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.