turbine to ensure stable operation. Initially scheduled for December 2023, Renova stated that the launch was also delayed in December 2024, and finally began operations in early 2025. These modifications were necessary to ensure long-term stable operation.

Renova is the largest shareholder in Omaezakikou with a 38% stake. Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc. is second with 34%, while Mitsubishi Electric Financial Solutions Corp. and Suzuyo Shoji Co. Ltd. hold 18% and 10%, respectively. The company is also exploring alternative biomass fuels, such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), to diversify its biomass fuel supply and control costs with lower purchase prices.

2. Kanda

Biomass Energy in Kanda City, northeast of Chiyoda, Tokyo. Inaugurated in June 2021, this 75 MW facility operates exclusively on biomass. With an annual capacity of approximately 500 million kWh, the plant generates enough renewable electricity to meet the electricity needs of 170,000 households.

Kanda Biomass Energy utilizes three types of biomass: wood pellets (60 percent), palm kernel shells (PKS) (30 percent), and wood chips (10 percent). This fuel mix reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere by 670,000 tons per year compared to a coal-fired power plant with the same capacity. Wood pellets are imported from British Columbia, Canada, and Vietnam, palm kernel shells (PKS) from Indonesia, and wood chips are sourced locally from northern Kyushu.

The plant has three dedicated fuel tanks for storing wood pellets. Biomass is fed into a circulated fluidized bed (CFB) boiler, which converts it into superheated steam to drive a power-generating turbine. The steam is then cooled, condensed, and recycled back into the system, ensuring efficient and sustainable electricity generation for residential and industrial users in the region.

The Kanda Biomass power plant is owned by Renova (43.07%), Sumitomo Forestry (41.5%), Veolia Japan (10%), Kyuden Mirai Energy (5%), and Mihara Group (0.43%). The biomass power plant was originally developed by Nippon Steel Engineering, Renova, and Sumitomo Heavy Industries.

Wood Chip Production Waste for Wood Pellet or Wood Briquette Production

The production of wood chips as biomass fuel in cofiring of PLN's (Indonesia's state-owned electricity company) coal powerplants has been increasingly popular lately. Wood chip production is the easiest biomass fuel production compared to various biomass fuel products currently produced by the industry. The availability of raw materials is the main factor in the sustainability of production. The calorific value of wood chips depends on the species or type of wood used and its dryness level (water content). Hardwoods and low water content are ideal products for wood chips. And because it has a low bulk density of around 250 - 350 kg / m3, the transportation factor is another aspect that is very important for the delivery of wood chip products.

The particle size of wood chips has also been determined so that handling and storage are easier. To obtain the desired particle size of wood chips, screening is carried out after the wood trunk or pieces are chopped with a wood chipper machine. With these prerequisites, there are products that are rejected from the production process, namely wood chip products that are too large (oversize) and products that are too small (undersize). Products that are too large (oversize) can be returned to the chipper machine to be chopped again, but wood chip products with particle sizes that are too small (undersize) must be used for other things so that in addition to zero waste wood chip production, it can also provide additional income for the wood chip producer.

Small particle sizes such as sawdust from wood chip waste production can be used for the production of wood pellets or wood briquettes (pini kay briquettes). And even wood briquettes are more tolerant of slightly larger particle sizes because wood briquette products have a higher density than wood pellets, in addition wood briquettes can also be further processed into charcoal briquettes (sawdust charcoal briquettes). Wood briquettes themselves are commonly used in countries with four seasons, especially in winter for home heating. While charcoal briquettes (sawdust charcoal briquettes) are commonly used for BBQ, especially for Middle Eastern countries and Turkiye.

In the production of wood chips, it is estimated that biomass waste that is approximately the size of sawdust is around 20-25%, meaning that if wood chip production reaches 5,000 tons/month, the waste is around 1,000 - 1,250 tons/month. This is sufficient for the production of wood briquettes and sawdust charcoal briquettes. Meanwhile, if you want to produce wood pellets, especially for the export market, usually a production capacity of around 5,000 - 10,000 tons/month is needed. Of course, this cannot be done. In addition, the investment in equipment for the production of wood briquettes, sawdust charcoal briquettes and even wood pellets for this purpose is also much larger than the production of wood chips. This makes it more reasonable if the production of wood briquettes or sawdust charcoal briquettes is carried out by other parties. The other party will process the wood chip factory waste into wood briquettes, charcoal briquettes (sawdust charcoal briquettes) and because the complexity of production and equipment costs are also higher, it is natural that the profits obtained from processing this waste are also higher.

The world price of wood pellets, like palm kernel shells (PKS), has fluctuated a lot, and lately the price has tended to be low. Palm kernel shells (PKS) themselves are biomass fuels that are competitors of wood pellets in the global market but are cheaper because they come from one of the solid wastes of palm oil mills that are processed simply. With these conditions, coupled with the fact that it is very difficult to obtain adequate volumes of waste from wood chip factories, the production of wood briquettes (pini kay briquettes) or charcoal briquettes (sawdust chracoal briquettes) becomes a rational choice. In addition, the stable price of the two products makes it even more attractive to consider them.

Encouraging the Machinery Industry to Support the Bioenergy Industry

When realizing that Indonesia is a biomass “heaven” so that it has the potential to become a world leader in bioenergy, then a number of efforts should be made to support this. Production equipment or machines are one of the components that support this. For example, large-capacity wood pellet production usually relies on European machines that have proven to be reliable so that the wood pellet business goals can be achieved. Cost to benefits ratio analysis is used in selecting these European machines. However, because buying European machines with complete production lines is expensive, the use of combination machines is an alternative. The complexity and heart of a production process usually lies only in the main equipment and this is still imported, while supporting equipment should be able to use local production equipment.

When production equipment can work according to its capacity and function, the production target (quantity and quality) can be achieved. Choosing a number of supporting equipments that is appropriate and able to operate according to the needs of the main equipment is not easy. Getting a local machine manufacturer partner to get a match between the characteristics of the main machine and the supporting machine does take time and process. But to be able to play a role and reduce risk in the decarbonization era, it can be started by supporting some equipment at a small capacity or limited to certain equipments only. Engineering and design factors are the main important factors before fabricating the supporting equipments.

Of course, if a number of supporting factors are met, such as mastery of science and technology, experience, good company organization and so on, then 100% production of production equipment or complete lines can be done. Of course, it takes time and effort that is not simple, such as maintaining the performance of the quality of the machine product so as to provide satisfaction to users with the hope that business performance will also increase and research is ongoing. And by gradually becoming part of actively participating in various bioenergy projects, mastery of technology through technology transfer is also possible. Being part of the solution and playing a role in it is an important thing to do, including in the machinery industry that supports the bioenergy industry.
 

Industrial Wood Briquette Becomes an Alternative Between Wood Chips and Wood Pellets

Biomass fuel is a renewable fuel or renewable energy that is currently positioned as one of the alternative fuel. However, along with awareness of various climate problems, the use of alternative energy from biomass has increased over time. The decarbonization trend as a response to climate problems has penetrated all lines of life including the industrial sector. As a profit-oriented industry, of course, efforts to maximize are a major concern, including in the use of alternative fuels. There are various types of fuels that can be produced from biomass and especially for solid fuels, including wood chips, wood pellets and wood briquettes. The characteristics of these fuels are slightly different from one another, including their production costs. It is necessary to look more carefully and deeply so that you can get the best biomass fuel according to the goals of the industry.

Industrial briquette can be produced in large quantities at a lower cost than briquette produced with hydraulics or extruders. And when compared to wood pellets, industrial wood briquette is also cheaper to produce. But of course the production cost is more expensive than wood chips. Wood chips can be said to be the easiest and cheapest biomass fuel to produce.

This places industrial wood briquette in a position between wood chips and wood pellets or hydraulic and extruder type briquettes. As a biomass densification product, industrial wood briquette is also more economical for long-distance transport. In addition, a number of industrial boilers have also been specially designed to be able to use industrial wood briquette fuel, even with automatic feeding. Other factors such as uniformity of shape, size can vary and low water content are other advantages of industrial wood briquette.

Boiler users in industry and even coal power plants can consider using industrial wood briquette. Especially for companies engaged in industrial utilities such as steam providers for processing industries so that the operation and maintenance of the boiler including the use of biomass fuel is the responsibility of the company. With a long-term steam supply contract, for example around 5-10 years, the provision of biomass fuel in the form of industrial wood briquette within that period is also very important. In addition to the availability of sufficient, legal and sustainable raw materials, the reliability aspect of industrial wood briquette production machines cannot be ignored.

 

Size Reduction: Shredder or Chipper ?

There are many biomass processings that require size reduction. With this size reduction, the biomass raw material has a smaller and more uniform size and shape, making the follow-up process easier. After reducing the size, the surface area or contact area becomes larger so that the drying process will be more efficient, especially in continuous drying. The small and uniform size also makes handling easier. Size reduction is usually used in the initial / pretreatment process before the main / core process of processing a biomass.

Biomass, especially from plants, also has various shapes and sizes. This greatly influences the size reduction equipment used. Fibrous biomass such as coconut fiber or empty oil palm fruit bunches will be more effectively and efficiently reduced in size with a shredder rather than a chipper. This is because the fiber dominant and tenacious structure is easier to tear or shred and crush than to cut into pieces like using a knife.

Meanwhile, woody biomass has hard, brittle characteristics and an elongated shape, so the use of a chipper is more effective and efficient compared to a shredder. The character of the wood is easier to cut with equipment such as a knife for size reduction. The output or product from the shredder and chipper is also different in terms of size and shape. The wood produced from the chipper machine is usually called wood chips and looks like chopped wood, while the output from the shredder is in the form of shreds.

Biomass processing products into energy, namely by compaction (densification) into pellets or briquettes, as well as thermochemical routes such as pyrolysis, gasification and combustion are widely used today. If the size and shape of the biomass from the size reduction equipment is suitable, it can be used immediately. However, if the shape and size are not suitable then it is necessary to continue with the next size reduction stage, namely using a hammer mill so that a biomass product is obtained that can be the size of sawdust. In the production of pellets and briquettes, the biomass particle size needs to be made as small as the sawdust, so that compaction (densification) is optimal. Meanwhile, in the thermochemical process, the size of the biomass becomes small particles such as sawdust, usually for equipment that carries out fluidization, for example fluidized bed combustion.

Rice Husk Briquettes Amid the Soaring Condition of Biomass Fuel Demand

 "Briquettes are a compressed biomass fuel (densified biomass fuel) as an alternative to pellets."

The use of biomass energy is increasing day by day so this is a positive thing that needs to be encouraged. The increase in coal prices (domestic industry is priced at $90) and the resulting pollution are especially the driving force for energy use from the biomass. Among biomass energy, wood pellets are the most popular and most widely used form of biomass fuel. The use of wood pellets is not only used by processing industries but also by power plants. A number of small and medium industries such as tofu factories, cracker factories, and so on. Wood chips, as a simpler form, are less attractive than wood pellets, even though they are cheaper. With a low density, the transportation costs are also high, besides that the moisture content of wood chips is sometimes also less controlled.

The form of briquettes is also less popular than wood pellets. Briquettes can also be said as an alternative to pellets. The technology for making briquettes is the same as wood pellets, namely biomass densification, the difference is that the size of the briquettes is larger than wood pellets. Unlike wood pellets, which only use roller press technology for their production, briquettes have several variants of technology for their production, for more details, read here. But in Indonesia there is only one type of briquette, namely the screw press. Indeed, in many ways briquetting is easier than pelletizing. Biomass materials that are difficult to pelletize are usually easy to briquette. Certain types of boilers may also be more suitable for briquettes, compared to wood pellets, read in more detail here. Therefore, the use of briquettes should also be encouraged.

In addition to wood waste, agricultural wastes are also potential biomass for fuel. Rice husk is an abundant agricultural waste because the staple food of Indonesians is rice. It is estimated that the amount of rice husk is 15 million tons/year. However, with the high content of ash and silica, this rice husk is less desirable to make pellets because it is abrasive, thus shortening the service life of machine components. Likewise for making briquettes, but with a variant of the mechanical press technology, the abrasive problem can be minimized. The production of rice husk briquettes with mechanical press technology can be a solution for the utilization of the rice husk waste. In the midst of the increasing use of biomass fuels, rice husk briquettes can be the next alternative.

Bioenergy is The Best Energy Source

The best energy source is an energy source that are environmentally friendly, sustainable, non-intermittent, available in almost all locations on earth, easy to use, can meet energy needs for both small and large capacities and support other essential needs of life. This can only be met by bioenergy or energy sources that come from living things, especially plants. Most of the land on earth inhabited by humans is overgrown with plants such as trees as a source of this bioenergy. This certainly does not mean that energy sources must come from bioenergy because if only using bioenergy it is likely that energy shortages will occur, so they must complement each other with other energy sources. Bioenergy itself is only a carbon neutral fuel if managed properly, i.e. the amount used for energy sources is at least the same as the growth of the bioenergy plant. In order to reduce the concentration of CO2 or greenhouse gases or decarbonize the use of bioenergy, especially solid fuels such as wood pellets, wood chips and PKS (palm kernel shell) is very important.

White pellets or Pellets 1.0

A number of countries have gradually and systematically reduced the use of coal to zero for power generations. Countries that still prioritize coal will be isolated from the world arena and could face more pressure to stop this activity. Countries that already have a reduction program to replace coal for power generation, namely Germany announced not to use coal in 2038, the UK even targets to no longer use coal for electricity production starting October 2024. Europe with the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) renewable energy is targeted to reach 32% by 2030, biomass fuels are predicted to account for around 75% of the share of renewable energy and the target is that coal is not used in total by 2050. North America, namely the United States and Canada as members of the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, and the United States) are also committed to reducing coal consumption, even Canada in 2018 announced regulations to no longer use coal for electricity generation by 2030.

Palm Kernel Shell

The characteristics of each energy source are different from one another. More specifically, renewable energy sources to reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere or decarbonization programs and the position of bioenergy can be explained as follows. The paradigm used to analyze mainly on decarbonization or reduction of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and electricity production as a supporter or second priority. When this paradigm or mindset is used, in a power plant the thing to be analyzed is the reduction in CO2 that occurs as main priority and then the characteristics of the energy source. To complement or fulfill a number of other energy sources such as wind, solar, water and nuclear are used. Among these energy sources, nuclear is not a renewable energy but its use does not produce CO2 emissions or carbon neutral.

Black Pellets or Pellets 2.0

Wind and solar power plants are intermittent (sometimes the wind does not blow or it is cloudy) making it difficult to rely on a stable electricity supply. Indonesia's condition which is in the tropics makes the sun shine all year round, but also as an archipelagic country it makes a lot of cloudiness and high rainfall so that solar power plants are constrained, for more details read here. Meanwhile, hydroelectric power plants that use dams or river flows also have unstable water discharge conditions, during the dry season it will decrease. In addition, environmental damage factors such as deforestation and so on will affect the water discharge. Forests can be a source of bioenergy so that apart from being a conservation forest, it is also a production forest whose management should improve environmental conditions, including water absorption.

Nuclear is one of the most efficient energy sources but has a high risk factor. CO2 emissions are not produced by this nuclear power plant because the energy produced comes from fission and fusion reactions in the reactor. Until now, Indonesia does not have a nuclear power plant, although studies have been carried out for a long time. The idea of ​​a nuclear power plant has actually been around since 1956 in the form of statements in seminars held in several locations in Bandung and Yogyakarta. Determination of the location along with feasibility studies and a number of supporting studies have been carried out until the late 1990s but have not yet been implemented. Meanwhile in Japan after the Fukushima reactor accident in 2011, nuclear power plants were limited. The current nuclear power plant in Japan, in addition to having a smaller capacity, also has a small generating capacity located far from each other to reduce or avoid this risk. In addition, the construction of a nuclear power plant also takes a long time, which is about 10 years. In its application, nuclear as a generator is functioned to support the base load, which can work well when the output power is constant and cannot be used for peak loads.

Electricity from geothermal is a carbon-neutral energy source as well as wind, nuclear, solar and hydro power plants. The development of electricity from geothermal has great potential for the current decarbonization program. Indonesia in particular can be a user of geothermal electricity because it has great potential, even the largest in the world. Indonesia has a series of 6,000 km of volcanoes that are a source of geothermal energy. According to data from the Geology Agency, KESDM, the potential of geothermal resources in Indonesia reaches 28.5 Giga Watt (GW) spread over 265 geothermal fields and is the largest in the world, while only about 5% has been utilized. Unlike hydroelectric power plants that are affected by annual climates such as a decrease in water flow due to drought, geothermal electricity does not experience it. However, geothermal well fields also require water catchment areas around them such as well-managed forests to maintain the stability of electricity production. The production of electricity from geothermal is base-load, i.e. it produces a constant supply as in nuclear. Currently, the main obstacle to the development of geothermal electricity in Indonesia is the need for large investments with high financial risks, especially on the exploration and development side of geothermal fields. In addition to the selling price of electricity to PLN (as the sole buyer) which must be competitive, carbon credit from carbon offsets from geothermal electricity production should also be the main attraction of this geothermal electricity development.

Natural gas although it is a fossil energy so it is carbon positive but is often used because of its cleaner emission factor and lower CO2 emissions than coal. In general, the combustion of gas fuel will be much more efficient than solid fuel. Natural gas emissions are about 50% of coal emissions. Construction for natural gas-fired power plants is relatively fast and cheaper than coal-fired power plants. Power plants with natural gas are often positioned as a compromise between coal and renewable energy, but natural gas is still a fossil fuel, namely as a carbon positive fuel that increases CO2 in the atmosphere thereby increasing the earth's temperature, so natural gas should not be used as fuel or as a fuel. energy sources as a solution to this climate problem.

To overcome intermittent in wind and solar power plants, it is necessary to back up a stable energy source that can be done by bioenergy, especially with solid fuels (wood chips, wood pellets and palm kernel shells). Other problems such as buffering against variability and peak load are other issues that must be addressed. In addition, battery constraints are also a big problem for wind and solar power plants, and to produce as much power as a conventional power plant or coal power plant, a giant battery is needed. The need for giant batteries is still very expensive, and it is estimated that it will take decades of research to realize it. In addition to production forests that can produce bioenergy sources by utilizing their wood wastes, energy plantations will specifically produce wood whose main purpose is as a source of bioenergy. Plants for the energy plantation are fast growing species and short rotation coppice from legume group such as gliricidia and calliandra. In addition to the wood for bioenergy production such as wood chips and wood pellets, the leaves from the tree are also very good for animal feed, especially ruminants, for more details read here. Strong and deep roots also make better water absorption and prevent erosion. In addition, root nodules in legumes due to their symbiosis with azetobacter also fertilize the soil. So, apart from the energy sector and the food sector, environmental issues such as water conservation and erosion prevention can also be carried out simultaneously. In the Qur'an, bioenergy is mentioned in the letter Yaasiin (36): 80 and the letter Waqi'ah (56): 71-72 that energy comes from green trees. From here it gives direction on the development of the energy including the priorities to be taken.

40-megawatt (MW) gas turbine Mitsubishi fueled with 100% ammonia (NH₃)

In an effort to continue to eliminate CO2 (decarbonization) from the atmosphere to a concentration of 350 ppm (currently (7/8/2021) 415 ppm or an increase of about 2 ppm from last year), environmentally friendly energy sources such as hydrogen (H2) and ammonia ( NH3) (blue or green ammonia) continues to be developed. The two energy sources can then be transported long distances like energy commodities commonly. But what is no less important is that the production of energy sources must also minimize and even eliminate (zero carbon) fossil fuels. Hydrogen production through electrolysis of water, the hydrogen produced can be directly stored or reacted with nitrogen to become ammonia (NH3) using a metal catalyst under high temperature and pressure (Haber-Bosch process). The production process with high temperature and pressure is certainly not easy and simple, not to mention providing a source of energy for the production process. Bioenergy is the best energy source.

Sheep and Goat Farming Based on Energy Plantation

The need for food, especially animal protein, continues to increase along with population growth. Meat, especially from sheep and goats, is a source of animal protein that is a favorite of many people. It is estimated that the world's population will reach 10 billion in 2050 and especially Indonesia's population of 319 million in 2045. Greater Jakarta or Jabodetabek is the most densely populated area in Indonesia so that the need for food, especially animal protein, lamb and goat meat is getting bigger. Currently these areas bring in the needs of lamb and goat meat from Central Java, East Java and Lampung alternately depending on the availability of supplies for each area. This is because no single region is able to meet the needs of Jabodetabek alone. Or if these areas can always supply the needs of Jabodetabek on a regular basis then the business can continue to be sustainable and stable but of course it can overcome the obstacles in the sheep and goat business.

It turns out that a number of problems surround the sheep and goat business including the availability of seeds, breeding skills, availability of feed, marketing chain and so on. Simple things such as the availability of seeds. Although breeders in general have not used superior seeds, the availability of seeds is also a problem because many productive females are slaughtered. This is mainly due to the business competition factor, because the price of males is more expensive which makes female goats slaughtered even though this disrupts the sustainability of the livestock business. Aspaqin (Indonesian Aqiqah Entrepreneurs Association) noted that 63% of the female members were slaughtered from a total of 331,693 slaughtered tails. Of course there are still many who are not recorded because there are still many aqiqah entrepreneurs who are not members of the Aspaqin. In addition, there are also many restaurants for eating lamb dishes, such as satay that still slaughter productive female goats.

Of course it would also be better if the sheep and goat that became the seed was the preferred or superior sheep and goat so that the quantity and quality of meat was better. The feed-to-meat conversion factor in superior sheep and goat is also higher, making it more profitable. And this is mainly the responsibility of research institutions. Dorper sheep and Bohr goats are the superior types of sheep and goat. However, there is an easier way to maintain the sustainability of the sheep farm, namely by reducing or even prohibiting the slaughter of productive female sheep and goat. In this way, the continuity of sheep and goat seeds can be maintained and even more developed. To be able to realize this, of course, requires efforts from all parties. Providing incentives or sanctions can be done to support this.

The problem of skill of the breeder is also another obstacle. Most of the sheep and goat breeders are small farmers with traditional farming techniques. This makes it difficult when used to meet routine requests, especially large quantities. Modern farming patterns must be carried out to become a reliable livestock industry as the foundation of the livelihood of these farmers. Only with this effective pattern and efficient farming can be implemented. With good preparation supported by these skills, sheep and goats livestock industry players are able to carry out sheep and goat  farming intensively so that they are expected to be able to supply the meat needs.

Sheep and goats farming is not only an effort to fulfill food sources, especially animal protein in the form of meat and milk, it is also a part of perfecting Islamic law. The population that continues to increase means that Muslim babies born to their parents are ordered to perform aqiqah. In addition, the celebration of Eid al-Adha which is held every year also requires sheep and goats as a sacrificial animal. Sheep even as sacrificial animals have many advantages over other livestock even though they are both halal such as goats, camels and cows. In the verse (Qur’an 6:143-144), the eight pairs of animals (4 pairs) are two (pairs) of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of cows. Rules in the Qur'an, something that is mentioned first has precedence over what follows. Another indication of the virtue of sheep can also be found in the event of Qurban, namely when Prophet Ibrahim was ordered by Allah SWT to slaughter his son, Ismail, then by Allah SWT saved Ishmael and replaced him with a large sheep. Then we commemorate this event every year and become the law of Qurban on Eid al-Adha every 10 Dzulhijah.

The development of energy plantations, which is increasingly being echoed lately, with the main product in the form of wood for the production of biomass fuel, both wood chips and wood pellets, will also produce waste or by-product in the form of leaves. The leaves of calliandra or gliricidia are rich in protein content so they are very good as a source of animal feed for the sheep and goats. The number of leaves produced will also be very large so that the potential for sheep and goat farms to be developed will also be very large. Even to meet the needs of sheep and goat seeds, any import is allowed under current regulations. This can also be very similar to a large capacity beef cattle feedlot, where cow seed are imported from Australia, read here for more details. The focus of sheep and goat fattening can also be very effective and efficient or has advantages such as in beef cattle if it is carried out in Indonesia. Leaf waste from energy plantations can be a potential feed.

In addition to domestic consumption, sheep and goat can also be used as an export commodity. For domestic purposes such as qurban and aqiqah, generally small sheep and goats are used, which weighs around 25-35 kg. As for the export market, sheep and goats needs usually require a weight of 35 kg and above. The export market can be a separate segment and is also basically the choice of the farmer himself. Sheep and goat farmers from Indonesia have also exported sheep and goats to a number of countries including Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Timor Leste as shown in the table above.      

Wood Chip, Wood Pellet, and Wood Briquette from Energy Plantations for Local Market Part 2

The PLN (Indonesia State Owned Electricity Company) cofiring program, which is mixing biomass fuel with coal in coal power plants, will clearly encourage the use of biomass as an energy source. Cofiring is the easiest and cheapest way for coal power plants to start entering or gradually using environmentally friendly renewable energy. Emissions are also getting better as the use of biomass fuels increases, such as because the sulfur content is very low, there is little ash instead of hazardous waste, and fly ash is very small. The amount of added biomass, for example, starts from 1% which is then gradually increased and even finally it can be 100% biomass or renewable energy. In 2020 the cofiring program has been initiated with a target of 37 coal power plants and by the end of 2020 it is reported that it has been implemented for 20 coal powerplants. While in total there are 114 coal power plants units owned by PLN that have the potential for cofiring, spread across 52 locations with a total capacity of 18,154 megawatts (MW) with a target of completion in 2024. Consisting of 13 coal power plant locations in Sumatra, 16 coal power plant locations in Java, Kalimantan (10 locations), Bali and Nusa Tenggara (4 coal power plant units), Sulawesi (6 locations) and Maluku and Papua (3 coal power plant locations). Meanwhile, the cofiring ratio ranges from 1-5% biomass with an estimated biomass requirement of 9-12 million tons per year. Technically, with the 1-5% cofiring ratio, the PLTU also does not need to modify its equipment, so that it can be used immediately after the biomass fuel meets the required specifications.

When detailed about the type of technology used by coal power plants in Indonesia today, there are three types of coal power plant, namely, 43 types of PC (Pulverized Coal) with a total capacity of 15,620 MW requiring a mixture of 5% biomass or the equivalent of 10,207.20 tons per day, 38 types of CFB ( Circulating Fluidized Bed) a total capacity of 2,435 MW requires 5% biomass or the equivalent of 2,175.60 tons per day. Meanwhile, 23 types of stoker with a capacity of 220 MW use 100% biomass or the equivalent of 5.088 tons per day. In the short term, the type of biomass used is waste based, while in the long term it is from energy plantations. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has also allocated a land area of ​​around 12.7 million hectares for the provision of forest land to jointly support the coal power plants biomass supply program. Ex-mining lands covering an area of ​​about 8 million hectares should also be reclaimed using this energy plantation. Even PLN has also signed a memorandum of understanding or a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PTPN III Holding (Persero) and Perum Perhutani. In this case, PLN is the owner of the PLTU, while Perhutani has the resources of industrial forest areas both in Java and outside Java that can be developed as energy plantations. Likewise with PTPN III which has land for the development of energy plantations, read here for more details.

To fulfill the need for biomass as an energy source, energy plantations must be increasingly encouraged. The production of biomass fuels from energy plantations takes longer than processing forestry and agricultural wastes such as felled wood waste, sawdust, wood waste from the wood processing industry, palm oil empty fruit bunches, coconut husks, rice husks, and so on. . The route or option with energy plantations was chosen because in addition to ensuring the quality and quantity of biomass fuel it also optimizes land use, including being integrated with livestock and can be harvested multiple times (coppice) without having to replant for the next harvest. In fact, because energy plantation plants use legumes such as gliricidia and calliandra, which the roots can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, soil fertility also increases. However, more and more efforts are needed for the energy plantation route because it takes at least 2 years for these crops to be harvested and before that it also needs to prepare the soil and plant the trees.

As previously stated, the choice of production for the type of fuel from energy plantations is influenced by several factors, such as the distance between energy plantations and industrial users, production capacity, industrial needs according to combustion technology and investment cost. If the industrial location or power plant is close to each other, even in the energy plantation area, it is sufficient only to make wood chips from the energy plantation. This is because transportation costs are cheap. Meanwhile, if the location is far enough, the wood should be processed into wood pellets or wood briquette. Wood pellets are indeed much more popular than wood briquettes, although technically wood briquette production is easier and production costs are cheaper. In addition, technically, the density of wood briquette can also be higher than wood pellets. This becomes interesting if a producer is interested in wood briquette production as a product diversification and biomass densification technology.

 

For sustainability, energy plantations will also be better than the use of agricultural and forestry wastes or the timber industry as mentioned above. This is because the plantation is designed and made specifically for the purpose of wood as an energy source. This also makes the volume of wood production more certain than relying on the volume of waste, whose availability depends on the main product. Energy plantations and the following livestock businesses are likely to become an exciting new trend and hopefully the momentum will not be anymore.

Wood Chip, Wood Pellet, and Wood Briquette from Energy Plantations for Local Market

The floods in South Kalimantan in January 2021 almost drowned one province

To be able to provide benefits and maintain environmental balance, forests must be managed or according to their purpose. The conversion of forest land to palm oil plantations, housing and so on will create an imbalance in the environment as a result of which natural disasters will occur. In-depth and comprehensive studies have certainly been carried out to determine the use of the land so that its sustainability is maintained and benefits human life. When the benefits for human life, especially the economy, are a priority and dominant, then the balance of the environment is automatically disturbed and natural disasters are ready to lurk at any time. The laws and regulations that are supposed to maintain this balance are imposed and amended for that purpose. For example, regulations on the minimum area of ​​a protected forest area in an area are no longer needed or adapted to conditions so that it is very vulnerable to fraud. And when human greed is getting out of control because it is so materialistic, the nature and the environment is getting more and more damaged so that the consequences are natural disasters everywhere such as drought and forest fires in the dry season, floods and landslides in the rainy season and so on.

On the other hand, industrial forest plantations (HTI) which are intended for economic aspects must also be used optimally, as well as a number of idle lands and so on. Energy plantation is one of the best options, more details can be read here. As a source of fuel or an energy source from biomass, the wood produced in energy plantation can be processed into wood chips, wood pellets or wood briquettes. The choice of product to be produced depends on a number of things such as the distance between the energy plantation and the industrial user, production capacity, industry / market needs and investment value. The closer the industrial users or markets are to energy plantations, the simpler biomass energy products are, such as wood chips. Biomass densification such as pellets and briquettes is needed if the location of the energy plantation and the user is far away so that transportation costs are high. By densification into pellets or briquettes, transportation costs can be saved, as well as more efficient storage, easier handling and use.

Palm kernel shell (PKS) is a biomass fuel which is also abundant in Indonesia, more details about PKS can be read here. This PKS is also a competitor for biomass fuel from the energy plantation. Previously, much PKS were exported to Japan and Korea, but the imposition of high export tax and levy made the price less competitive, for more details can be read here. This also further encourages the use of PKS for industry in the country. Moreover, starting in 2022, PKS that enter Japan must also be RSPO certified or this is analogous to wood pellets with its FSC.

 

Ideally, PKS should be used for domestic industries because besides being cheap, the volume is also large. Domestic industries can be more competitive if the fuel is cheap. Meanwhile, wood pellets from energy plantations are for export orientation. In addition to the added value being greater than the wood pellet production activity itself, labor absorption is also more. However, in certain periods the supply of PKS can be disrupted, such as a decrease in the production of CPO or palm fruit during the low crop season, the location of palm oil mills in remote areas, resulting in difficulties in transportation / logistics and weather at sea. With the condition that most of the industries are located in Java and there are still thousands of hectares in Java for making energy plantations, under certain conditions energy plantations and wood product processing are quite prospective in Java. Continued.