Premium Biochar and Compost Production from Organic Waste Processing

Biochar and compost production both use organic materials. The difference lies in their compatibility level. Wet, nutrient-rich organic materials with little lignin are more suitable for compost production. Dry, lignin-rich organic materials are more suitable for biochar production. Therefore, sorting these organic materials is necessary to achieve optimal results. With organic waste comprising up to 60% of municipal waste, the raw material requirements for both biochar and compost production are estimated to be substantial.

Biochar production is a thermal process, while compost production is a biological process. A biochar production unit, a pyrolysis unit, can be installed adjacent to and integrated with a compost production unit at municipal waste treatment facilities and similar facilities. The biochar product is then used to produce compost, improving the quality of the compost to premium compost and accelerating composting times. For more details, read here. Premium compost can also be sold at a higher price commensurate with its quality. Excess energy from biochar production or pyrolysis operations can be utilized in the waste processing of RDF fractions or others. 

The production potential of this premium compost is enormous. This makes it suitable for use on critical land from post-mining reclamation, which covers millions of hectares, or even hundreds of millions of hectares of degraded drylands. When premium compost is applied to unproductive or less productive land, it becomes fertile. For example, revegetation of post-mining reclaimed land will yield a variety of agricultural or plantation products that are economically, environmentally, and socially beneficial. Biochar, with its high carbon content, will persist in the soil for hundreds of years and, as a carbon sequestration measure, can be offset by earning carbon credits. 

Another Form of Reclamation - Energy Plantation for Wood Pellet Production and Integrated Farming

 

Post-mining reclamation is the obligation of mining companies / IUP (Mining Business License) holders so they must prepare funds for this. Apart from reforesting mining areas in forest areas, other forms of reclamation are more flexible because there are many types, but the aim can provide economic, social and environmental benefits. If the mining company does not carry out reclamation, it will receive heavy sanctions, namely a fine of up to 100 billion rupiah. Post-reclamation business or activity management is also flexible according to the agreement as long as it does not conflict with the above objectives.

Decarbonization of Coal Mining with Reclamation for Energy Plantations for Wood Pellet Production

Wood pellets are carbon neutral fuel so they do not add CO2 to the atmosphere, which is different from fossil fuels such as coal which are carbon positive, namely adding CO2 to the atmosphere, which is part of the climate solution. Net zero emissions and decarbonization efforts are also accelerated by the use of carbon neutral fuel such as wood pellets. This is an important and main reason for the production of wood pellets in mining companies, especially coal, so that they can reduce CO2 emissions from burning coal. Post-mining land at coal companies can be reclaimed in another form, namely by creating energy plantations as raw material for wood pellet production. There are millions of hectares of ex-mining land that have potential as energy plantations, for more details read here.

Cofiring coal with biomass is an easy and cheap entry point for coal power plants to gradually use renewable fuels. Over time the biomass to coal cofiring ratio can continue to be increased so that CO2 emissions from carbon positive coal are reduced. Technically, a cofiring ratio of up to 5% does not require equipment modifications at the coal power plants. The amount of CO2 that can be replaced (carbon offset) with carbon neutral fuel such as wood pellets also has the opportunity to get carbon credits or other compensation. The implementation of a carbon tax also increasingly encourages a reduction in the use of coal in power plants and vice versa, namely encouraging an increase in the use of renewable fuels, especially wood pellets in these coal power plants or an increase in the cofiring ratio, even ideally fulfiring can be done, namely 100% using renewable fuel.

The implementation of a carbon tax in Indonesia is planned for 2025, after several postponements. The lowest carbon tax rate is IDR 30 per kilogram of carbon dioxide equivalent (IDR 30,000 or around US$ 2 per ton of CO2 equivalent). This tariff is actually much smaller than the initial proposal of IDR 75. With a tariff of IDR 30, Indonesia is one of the countries with the lowest tariff in the world for carbon tax. By burning 1 ton of coal, it will produce around 3 tons of CO2 emissions, so the carbon tax imposed will reach IDR 90,000 per ton of coal. Meanwhile, the use of renewable or carbon neutral fuels such as wood pellets is not subject to the carbon tax. Apart from that, mining companies are also obliged to reclaim their post-mining land, which if not done will be subject to heavy sanctions.

Energy plantation plants are a type of pioneer plant, easy to grow, efficient at using water, fertilize the soil and have strong roots to resist erosion. Legume types such as calliandra and gliricidia are commonly used as energy plantation plants. Integration of energy plantation product processing must be carried out so that optimal benefits are obtained, namely the main product is wood for wood pellet production, leaves as ruminant animal feed and honey as high quality food. The energy plantation must also be created to be able to produce sustainably, namely by maintaining a balance between wood productivity for wood pellet production, environmental functions in the form of maintaining erosion and groundwater, and the volume of wood harvested must not exceed the growth rate or be at least the same (carbon balance) and using by-products for additional revenue, such as using leaves for animal feed and honey from honey bee farms.

Mining Sector and Post-Mining Reclamation

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Among the mining sector, coal is the largest mining product in Indonesia and even ranks third at the world level. In 2021 coal production was recorded at 576 million tons and it is projected that there will be only a slight decline in 2024, which is to 570 million tons. This coal is also the largest source of state income after Indonesia's oil can no longer be exported because production runs out for domestic consumption and even less so that it has to become an oil importer. But in the long term the future of coal is bleak as its use is increasingly restricted due to climate concerns. Countries that have ratified the Paris agreement have committed to reducing fossil fuels, especially coal with concrete steps, namely not building new coal power plants, cofiring with renewable energy at coal power plants, converting coal power plants into 100% biomass power plants (fulfiring) and closing a number of coal power plants and replace it with other renewable energy sources.

On the other hand, the post-mining activity also caused a lot of environmental damage, especially the land. Land damage will trigger natural disasters that endanger human life. Do not let the mining activities exploit its natural resources to the fullest but also leave natural damage that is no less severe. Of course this condition is very bad. The obligation of reclamation has also not been carried out properly, many even do not do it or just do it symbolically, imaging and mere formality while the purpose of reclamation itself is not achieved. The threat of a fine of 100 billion rupiah is also imposed for companies that ignore the reclamation to further encourage the reclamation activities.

According to Rizal Kasli, the general chairman of Perhapi (Indonesian Mining Experts Association), currently there are infrastructure and resource constraints (costs) in the implementation of the reclamation, namely for medium and small mining companies, for more details read here. This means that for large companies with large volumes of mining production there should be no obstacles, but stricter law enforcement is needed, according to Rizal Kasli. If large mining companies carry out reclamation properly, of course this is good and becomes an example for small and medium mining companies, but if the opposite happens, it will exacerbate environmental damage. Compensation or profit from the mining business should be in line and proportional to the improvement of the land or post-mining land (reclamation and rehabilitation).

The photo is taken from here

Why do a lot of mining companies generally ignore or neglect reclamation and post-mining land rehabilitation? In addition to the rules that are not strictly enforced, of course the problem is the cost. Mining companies have to spend a lot of money for the reclamation and rehabilitation of post-mining land, the costs depend on the conditions and the area of ​​the land. This of course burdens and reduces the profits of the mining company itself, causing reluctance. So even if reclamation and land rehabilitation are carried out, they are only symbolic, imaging and formality. This can be said to have no impact or achieve the goals of post-mining land reclamation and rehabilitation itself. 

Whereas the purpose of land reclamation and rehabilitation is one of the efforts to prepare fertile land for the future. So what if the reclamation turns out to be a profitable activity? This is certainly very interesting and motivating the mining companies. Bio-economy based reclamation and rehabilitation projects will be able to provide benefits for mining companies that do so. With these benefits, the land reclamation and rehabilitation program will be able to run well and sustainably, so that the entire post-mining area can be touched. We are currently developing a bioeconomic program for the post-mining land reclamation and rehabilitation, for more detailed information please contact us at cakbentra@gmail.com