Biochar: Low Carbon Economy As A Soution To Climate Change and the Environment

The high consumption of fossil fuels as the pedestal current economic activity has caused adverse effects on the environment such as the climate change and environmental issues. Accumulation of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere that has exceeded the threshold needs to be reduced to the safe limit. Some things you can do include: improving energy efficiency of various equipment and machines today are still using fossil fuel, using fuel or renewable energy sources and absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When we review the balance of carbon emitted by the use of renewable fuels or substitution of fossil fuels with renewable energy is carbon neutral, while the absorption of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere is carbon negative.

Low-carbon economy as a solution to climate change and the environment is how economic sectors are encouraged to carbon neutral conditions even carbon negative. Biomass energy is one solution to achieve the low-carbon economy. Availability of biomass feedstock in Indonesia in particular, is very abundant and has a small part that is less than 5% is used as an energy source. The Optimum scenario of utilization the biomass into environmentally friendly forms of energy is the next questions when we has dropped the option to use as an energy source.

Continuous pyrolysis technology as a second generation biofuel technology is the best solution in order to establish the era of low-carbon economy. Products such as charcoal / biochar,  biooil, and syngas will be generated by this technology. Especially biomass waste or organic waste can be directly processed at the site to produce the products as above. Agro-industry companies such as palm oil mill generate huge biomass waste every day. Indonesia and Malaysia as the largest palm oil producer in the world or around 87% of world production (2007) that had a lot of palm oil mills is estimated at more than 1,000 units, so that the biomass waste available is overwhelming.

Especially in palm oil industries, product biochar (charcoal) will have a major role to improve soil fertility, including reducing the need for chemical fertilizers (urea) in oil palm plantations, so it will be very profitable. A number of efforts have been carried out by the palm oil companies to increase their effectiveness in fertilization and soil enrichment, and with biochar is like like 1 shoot killed 2 birds, palm solid waste problem can be overcome, gain energy sources and improvement of soil fertility. Biochar (charcoal) in addition to be able to fertilize the soil is capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to a carbon negative mechanism, while biooil and syngas can be applied as a carbon neutral fuel because it comes from biomass.

Nutrient Management for Palm Oil Plantation

Nutrient management is one of the major cost components for a palm oil plantation. This is due to the inherently poor fertility of most tropical soils and the intensive extractive nature of plantation agriculture. Biochar offers the possibility for a revolution in nutrient use efficiency in tropical agriculture along with many other proven soil and water holding benefits.

Why biochar?

Many advantages of biochar applications to improve the soil fertility. Biochar production process also uses a thermal process that faster and also more affordable in investment than the biological process, that's common called fermentation. Saving estimation of fertilizer use could save up to 50% with the use of biochar, that means increase the fertilization efficiency due to the application of biochar.

 

How to produce biochar?

 

To produce the best biochar in quality and quantity, the best technology is continous slow pyrolysis process. The biomass waste that is generated by palm oil mill every day is a potential raw material for the production of biochar. Syngas, biooil and heat are other products from continous slow pyrolysis technology for energy applications or other.

"Carbon Farming" for Palm Oil Plantation part VI: Think Sustainability, Think Biochar

When we think about the sustainability of palm oil, we would think about the sustainability of palm fruit production and that means thinking about the management of the plantation itself. And talk about the management of palm oil plantations mean can not be separated bymaintaining soil fertility. Efforts to maintain the fertility of the soil is an ongoing effort as the palm oil plantation business. Biochar is one of the excellent material in maintaining soil fertility.

Biochar from JF BioCarbon

Biomass wastes that are highly abundant in palm oil is a potential feedstock for biochar production while continous slow pyrolysis technology will continue also produced green energy for processing in the palm oil mill. A business that zero waste in its operations that sustain the production of palm trees. Thinking about the sustainability of palm oil plantations means thinking about biochar.

Biochar, Climate Change and Global Warming

This time is the topic of climate change and global warming back into the world spotlight. Frameworks Convention annual meeting of theUnited Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was opened last week took place in Doha, Qatar with 15000 people are expected to participate. The emphasis today is more necessary action as compared to the previous conference. In the 18th climate change conference (COP18) is getting a lot of evidence of natural disasters due to climate change are shown.

Mitigation of climate change and global warming would cost billions of dollars. The Climate Policy Initiative is make estimation need around  US $ 300 billion each year in 2020 and increased to US $ 500 billion by 2030. While the commitment of industrialized countries only allocate US$ 100 billion  annually in the UNFCCC's GreenClimate Fund.

Role of Biochar

Although it has not received great attention in efforts to mitigate climate change-related disasters and global warming, in fact biochar potential as a tool that a lot of benefits. When we look at the motives for biochar production would look like this chart:

In the first study on the impact of climate change in SouthEast Asia by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2009: based on high emissions scenario, average temperatures in four countries-Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - is projected to rise 4.8 degrees Celsius in 2100 from 1990 levels, average global sea level rise is 70 cm long time, and Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam is projected to experience the drier climate in two or three decades. Southeast Asia seems more affected by climate change than the global average.

Indonesia and Malaysia as a tropical country with a very rich potential of waste biomass mainly from agro-industries such as oil industry, the potential for applying biochar appropriate motivation in the image above. MPOB (Malaysian Palm Oil Board) specifically researching biochar to plant oil palm. Implementing Continuous Slow Pyrolysis technology with waste biomass feedstock will produce environmentally friendly energy that are categorized as "Carbon Neutral" because the balance does not increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, while the application of biochar as a by-product on the farm in addition will increase the fertility of the soil is also able to absorb greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are categorized as "Carbon Negative" because the balance will reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. So with the application of Continous Slow Pyrolysis and product of biochar will get the optimum comprehensive solution to the scheme shown above which was instrumental in reducing the effects of climate change and global warming.

 The use of technology "carbon capture and storage" usually by injecting CO2 emissions from fossil-fueled power plants (as a CO2 gas producer unit or the biggesr greenhouse gases  currently) into the earth very expensive investment, so the need for the use of environmentally friendly renewable energy-biomassbased with Slow Continuous Pyrolysis technology and application biochar as its product will receive great attention soon.

"Carbon Farming" For Palm Oil Plantation Part 5: Organic Palm Oil Plantations

Although currently not pictured on organic palm oil plantations. But organic palm oil plantation is possible in the coming era. Biochar application on palm oil plantation which is very effective for the home of microbes so as to enrich the soil. Microbes such as mooring N and so can be inoculated in the biochar application. While the nutritional requirements of bacteria in biochar will then be supplied from manure, so the integration of oil palm plantations and cattle ranches is imperative.

When this has been done then the contribution to saving the environment and food security is huge. Substantial revenue will come from the amount of carbon absorbed by the application of biochar through mechanisms such as CDM and organic palm oil products has its own market segment.

photo is taken from here

"Carbon Farming" for Palm Oil Plantation Part 4: Misperceptions Between Biochar and Ash

photo is taken from here

Because biochar application to palm oil plantations are new, many of those who do not know and tend to equalize between biochar and ash as fertilizer for palm oil plantations. Though both are clearly very different. Judging from the occurrence of the biochar and the ash is very different. Biochar produced from pyrolysis process while the ash generated from the direct combustion (incinerator) or gasification.

Judging from biochar also many different functions of the ashes just as low quality mineral fertilizers, because biochar could be a home of microbes that will increase the soil fertility. Here are some of the reasons for the agricultural use of biochar:

-Reducing requirements for other inputs, such as conventional fertilizer

-Absorption of carbon from the atmosphere to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

-Increase yield by overcoming obstacles to growth (eg, poor soil structure, low pH, etc.)

-Improve the quality of plant growth by overcoming obstacles (eg, poor nutrient absorption resulting in low protein content)

-Remediation of contaminated soil

-Improve the physical or aesthetic properties of the soil or growing media (for example, make it dark, lowering the density of pores or give to the soil and so on)

Biochar production process with continuous slow pyrolysis technology is also very environmentally friendly because the emission gas well below the permitted threshold. While the direct burning incinerator technology has not allowed for reasons of emission gas and ash byproduct of low economic value.

"Carbon Farming" for Palm Oil Plantation Part 3: Economics of Technology Implementation

photo is taken from here

Basically, the conversion of biomass to the various technologies will face the final question about how much the economy in the form of investment and how much value added is generated. In many cases in Indonesia many biomass thermal conversion technology like gasification have not found economical and finally the equipment does not operate (idle) and as a result are generally the technology is not well developed. In the case of gasification which produce electricity, cost components that greatly affect their economic  is the price of raw materials, equipment investment and the selling price the electric. In fact most gasification in operation condition because the gasification groove is used for own use.

While many tools are being prepared for economical aspect of biomass thermal conversion technology, the continuous slow pyrolysis plant for own-use in palm oil mill will give a huge advantage for being able to meet the energy needs and improve the soil fertility of their plantation. For the implementation of continous slow pyrolysis technology, ultimately the question that arises again is its economic factor "how big an investment for equipment / unit / technology" and "how much value added generated". Check out our presentation to help you make a decision.

Carbon Farming For Palm Oil Plantation Part 2

Leading plantations and agronomist are searching for better ways to manage land for higher production and healthier profit, as well as a buffer against Climate Change. Soil Health is widely recognized as the key to these benefits, and Soil Carbon is the key to Soil Health.

Carbon Farming is the land management system that is the most effective in responding to Climate Change. It can be used to build a buffer against higher temperatures and lower rain fall. It can cut input costs as it taps into the nutrient reserves and productive capacity hidden in the soil. Carbon farming is the only way to increase soil carbon which the engine room of growth in Agriculture. 

photo taken from here

Increasing soil carbon is likely to enhance the long term sustainability of farms as it plays a central role in the physical, chemical, and biological health of the soil and hence the productive capacity of arable soils. Increasing the biomass input, decreasing the decomposition rate and increasing the potential of a soil to store carbon will all act to increase soil carbon. Soils with the greatest potential to sequester carbon will be those that have suffered a  significant loss of carbon with clearing of native vegetation and have a capacity to increase biomass production or can protect added carbon from decomposition (Baldock et al 2009).


Farmers wanting to build soil carbon may be able to achieve this though maintaining and enhancing vegetation cover, maximizing vegetation growth, minimizing soil disturbance, and changing the soil texture. Activities that broad acre farmers may consider to increase soil carbon include :

·        -Converting cropping land to productive pastures and increasing the pasture phases in crop rotation

·         -Increasing practices to retain stubble

·         -Green manuring, particularly legume crops

·         -The application of soil ameliorants such as biochar, compost, or manure  (Sanderman et al 2010), and

·         -Alterations to soil texture through the addition of clay to lighter textured soils.

Photo taken from here

Palm oil industry in Indonesia & Malaysia which in operations generate a lot of waste biomass and on the other hand requires energy in the form of heat and electricity for the process of the fruits and high productivity of palm oil plants, then very potential to apply the continous slow pyrolysis technology to get energy and biocharnya to carbon farming.

photo's taken from here

Carbon farming is a different way of looking at your land. It gives you a different set of priorities, if you get it right, it can deliver everything you ever wanted to get out of farming. And more…..