Calliandra Honey from Caliandra Energy Plantation

Calliandra honey can be said to be one of the best honeys in the world. The quality and taste of calliandra honey are above other honeys such as rubber honey, acacia honey and cottonwood honey. But it turns out that the production of calliandra honey is not as easy as other honeys. A number of things need to be done so that the target of getting the quality and quantity of calliandra honey can be achieved, including engineering or enrichment of energy plantation plants and selection of appropriate honey bee species. This is why before planting calliandra in the energy plantation, it is necessary to discuss it first with a honey bee farming expert, if indeed the energy plantation will also produce honey as a side product or additional product, in addition to the main product in the form of wood pellets from its wood. Making engineering or enrichment of energy plantation plants is much easier before planting activities are carried out than after the energy plantation has been completed or is producing.

Factors that meet the sustainability of a farm or bee colony are important things that must be met by beekeepers or honey producers. These factors include the availability of nectar, pollen, resin and water (abbreviated: neporea). The balance of these factors needs to be created to maintain sustainability and also optimize honey production from the honey bee farm. Of course, the specific needs of each factor are also closely related to the type of bee species being farmed. For example, for the availability of abundant pollen but minimal nectar sources, honey production will also be minimal, or vice versa, abundant nectar sources but minimal pollen sources, then honey production is abundant but the bee colony will shrink or decrease or even become extinct, meaning there is no sustainability. Certain bee species such as the trigona family even require more resin sources than other honey bee species. Pollen is a source of protein for bees so it is vital for the life of the bee colony. Calliandra is a source of nectar, so it is not sufficient to rely on food sources from only one plant species.

By maximizing the potential of the plantation, meaning not only processing the wood, maximum profit will be obtained. With such high quality calliandra honey, it would be a shame if it was not utilized. Calliandra honey production will even provide significant additional profit because it is estimated to produce 1 ton of honey per year from 1 hectare of calliandra plantation. And currently Perhutani (Indonesian state-owned forestry company) has a wider honey production area. Based on API (Indonesian Beekeeping Association) data, Indonesian honey needs reach 15,000 tons-150,000 tons per year. Of that amount, 50% of the needs are supplied from China. With the increasing development of calliandra energy plantations, especially for wood pellet production, which are managed by the government and private sector, it is hoped that it will also increase Indonesian honey production.

The main problem of beekeeping is the availability of food for bees or flower nectar. Calliandra, which is a fast-growing plant and is cultivated massively, will significantly boost honey production, even targeted to increase threefold (300%) in the next 5 years. Moreover, with nine of the world's eleven honey bee species living in Indonesia, this country should be able to meet its own needs. This is so that honey imports can be reduced and Indonesia will be able to export honey. In addition to honey, bee farming will also produce several derivative products, namely royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax and bee venom.

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.

Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) and Coconut Oil (CCO) for Bio-Avtur (SAF)

Bio-avtur or SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) will be the only decarbonization scenario in the aviation sector for the next few decades. The three leading production processes for SAF production are HEFA, FT and ATJ. And of the three processes, the HEFA process is the most efficient and most competitive at present, predicted to survive until 2030. The raw materials or feedstock for the HEFA process are mainly vegetable oil, used cooking oil, animal fat and so on. The HEFA process has also been approved by ASTM for use as aviation fuel (bio-jet fuel) based on ASTM D7566-14. In 2011 the latest version of the standard was published that allows up to 50% of HEFA aviation fuel products to be added to conventional jet fuel or petroleum-based fuel (avtur). ASTM itself, as an entity, does not have the authority or drive the development or qualification process of a new SAF technology, but only creates a framework, process, and repository that is the basis for the industry to create test methods, specifications, classifications, guidelines, and practices for their own needs.

Bio-avtur or SAF must have characteristics similar to conventional jet fuel so that it can be used anywhere in the world. Jet A fuel is primarily used in the US and jet A1 fuel is used in the rest of the world. The fuels are interchangeable. The main difference between the two types is that Jet A1 has a lower freeze point (-47oC, vs. -40oC) and usually has a static quenching additive (SDA) added to help reduce static buildup in the fuel during flight. Jet A1 is the fuel of choice for intercontinental flights. Given the volatility of jet fuel, the preferred components are hydrocarbons in the C10 to C15 paraffin range. Furthermore, to meet the freeze point specification (-47oC), these paraffins must be highly branched to achieve such a low freeze point. This means that bio-avtur or SAF must have carbon atom bonds or C bonds in the C10-C15 range, and in this range palm kernel oil (PKO) and coconut oil (CCO) are most suitable due to their high lauric acid composition which consists of 12 C atoms.

HVO / HEFA - SPK (Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids-Synthesized paraffinic kerosene) is a renewable paraffin with combustion properties similar to other renewable paraffins such as Fischer-Tropsch fluids, produced by biomass gasification and chemical synthesis. HVO / HEFA can be produced in dedicated facilities producing 100% HVO, or it can be co-processed with fossil fuels in petroleum oil refineries. In co-processing, a bio-based feedstock of typically 5-10% is blended with the fossil feedstock. The HVO / HEFA process in addition to renewable diesel (which is different from biodiesel – FAME) can also be modified to produce bio-avtur / SAF for jet fuel applications. AltAir Fuels supplies HVO / HEFA based SAF and produces approximately 13 million liters per year.

HEFA is produced by hydrogenation and hydrocracking of vegetable oils and animal fats using hydrogen and catalysts at high temperature and pressure. In this hydrotreating process, oxygen is released from the feedstock consisting of triglycerides and / or fatty acids. This will produce straight chain hydrocarbons (paraffins) with various properties and molecular sizes depending on the characteristics of the raw materials and the operating conditions of the process being carried out. With the high lauric content in palm kernel oil (PKO) and coconut oil (CCO), the yield will be high because the oil content is in the bio-avtur range, namely C10 - C15. This is different if you use vegetable oil with a longer carbon chain, such as CPO, calophyllum inophyllum oil or canola oil. If you use vegetable oil with a long chain, the yield will be small and an extra cracking process is needed to increase the yield of bioavtur or SAF.

This conversion usually goes through two stages, namely hydrotreatment followed by hydrocracking/isomerization. This hydrotreatment process is usually carried out at a temperature of 300 -390 C and for triglyceride treatment, propane is usually produced as a by-product. The more hydrogen is added, the less propane is produced. The final product of the straight-chain hydrocarbon can be adjusted according to the type of fuel, for example for bio-avtur or bio jet fuel or SAF, namely by isomerization and the cracking process. The hydrogen used in HEFA production currently mostly comes from fossil sources or blue hydrogen. The catalyst for this can be a simple refinery hydro-processing catalyst. This catalyst can be adjusted to isomerize the paraffin chain to lower the melting point of the product. If necessary, a second isomerization stage is used to carry out this task in order to achieve the required jet fuel cold flow properties, namely Jet A or Jet A-1.

Currently, Pertamina (Indonesia's state-owned oil company) has succeeded in producing bio-avtur or SAF from palm kernel oil or PKO processing, namely refined bleached deodorized palm kernel oil (RBDPKO) called bioavtur J2.4 or containing vegetable oil ingredients in the form of RBDPKO 2.4%. The production of this bioavtur is carried out through the Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) co-processing method and has a capacity of 9,000 barrels per day. The J.24 bioavtur has successfully undergone commercial flight tests on a Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft owned by PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (GIAA) on October 4, 2023. And for the future, apart from the quantity aspect, namely the portion of vegetable oil (PKO) is larger, even the use of other vegetable oils such as coconut oil (CCO), CPO oil, calophyllum inophyllum oil and so on, it is also hoped that the quality of bioavtur will also improve. In addition, there are also plans from other institutions, namely the production of biovatur or SAF from coconut oil in collaboration with Japan.

In the aviation fuel industry, ASTM serves as the international standard for jet fuel quality, and plays a critical role in ensuring the safety, quality, and reliability of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). ASTM establishes requirements for criteria such as composition, volatility, fluidity, combustion, corrosion, thermal stability, contaminants, and additives, among others, to ensure that fuels are compatible when blended. ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) is an international organization that develops technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, processes, systems, and services. Jet fuels must meet stringent quality specifications to be eligible for use in the aviation industry.

There are several ASTM standards related to this jet fuel, namely first, ASTM D1655: This is a conventional jet fuel specification that establishes requirements for Jet A and Jet A-1 produced from petroleum. This specification has been used globally by the aviation industry since 1959 to ensure the availability of safe and consistent jet fuel for all aircraft. Second, ASTM D4054: This ASTM standard practice defines the scope of fuel, rig, and engine property testing that should be considered when evaluating new synthetic jet fuels. This practice also describes the overall evaluation process and the important role of engine and aircraft manufacturers in ensuring a good jet fuel safety record is maintained with these new fuels. Third, ASTM D7566 Pathway: As per ASTM D4054, the pathway includes definitions of synthetic jet fuel blending components as defined by: permitted feedstocks; conversion processes and their attributes; and the final characteristics of the pure components. All of this is detailed in both the body of D7655 and its Appendices. The pathway will also define blending requirements.

In order for a new SAF production line to be included in D7566, it must undergo extensive testing to determine the maximum blend ratio with conventional jet fuel and demonstrate that the blend is suitable for its intended purpose. This procedure is outlined in ASTM D4054, ‘Standard Practice for Evaluation of New Aviation Turbine Fuels and Fuel Additives’.

Each batch of jet fuel needs to be certified before it can be used. While conventional jet fuel is certified as D1655 fuel (or a derivative), pure SAF is certified to the stringent specification requirements set out in Appendix D7566 which relates to the SAF production line. D7566 certified SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel to the maximum allowable blend ratio. The blended SAF is then certified to the D7566 blend requirements, and thus automatically receives D1655 certification, making it fully Jet A/A-1 compliant (‘drop-in fuel’) and ready for use in existing jet fuel infrastructure and equipment. In short, ASTM is vital to the aviation fuel industry as it is the basis for international standards for the quality of jet fuels, and SAF in particular.