Energy Plantation for Coal Mine Reclamation

Indonesia as one of the largest coal producers in the world, turns out to leave environmental problems in its mining activities. It is estimated that around 8 million hectares or around 3/4 of Indonesia's palm oil plantation are former coal mine holes. The holes become a kind of lake that also often takes casualties. The regulations that apply are reclaiming the hole by returning the soil excavated after the coal deposit being extracted. In practice there are still very few who do this so that holes like lakes are still scattered everywhere. Of the very few, most of them only do it symbolically, meaning that reforestation of reclaimed land is only done in certain areas.

Energy plantations with fast rotation plants and leguminoceae groups such as calliandra and gliricidae are the right solutions to reduce these environmental impacts. After the reclaimed energy plantation can be made in the area of ​​the former coal pit. With an area of ​​thousands to millions of hectares, the woody biomass production from the energy plantation will also be large. The wood is then used as an energy source too. Coal companies are basically energy companies, so it will be in line if it also produces wood as an energy source as well. The difference is that wood from the energy plantation is renewable energy, is a carbon neutral fuel and sustainable. Reclamation with energy plantation also provides a positive image for the company. In order to provide high added value, the wood can be processed into wood chips or wood pellets.

Why are fast-rotating plants from the leguminoceae group such as calliandra or gliricidae chosen as energy plantation tree species? This is because a number of advantages of these plants include pioneer plants and are very easy to grow, easy to care for, can be harvested quickly and with roots that are symbiotic with azetobacter so that they can bind nitrogen from the atmosphere to increase soil fertility. The condition of infertile reclamation land can also be repaired with the energy plantation. Indonesia's position on the equator is also very supportive for the production and use of energy from biomass, especially energy plantations. There is a lot of cloudiness because the island nation makes solar energy use of solar panels less suitable to be applied in Indonesia, for more details can be read here.

The use of renewable energy is gradually starting to replace fossil energy. Renewable energy, especially biomass, is environmentally friendly and sustainable. The coal power plant can also gradually use biomass as its fuel by means of cofiring. Cofiring is the easiest and cheapest way for coal power plants to go to biomass power plants. In this way automatic waste of fly ash will also be reduced. Conversion of up to 100% biomass or full firing is the target for the coal power plant. In addition, power plants also do not have to be centralized with large capacity, for example, hundreds of MW or thousands of MW, but more scattered with small to medium capacity with biomass fuels, especially those that are intensively cultivated with energy plantations that can be made in various corners of the archipelago. Gasification and fluidized bed technology are a number of technologies that can be used for small and medium scale power plants and use wood biomass as fuel. It is not even impossible that the power plant is only the size of a refrigerator.

Want to Continue Planting Oil Palm or Switch to Energy Plantation?

The number of oil palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia that have entered the old age so that is not productive, need to immediately get a solution. The first and most popular solution as many companies do by replanting or replanting the plantation with new oil palm trees. The second solution is to switch to cultivate other plants that are considered more profitable. Energy plantations for wood pellet production is the best solution for that. Why do companies or smallholders take this second solution? This is mainly because the oil palm business does not provide the expected benefits. Many palm plantations do not provide the expected benefits due to the high cost of care(maintenance)  including fertilizer and pest management as well as the selling price of cheap fresh fruit and / or CPO. Moreover, oil palm also takes 5 harvest before it can be harvested fruit.

 Why energy plantation for wood pellet production can be regarded as a good solution? This is because there are several reasons: first, the energy plantations maintenance is very easy and cheap cost. Second, by planting the energy plantations will also restore the fertility of the soil. Third, the need for wood pellets for the energy sector is also increasing. Fourth, the leaves of the plantation can also be used for sheep/lamb or goat farms. This sheep will also be the best treasure for us. Fifth, as a companion plantation of oil palm plantations. The extent of oil palm plantations that reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares are planted in monoculture or only one type of plant vulnerable with various diseases, so by adding a companion plant of leguminoceae group in the energy plantation will reduce or avoid the problem as well as optimize the yield of the oil palm plantation itself. After the old oil palm trees are felled, the stems can also be used as raw material for pellet production or OPT pellet. Only then can it be continued to replant new oil palm trees, or switch 100% with energy plantations or combined  with some remaining as oil palm plantations and partially for energy plantations.

Then how will the energy plantations business also become a profitable and sustainable business? Similar to oil palm plantations so that their CPO products can be sold domestically or exported, which requires processing plant of fruit bunches from oil palm plantation, so also with energy plantations which need factory or processing unit to become wood pellet before marketed in domestic or export . Wood pellet production process is also simpler than CPO production and its factory or machineries price is also much cheaper. Mid-size entrepreneurs are more affordable to produce wood pellets from these energy plantations, for example from energy plantations of 500 hectares, 1000 hectares and so on. The design scheme of wood pellet production from energy plantation can also be read here. For readers who want to get estimation of wood pellet production, please send an email to eko.sbs@gmail.com

Finding The Best Treasure Of Energy Plantations Implementation

From Abu Said Al-Khudri said: Rasulullah SAW said: "The time will come that the best Muslim treasure is the sheep shepherded on the mountaintops and the fall of rain. By bringing his religion he runs away from some slander (Munkar or Muslim fights) ". (H.R. Bukhari)

From Abu Hurairah R.A. from the Messenger of Allah (SAW), he said: "Among the best human livelihoods, is a man who controls his horse in the way of Allah. He flies over it (he rides it up the fast way). Everytime hears the call of war he flies over it eagerly to seek death by being killed (in martyrdom) or facing death on the spot. Or a man who shepherds the sheep at the top of a mountain from the top of this mountain or the valley of some valleys. He established a sholat, gave zakat and worshiped to his Lord until death came to him. He does not interfere with man, and only do good to them. "(H.R. Muslim).

Both hadiths saheeh above explain the virtues of the sheep as the best treasure and shepherd the sheep as the livelihood or the best work after jihad. The best treasure of sheep and grazing is very possible with the implementation of energy plantation. The lands that were previously barren and unproductive can also be repaired with the leguminocea type of energy plantation trees. For more details about energy plantation can be read here. Tens of millions of hectares of land that are not or have not been utilized optimally need to be processed and optimized. This is because there are many urgent agendas today that need to be addressed, such as food sufficiency, nutrition improvement, health improvement and quality of life, creating a strong and quality generation, improving education, improving the economy, improving the environment and so on to create a glorious civilization that lights the world.

When we design and manufacture large scale energy plantationsfor the production of wood pellets, leaves can be used to feed the sheep. With a ratio of 6 trees / head / day, then with 10,000 trees / hectare and if every harvest day of 10 hectares means it can feed 17,000 sheep. Then the best treasure of the sheep also provides a large additional income. In addition, sheep can also be grazed in the area of ​​the plantation but with attention to the age of the energy trees in order to also be able to keep growing optimum not even shoots consumed sheep, as in the scenario 5F Projects For the World! Although it can be used as a single feed for sheep, but the use of gamal leaves with grass to feed the sheep will provide optimal results. The lamb is the best meat and is the world healthiest food, the lamb that is fed with leaves and grass or shepherded in the grass. Sheep fed with leaves and grass will produce Omega-6 ratios of Omega 3 (O6 / O3 ratio) in the range of 1 or balanced. The Omega-6 to Omega 3 ratio indicates the level of quality of food in terms of health, with a range of 1 at the best or balanced conditions whereas if the O6 / O3 ratio is greater then the lower the quality of the food. Meanwhile, if large livestock such as sheep are fed grains such as soybean-based O6 / O3 ratio to be large ie 13 or more. High O6 / O3 ratio will spur the onset of heart disease, cancer and other cardiovascular.

The leaves of the leguminoceae trees in the energy plantations also have a high protein content, for example gamal (gliricidae) leaf  has a protein content of about 25%. In addition, gamal (gliricidae) leaves also have a low tannin content. Tannin compounds in general will reduce protein digestibility for rumen digestion. Conversion of gamal (gliricidae) leaves with 'very' high protein content to lamb meat is also big. So sheep fed with gamal (gliricidae) leaves will have much greater weight than sheep that are not given gamal (gliricidae) leaves. The high nutritive value of gamal (gliricidae) leaves and positive effect on ruminant livestock production especially sheep puts it as ideal animal feed.

In addition to the encouragement of both the saheeh hadiths above and also the low consumption of meat in the country and also the high demand for sheep to export to Saudi Arabia which reached 8 million heads / year with 2 million during the hajj season, and the abundance of gamal (gliricidae) leaves from the energy plantation when it has been produced , has become a number of powerful thrust to get the best treasure by making sheep farms.

The destruction of agricultural lands as well as forests that are very numerous even according to FAO estimated globally has reached one third. Some have even entered the desertification phase. It is certainly alarming for human food sufficiency and other potential natural disasters. Allah SWT says in QS Ya-sin (36): 33; QS Al An'am (6): 99. And again this leguminoceae plant is meant in that verse. Leguminoceae plant roots that are able to bind nitrogen (nitrogen fixing trees) from the atmosphere that serves as a pioneer plant, the trees deliver the land that originally died / arid until eligible for overgrown for fertilizing the soil. Then with the rain falling from the clouds and the sun, the woody biomass formed and its leaves as a nutritious feed, is how energy and food formed come from 'sky'.So the importance of food and renewable energy so humans globally need to formulate and set targets to be sufficient and fulfilled as in the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) package. The leaves are also high in protein content that is needed for the sheep. Phosporus (P) and potassium / potassium (K) sheep droppings, with grazing in the soil, will further nourish the damaged soils, for nitrogen (N), phospour (P), and potassium (K) or NPK is an essential element of soil fertility. It is the great power of Allah who has given the 'recipe' / guidance to prosper His earth even from the condition of his death (QS Ya-sin (36): 33). It adds more faith and piety to Him like the word of Allah SWT:

"Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day there are signs for the intelligent (ulil albab). Those who remember Allah while standing or sitting or lying down and they are thinking about the creation of the heavens and the earth - (then say) 'Our Lord, you have not created this in vain, Glory to You, so guard us from the torment of hell ". (QS 3: 190-191)

Designing Large Capacity Wood Pellet Production From Energy Plantation

In anticipation of global wood pellet demand reaching 50 million tonnes / year 2024 with Korea and Japan reaching 20 million tonnes / year in 2020 or with a business value of  9 billion US dollars in 2020 and to become a major player in the business, so designing a large capacity and sustainable can only be done with energy plantations. The scheme below describes the stages in more detail and informative:

The Largest Producer of Biomass, That Is Equatorial Region

Indonesia is a country through which the equator is passed so become tropical climate with the sun shining all year long with an average of 12 hours each day. The number of volcanoes that are widely spread in various islands make the soil is also fertile. Moreover, with high rainfall of 2700 mm / year or three times higher than the world average of only 900 mm / year makes Indonesia is also ideal for agriculture and plantations of various types of plants. Indonesia's rainfall is higher than India (1,080 mm), America (715 mm), China (645 mm), Brazil (1,750 mm), Argentina (591 mm) and even Thailand (1,625 mm). Only two of our neighbors are able to surpass the Indonesian rainfall of Malaysia (2,875 mm) and Papua New Guinea (3,140). In fact, we should be even more grateful when compared to countries such as Jordan (111 mm), Qatar (74 mm), Saudi Arabia (59 mm) and Egypt who only get 51 mm rainfall per year. Biomass production for energy is also optimal with these climatic conditions. A carbon neutral scenario using biomass as a fuel to reduce and even replace coal has been widely implemented and even has become a state policy, such as Japan, Korea, China and some countries in Europe. In the near future many countries are expected to implement similar programs or policies. Integration of energy plantation and livestock for optimization of land use can be done under the scenario of 5F Project For The World!.

Empirically with the climatic conditions of Indonesia, that lies at the equator makes woody biomass production quicker significantly. The process of photosynthesis with sunshine throughout the year is a factor in accelerating the growth and production of biomass of these woody biomass. Energy plantations should be made in many parts of Indonesia, that because the large amount of land available. Based on the factors above short rotation crops such as calliandra and gliricidae within 1 year, it can be harvested in Indonesia with the same amount of poplar and willow grown in the sub-tropical country for 4 years. A real difference, of course. Based on the analysis of energy plantations also provide greater profit compared to oil palm plantations, more further can be read here.

Indonesia is also very potential as the world's largest producer of wood pellets. Wood pellet production with energy plantations or trees is also very much in line with the concept of Islam. The fulfillment or self-sufficiency of food, energy and water needs is the long-term goal of the 5F Project For The World. Once again the potential of Indonesia is remarkable as the world's largest biomass producer, so the "green" earth will be the target of today and future renewable energy entrepreneurs.

Korea's Choice Gricidae Energy Plantation?

There are many similarities between calliandra and gliricidae namely, the leguminoceae group, the wood has a high calorific value, easy to grow, suitable for cultivated energy plantation with fast growing capability after harvesting the wood, and can be integrated with the livestock business by utilizing the green leaves. But gliricidae sepium is easier and more common in many places. This is because gamal has several advantages over calliandra ie as shade trees, fences plants and simple building poles. Gliricidae can also grow in various places and types of soil, evident from the sea to the high mountains. As for the energy sector, calliandra wood has an advantage with faster dry so it can be exploited or easier to process further.

As a group of leguminoceae both gliricidae and calliandra are able to fertilize the soil because its roots are able to bind nitrogen from the atmosphere, increase soil organic matter, improve physical characteristics of soil, aeration and drainage, reduce soil erosion, lower soil temperature and reduce ground water evaporation. Critical land, marginal and unused land will be repaired with the leguminoceae. Human essential matter issues such as water, energy and food can also be fulfilled by the plantation. As with calliandra, for optimization of gliricidae can also be integrated in 5F projects for the world!.

Since implementing the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) in 2012 Korea committed to increase the use of renewable energy, especially biomass and more specifically wood pellets in its energy sector. Based on the RPS, Korea requires a coal-fired power plant to use a minimum 2% of renewable energy by 2012, with  0.5% per year increase until 2020. By 2020 they will need a minimum of 10% renewable energy with 60% renewable energy composition coming from wood biomass , while the remaining 40% from other sources. Palm kernel shells also become short and medium term solutions, and wood pellets for the long term. Since a few years ago some gliricidae energy plantations have been created by cooperating with Korea. Although until now the commercial production of gliricidae wood pellets not yet realized, but it seems in the near future will be realized. Some of the driving forces include the limited availability of palm kernel shells, wood pellets from raw materials of wood wastes are also limited, and biomass pellets from various agricultural wastes are of low quality and often require various treatments before they are pelleted. It seems that gliricidae will soon be massively cultivated to meet renewable energy in Korea.