Palm Oil Mill Business Development: Electricity from Biogas for the EFB Pellets Production

Palm oil mills or CPO mills are generally no longer interested in developing businesses or making businesses anymore, because the demand to produce sustainable CPO products has become a challenge. Palm oil mills in general want to do business development, especially related to its main business such as productivity of palm oil fruit (plantation division) and environmental aspects that are part of sustainable CPO production (mill division). A business unit that can integrate the two divisions in the palm oil business is what is needed for palm oil companies. As a business, of course, in addition to the two aspects above, it also has a profit oriented. Business characteristics that improve the quality of the environment and produce products that are oriented towards environmental sustainability are the characteristics of business in the bioeconomy era.

In the palm oil mill or CPO production, besides producing the main product in the form of CPO, a number of wastes are also produced, such as solid waste and liquid waste. Liquid waste in the form of POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) can be further processed into biogas and then the biogas is converted into electricity with a gas engine. Why with a gas engine and not with a steam turbine for electricity conversion? That is because the gas engine is more practical and easier compared to steam turbine. The second consideration is the production of electricity from biogas is a business development that utilizes palm oil mill effluents and not CPO production lines that require steam in the production process series. The electricity generated can then be used for the production of EFB (empty fruit bunch) pellets . While the residue from the biogas unit is then used for fertilizer in palm oil plantations, the term commonly used is land application.

Empty fruit bunches or EFB are generally not utilized and there are quite a lot of them. Increasing its added value by processing it into EFB pellets is an environmental and business solution for empty fruit bunches or EFB waste. EFB pellets are a group of biomass pellets especially agro waste pellets or agricultural waste pellets, which in terms of characteristics there is little difference with wood pellets. Along with the increasing need for renewable energy, especially biomass fuels and more specifically wood pellets, because the number of wood pellets currently produced is relatively limited because it only relies on sawdust and wood wastes, an increase in production can be done with agricultural waste, especially EFB pellets. The potential of empty fruit bunches for EFB pellet production is also huge, for more details, please read here.

The production of EFB pellets with electricity from the biogas unit should be managed separately from the palm oil mill or CPO mill. This will make the CPO mill run optimally as well as EFB pellet production. When the palm oil mill wastes can be treated, the palm oil company will get a positive image on the environmental aspect (green company). Positive image as a result of real or concrete waste processing so that it is a zero waste production will also increase the selling power of CPO products as the main product. Palm oil companies in general are always trying to improve environmental sustainability as an indicator of the performance of the palm oil companies concerned so that the production of EFB pellets with operations using electricity from POME biogas is a surefire solution. 

Urgency of the Biogas Unit in the Palm Oil Mills

In palm oil mills with a big vision, business development is important and always receives special attention. Palm oil mills which generally only produce CPO (crude palm oil) and only a few produce PKO (palm kernel oil). Biomass wastes generated such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), fiber and palm kernel shells (PKS) have great potential to be developed into businesses. In addition, the kernel (palm kernel) which has only been sold to other parties can actually be processed by ownself into a PKO. Even CPO itself can also be developed into various derivative products such as cooking oil, stearin, olein and various other oleochemical products. To process the above material, will always need energy and the availability of energy especially those which become a major obstacle to various business developments in the palm oil mill.

Biogas from POME or palm oil mill effluent is a potential energy source that can be created to support a number of business developments based on the palm oil mill. Liquid waste in the form of POME is generally not utilized and is still a problem for most palm oil mills today. By processing it into biogas, it can then be converted to heat and electricity so that it can be utilized for business development that mentioned above. Under certain conditions the biogas produced can even be upgraded to CBG (Compressed Biomethane Gas) with the use as a substitute for fuel in trucks used in the palm oil industry.

There are two types of biogas reactors being developed at this time, namely by maing then covering the pool with a special rubber material (covered lagoon) and a continous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Although it requires a wider area, the type of covered lagoon is more widely used because in addition to being simpler it can also accommodate more biogas volume. A palm oil mill using centrifugal oil separator will produce a lot of sludge which increases the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) thereby increasing the amount of biogas produced. While palm oil mills use decanters, the sludge will be separated so that the COD is low and so is the biogas product produced.

Biogas Water Absorber

The use of biogas to convert to thermal energy (in external combustion engines such as furnaces and boilers) is simpler than the conversion to electrical energy with a gas engine (typical of internal combustion engine). When biogas is converted into heat, the gas purification process is not even carried out and directly burned in the gas burner, so existing boiler of the palm oil can be used. But when it converted into electricity with a gas engine , the biogas purification process becomes important, because the quality of the gas is very influential on the performance and durability of the gas engine and automatically the electricity product produced. Biogas with a lot of H2S content will be corrosive so as to damage the gas engine unit and biogas with high CO2 content will reduce the calorific value so that the gas engine performance will decrease.

The Big Vision of the Palm Oil Mill: Not Only Generating Electricity with Steam Turbine Generators but also Biochar and Bio-Oil

At the palm oil mill, electricity is generated from a steam turbine generator so a water treatment unit is needed to provide boiler feed water and a boiler unit to produce steam. The specifications of the steam produced are superheated steam with a pressure of 30 bar or equivalent to a temperature of 240 C. The steam then powers the turbine and drives the generator to produce electricity. Steam that comes out of the turbine with a decrease in temperature and pressure is not thrown away, but is used for steamming fresh fruit bunches (FFB) in the sterilizer unit. That is the reason why electricity production in palm oil mills uses steam turbine generators, even though actually producing electricity does not have to use the steam turbine. There are a number of technologies that can be used for electricity production.

The boiler fuel for steam production also does not use fossil fuels but uses palm oil mill waste itself (mesocarp) fiber and palm kernel shell (palm kernel shell). This is what makes palm oil mills very environmentally friendly in terms of their use of energy sources because they use biomass fuels, namely solid waste in the form of (mesocarp) fiber and palm kernel shells. Judging from the environmental aspects of the use of biomass fuel is carbon neutral, so it does not add CO2 in the atmosphere. Environmental issues are very prevalent today due to a number of environmental damage, to the peak of climate change and global warming. This encourages various industrial activities to increasingly pay attention to these environmental aspects.

When a palm oil mill uses its biomass waste as fuel to produce electricity and steam for the operation of the plant and it produces waste or residue in the form of ash, that is something that is common to almost all palm oil mills today. But when the palm oil company has a bigger vision, what is produced besides electricity and steam is biochar, not ash. Why Biochar? Although the management of the palm oil company that separates the plantation and mill divisions is common, the implementation of biochar is also expected to make a better reciprocal relationship. At present the palm oil fruits or fresh fruit bunches are supplied to the mill for oil extraction, so when biochar is produced by the mill the biochar will be supplied nto the  plantation to increase the productivity of the palm oil fruits. When a palm oil company will optimize its CPO products it also means maximizing the productivity of its palm oil  fruit. Palm  oil fruits productivity can be maximized if the cultivation aspects are also maximum. Biochar can be used to maximize fertilization and even reduce the use of fertilizers in oil palm plantations which amount to tens of billions of rupiah, for more details, please read here.

Are there palm oil mills that dare to take up the challenge? God knows Nature. But oil palm companies that have a big vision and understand the importance of increasing the productivity of oil palm fruit in line with environmental aspects, should be challenged with this. Oil palm companies that have big visions will also see this as an effective (pro-planet) environmental solution. This is because besides having a positive effect on the productivity of oil palm, also with environmental aspects. The application of biochar is carbon negative, so that CO2 in the atmosphere will be absorbed into the pores of the biochar, thereby reducing greenhouse gases in the form of CO2 in the atmosphere. When tens to hundreds or even thousands of tons of biochar are applied to palm oil plantations, so much CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed into the soil. Biochar can also survive tens or even hundreds of years so that the carbon content in the soil increases or is not damaged along with the productivity of the palm oil plantation.

In addition to the production of biochar with continuous pyrolysis also produced biooil which can also be used as fuel or processed into various other biomaterials. With characteristics close to crude oil, it also means that all materials that can be produced from crude oil can be produced with biooil. Another application of biooil is for blending with ship oil (marine fuel oil). Other liquid products in the form of biomass vinegar, its use is also very supportive in palm oil plantations, namely as bio-insecticides and bio-pesticides. Rats that attack many palm fruit can also be overcome with the vinegar biomass, for more details, please read here.

Food Energy Water for the World Community

"There will be no doomsday, until wealth has been piled up and abundant, until a man goes everywhere carrying his zakat but he does not get anyone who is willing to accept his zakat. And so that the Arab lands become fertile again prosperous with meadows and rivers "(HR.Muslim).

The earth will once again prosper before doomsday. In general gardens and forests like that also cause springs to appear (QS 36: 34) which in time will flow into the rivers (QS 19: 24-25) and also be your pleasure and your animals ( QS 79: 31). Basically, the earth is very sufficient to meet human needs, especially in 3 main things namely food, energy and water. In the era of bioeconomy that is believed to be in sight and we will soon experience it, a number of technologies will be developed to support these three main sectors in a sustainable manner. The emphasis on something that is sustainable  is increasingly emphasized to increasingly abandon or not at all use fossil sources (fossil free), especially in the energy sector. It is this aspect of sustainability that clearly distinguishes the fossil economy era from bioeconomy.

The Concept of Energy Plantation and Verticulture 

The tropics will be excellent for developing bioeconomy because of the availability of sunshine throughout the year. This tropical region will compete for entrepreneurs engaged in this sector, such as the African continent and Indonesia. The availability of vast land in the area is a key factor in the development of energy plantations. Energy is a vital need for human kind today, especially to drive economic sectors. With energy plantations, massive energy needs can be met. Fast rotation and coppice plants such as calliandra and gliricidae are the mainstay of energy plantations. In addition to the energy plantation will be able to conserve water, livestock business can also be developed by utilizing leaves waste from the energy plantations. Sheep, goat or cattle farms are ideal for utilizing leaves waste from the energy plantations. Honey bee keeping can also be developed by utilizing flowers from the energy plantation.

verticulture with skyscrapers

Calliandra Energy Plantation

Tall buildings were built not even for human habitation, but as agricultural land for food crops (verticulture). Verticulture farming is to meet food needs and facilitate its management. Modern farming techniques are used to maximize the quality and productivity of the farm. To support the success of agriculture, IOT (internet of things) with a number of sensors that can be read online is an integral part of agricultural management. The effectiveness and efficiency of farming can be increased rapidly so that high productivity and quality can be achieved, while large lands mainly for energy plantations. Biochar which can be used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of fertilization can be applied to verticulture farming.  Apart from being made compost agricultural wastes can also be partially converted into biochar. For large capacity biochar production, the continuous pyrolysis units are the best choice. Compost and biochar production also makes the farming practices zero waste. Even with continuous pyrolysis technology, in addition to biochar, heat and electricity can also be produced. Liquid fuel namely biooil, is also produced from the continuous pyrolysis technology.

With the majority of land used for energy plantations, the energy needs, InshaAllah, can be fulfilled even the meat needs of the livestock business, as well as food production with verticulture. The ideal concept, if it can be implemented, should be a solution to the problems of life today. The concept can be implemented if humanity realizes the importance of the program and supports it. Technically, this can be done, and some have done it even on a smaller scale and it has not been fully integrated.

The coming era of bioeconomy should also be in line with the improvement of the economic system that gives a sense of justice to the world's population. With the current economic model it takes 800 years for the bottom billion people to reach 10% of global income. As a result of the current liberalism and capitalism, the richest 10% control 85% of global wealth. The three richest people in the world have assets of more than 47 GDP, the lowest gross GDP. 1% of the richest people own more than 50% of the world's wealth. This huge inequality should be overcome immediately with a equitable and prosperous economy. The transition from fossil economy to bioeconomy can be both an medium and a momentum for improving the economic system. The tropics, which were previously of a minor economic role, should have been increased and taken into account or even become a major player in the bioeconomy era.

The Momentum of Energy Plantation Won't Be Long Anymore

As world oil prices have risen (once reached $ 30 / barrel in early 2016) and also the pressure due to environmental damage from fossil burning, the use of renewable energy, especially biomass, is gaining more attention. A number of biomass is widely used for energy sources such as palm kernel shells (PKS) and wood pellets. The better characteristics of biomass fuels will be increasingly sought after and used. The more widely used means the more limited availability, so it needs to be made available. As a renewable energy source, it is certainly not difficult to provide this type of energy. The order of supply of biomass fuels will depend on the demand, availability and production process. For example, in terms of large demand, palm kernel shells are abundant and the production or processing process is easy so that it can be used very easily, making it a top priority. While wood pellets, despite the high demand and availability of raw materials, are abundant, they require a production process that is not simple, making it a second priority. About the use of empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm trunks can be read here, here and here. Furthermore, a number of biomass wastes from plantations such as palm oil empty fruit bunches, trunks and fronds are also abundant will be the next priority.

Although the energy plantation requires a longer route, it is believed that soon it will find its momentum. That is because with energy plantation other than supply capacity is more stable and guaranteed also the ability to supply up to decades. The security of the supply becomes vital for a production process such as wood pellet production, as well as to end users such as power plants. Indonesia with a tropical climate and vast land available makes the potential for the development of energy plantations very potential and strategic. It only takes 1 year to produce wood from energy plantations in Indonesia while it takes 4 years in sub-tropical countries. Although energy plantations are likely to be the last choice after the utilization of a number of agricultural waste which is still abundant at this time, it is believed that it will not be long before many will be developed and there are already a number of companies that have plan on this.

The development of energy plantations also has advantages in the form of environmental benefits namely increasing soil fertility, water conservation and carbon sequestration. Another benefit of the energy plantations is the food sector, particularly through sheep / cattle ranching and honey beekeeping. Indonesia's low supply of meat requires supplies from within the country and also its large export opportunities. Leaves from the energy plantations can be a source of animal feed and grazing fields are made in the same location, to make it clearer here. Optimizing the energy plantation with the integration of livestock so that there is a kind of mutual dependency relationship will provide optimal benefits as well, both economically, socially and environmentally. The development is a comprehensive approach, as the best approach to achieve the best environmental benefits and balance and not a partial development that tends to damage the environment itself. Let us together create this opportunity while capturing and working on it. More systematically and comprehensively, following a number of indicators that are driving the acceleration of the implementation of the energy plantations:

1. Demand for biomass fuels from the international market is getting greater along with awareness about the environment and climate change. And in Asia, Japan and Korea are the biggest consumers / users of biomass fuels, especially wood pellets, and Europe is also the next largest user. Regarding the characteristics of the Korean and Japanese markets in importing wood pellets, there is a slight difference for more details can be read here.

2. The weakening of the economic sector in Indonesia due to not being independent and highly dependent on foreign debt in building infrastructure and the domestic economy. This can be seen from the low economic growth of around 5%, bankruptcy and the destruction of state companies including strategic industries and high unemployment.

3. Investment for energy plantations and wood pellet production is much cheaper than palm oil plantations,in addition it only takes a short time, namely one year to be able to produce for the energy plantations. Production of wood from timber trees takes decades to be harvested, so practically there is no income for decades. For this reason, new business opportunities in the strategic sector, especially energy, forestry and food are a new concern especially with smaller investments and long-term orientation.

4. With its tropical climate, Indonesia has the potential to develop energy plantations, even better than the potential of solar photovoltaic or solar energy, for more details, you can read here. Technically, energy plantation cultivation is also easier and faster than oil palm plantations and the like. But Sri Lanka may be ahead of Indonesia about this, in more detail read here.

5. Energy plantations will absorb CO2 or greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, resist soil erosion, conserve water and fertilize the soil. Environmental benefits are very valuable.

6. Integration with ruminants (sheep & cattle) and honey beekeeping will optimize the use of the land, there will be an environmental balance with the use of livestock manure for energy plantation fertilizer and encourage self-sufficiency in meat (read: government imports 100,000 tons of buffalo meat and if the wood industry pellets 100% foreign controlled) so that the use of energy plantations for wood pellet production & integration with these farms is one of the efforts to avoid or prevent excessive foreign control over lands in Indonesia that do not favor the majority of Indonesia's population itself.

7. The number of idle lands, marginal lands and critical lands that need to be immediately utilized as energy, food, environment, labor and social solutions.

8. As an entry point to enter the era of bioeconomy which will soon replace the era of fossil economy.

Ash From Palm Oil Waste Combustion As A Biomaterial In Concrete Construction

Palm kernel shells (PKS) and mesocarp fibres are commonly used as fuel for palm oil mills for the production of electricity and steam for sterilizers. The byproduct of combustion in the form of ash a lot produced by the process. A palm oil mill can produce 5 tons / day or more of the ash depending on the amount burned because the average ash content of the palm oil waste is around 5%. Most of the palm oil mills do not make use of the residual ash from the combustion but just throw it away. Though the ash can actually be used for various purposes, one of which is as a biomaterial substitute for sand in various building construction projects. The locations of palm oil mills or surrounding communities usually in the remote areas difficult to obtain a supply of sand for the construction of various buildings, so that the presence of ash as a substitute for sand will be helped.

Typical boiler in palm oil mill

At present, a number of domestic industries have started to use biomass fuel, as an environmentally friendly fuel. Palm kernel shell or PKS is one of the favorite biomass fuels at this time. One of the interesting things about palm kernel shells is that they are  almost similar properties to wood pellets, but at a lower price. Ash from the palm kernel shells as well as ash from the palm oil mills can also be used for sand substitution for various building construction projects. The location of industries in urban areas so that the use of ash can also be in line with various city construction constructions such as the construction of roads, high rise buildings and aircraft runways. Although the ash cannot replace 100% sand but it will help save costs by around 25% substituted with the ash.

Main chemical compounds content in sand

Main chemical compounds content in boiler bottom ash

The palm kernel shell ash itself contains high silica which is around 60%, while the ash mixture from the shell and palm fiber in the boiler furnace contains about 30% SiO2. SiO2 functions as a filler in the manufacture of concrete which will affect the strength of the concrete. While the composition of the main compounds in the sand can be seen that SiO2 has a relatively large composition. Mud in sand is impurity so that the mud content in sand cannot exceed 5%. Mud levels of more than 5% result in the hydrogen bonding of cement paste and sand being reduced due to the influence of sludge as impurities. Boilers ash from palm oil mills can be used as a substitute for sand in making concrete because it has compounds that play a role in making concrete. If it is to be used as a cement substitution material, a material must contain a relatively large amount of lime compounds because cement basically functions as a binder and mainly functions as lime. The content of SiO2, Al2O3, and CaO is contained in boiler scale ash (bottom ash) which is needed in making concrete.

The yield of ash density is 2.11 g / cm3, lower than the density of sand. According to ASTM C128-93, the good density for making concrete is above 2.50% so it includes rough aggregate. The absorption value of water produced by boiler scale ash fulfills the requirements of preventing or reducing empty voids in concrete. The maximum limit of SiO2 content contained in sand for making concrete is around 30%, so that the boiler bottom ash is included in a good aggregate and meets the standard for partial sand replacement. Based on the composition of the chemical content, boiler bottom ash is superior to sand because CaO in ash plays a role in helping cement as a binding material. Similarly Al2O3 is very influential in accelerating hardening of concrete.

Comprehensive concrete strength tester

If calculated the potential ash from the waste of palm oil is also quite large potential. Say with 1,000 palm oil mills now operating in Indonesia with each mill producing 5 tons / day of ash then 5,000 tons of ash a day or 150,000 tons of ash a month. While the excess of palm kernel shells from palm oil mills that can be utilized by other industries in Indonesia is estimated to reach 11 million tons, which means that the ash potential that can be produced is 550 thousand tons. In addition, the difference between ash from palm oil waste classified as biomass ash and coal ash is palm kernel shell ash excluding B3 (hazardous) waste so handling is easier while coal ash including B3 (hazardous)waste whose handling is more difficult. Palm kernel shell ash also comes from biomass which is a renewable resource while coal is from non-renewable resource group.