Biochar from Wood Waste and Forestry Waste

The era of decarbonization and bioeconomy continues and continues to grow over time. While some people focus on the carbon neutral sector such as the production of biomass fuels such as wood pellets, wood briquettes or wood chips, people who focus on negative carbon seem to be fewer, including the use of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) and biochar production. Compared to CCS, biochar production with pyrolysis is easier and cheaper so it is projected to become a future trend. Logically, the negative carbon scenario is actually much better because in addition to reducing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, while the neutral carbon scenario only does not increase CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, but does not reduce or absorb CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 sequestration or biochar carbon removal (BCR) is currently also the most industrially relevant carbon removal technology. BCR is a key solution for real climate change mitigation today and its development is very rapid. BCR also has a vital role in the carbon removal technology portfolio. 

 

Woody biomass, especially from wood industrial waste and forestry waste, is a potential raw material for biochar production, even this type of wood biomass is the best raw material because it can produce high quality biochar, namely fixed carbon of more than 80%. The potential for wood biomass raw materials in Indonesia is very large, estimated at 29 million m3/year from forest harvesting waste, and 2 million m3/year from wood processing industry waste including 0.78 million m3 in the form of sawdust (the yield of the sawmill industry ranges from 50-60% and as much as 15-20% consists of sawdust). And that does not include if there is a biomass plantation or energy plantation dedicated to biochar production.

With the condition of agricultural land, plantations and forestry which are experiencing a lot of degradation, the need for biochar is also very large. Among the factors causing the decline in land fertility is the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for decades continuously and tends to be excessive. This causes a decline in soil quality which has an impact on crop production because it makes the land more acidic and hard which is estimated to reach millions of hectares. In addition, the price of chemical fertilizers is increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain, which results in low agricultural production, so the government is forced to import several agricultural commodities to meet the needs of the community. This actually does not need to happen considering the potential land in Indonesia is very large, it only needs to improve the condition of the land so that it can be optimal again. Making damaged land fertile is not difficult, it only takes perseverance to repair and care for the land so that it continues to be fertile.

Meanwhile, dry land consists of ultisol soil of 47.5 million ha and oxisol of 18 million ha. Indonesia has a coastline of 106,000 km with a potential land area of ​​1,060,000 ha, generally including marginal land. Millions of hectares of marginal land are spread across several islands, have good prospects for agricultural development but are currently not well managed. The land has a low fertility rate, so technological innovation is needed to improve and increase its productivity. Not to mention post-mining land which is almost all very damaged and also covers millions of hectares. And biochar is the right solution that can restore the condition of the land to be fertile again. 

Slow pyrolysis is the best technology for biochar production. But the technology used must be efficient and emissions meet the threshold standards of the country concerned. In addition, excess heat and/or liquid products and gas products from pyrolysis should also be utilized. With the criteria for pyrolysis technology as above, in addition to the quality and quantity of products, namely biochar, can be maximized, the production process also does not cause new problems in the form of environmental pollution. This is very much in line with biochar business activities so that it becomes a solution to the problem of industrial biomass waste from wood and forestry waste as well as a solution to climate problems. Even the utilization of by-products (excess heat and/or liquid products and gas products from pyrolysis) can also encourage the emergence of other environmentally friendly and renewable products.

In economic terms, the outline can be as follows, namely with an investment of 10 million US dollars, approximately 200,000 tons of biochar with more than 400,000 carbon credits will be produced over a period of 10 years. Or if with an investment of 100 million US dollars, almost 2 million tons of biochar and more than 4 million carbon credits will be produced over a period of 10 years. And for example, with a selling price of biochar of 100 dollars per ton and also a carbon credit of 100 dollars per unit (per ton of CO2), then within 10 years the investment has increased 6 times or it only takes about 1.7 years for the initial investment to return (payback period). Of course, when the price of biochar is higher and / or its carbon credits, of course the return on capital will be faster. And that does not include the utilization of liquid and gas products from pyrolysis and excess heat which also have economic potential that is no less interesting. The trend of the future business era will not only focus on financial profit but also provide solutions to environmental problems and climate problems, and of course solutions to social problems by creating jobs.    

Production of EFB Pellet EFB or EFB Biochar ?

One of the main obstacles for palm oil mills to develop their business is the availability of electricity. With locations that are generally located in remote areas in the middle of palm oil plantations, palm oil mills do not get electricity supply from PLN (Indonesia State Owned Electricity Company). Eventhough electricity is very important in a production process, such as in the production of EFB pellets. Even though empty bunches or EFB in general are an environmental problem for palm oil mills. If every ton / hour of EFB pellet production takes 300 KW, then for production of 10 tonnes / hour (5,000 tonnes / month) 3 MW of electricity is needed, export of biomass fuels such as wood pellets and PKS (palm kernel shell)  with bulk shipments usually requires 10 thousand tons / shipment. So if the production of EFB pellets is planned for 10 thousand tons / month so that every month can export the EFB pellets, the factory capacity or EFB pellet production is 20 tons / hour (10,000 tons / month) 6 MW of electricity is needed. For palm oil mills, utilizing liquid waste or POME to become biogas is a potential source of energy for the production of electricity. However, with a palm oil mill capacity of 30 tonnes of FFB / hour, only about 1 MW of electricity is generated from POME biogas, so to produce 6 MW of palm oil mills with a capacity of 6 x 30 tonnes of FFB / hour are generated equal to 180 tonnes of FFB / hour. In fact, the average palm oil mill has a capacity of 45 - 60 tonnes of FFB / hour, so it is impossible to generate 6 MW of electricity from the palm oil mill's POME biogas.

The use of EFB pellets is the same as wood pellets and PKS is mainly for power generation. All three are biomass fuels. The high chlorine and potassium content in empty palm fruit bunches or EFB makes their use limited to power plants due to corrosion and scale causes. Not all power plants can use EFB pellets at large capacities or quantities. The use of coal-fired power plants with pulverized combustion technology can only be used with a small ratio or an estimate of less than 5%, but can be used more or even 100% in fluidized bed and stoker types of power plants. The capacity of fluidized bed and stoker type PLTU is generally much smaller than pulverized combustion.

When the biomass source is managed properly, the use of biomass fuel is an environmentally friendly and sustainable fuel. Biomass fuels like this are carbon neutral fuels, because they do not increase the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is because the biomass as a fuel source comes from plants whose growth is from the photosynthesis process, one of which uses CO2 from the atmosphere, so that when the biomass is burned, there is practically no addition of CO2 to the atmosphere. In general, there are 2 ways to overcome the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere which causes climate change and global warming, namely the carbon neutral scenario and the carbon negative scenario. In a carbon negative scenario, CO2 in the atmosphere will be captured and absorbed so that it is no longer released and the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere can be reduced, as in the biochar application below. 

Whereas in the production of biochar with pyrolysis, besides not requiring a large amount of electrical power for its operation, electricity can also be generated from the use of excess energy from pyrolysis itself. By using the excess energy from pyrolysis, the palm oil mill boiler fuel does not need to use palm kernel shells and fiber. The use of gas or liquid fuels from the excess energy of the pyrolysis process also makes burning emissions cleaner. To achieve more complete combustion, gaseous or liquid fuels are better than solid fuels. Palm kernel shells so that everything can be sold or even exported. The biochar product applied to palm oil plantations will also improve the quality of the soil so that fertilizer use can be reduced and the productivity of palm oil fruit will increase. Biochar also absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere so that the use of biochar in large palm oil plantations means that with massive applications it can also be used for carbon trading. Recent developments indicate that the use of biochar is increasingly widespread, such as biomaterials for construction, transportation, plastics, packaging, furniture and so on. The use of biomaterials for these products means substituting the use of fossil-derived raw materials. 

So based on the above review, the production of biochar with pyrolysis is more profitable and easy to implement for palm oil mills compared to EFB pellet production. The addition of electricity production with a large capacity and the availability of sufficient raw materials is not easy and cheap for the average palm oil mill in Indonesia with a capacity of 45 - 60 tons of FFB / hour. Whereas in the production of biochar with pyrolysis, a certain amount of energy is produced which can be used for various purposes and the use of biochar is also multi-beneficial. Palm oil mills should consider this in particular in the aspects of waste management, plantation productivity, environmental aspects and business development, for more read here. Based on experience, the cost structure of the CPO or palm oil production business consists of about 80% of the cost of production is the cost of crops or plantation aspects, while the other 20% is the cost of processing or mill aspects. And the highest cost aspect of palm oil plantations is the cost of fertilization so that if the need for fertilizer can be reduced and the productivity of palm oil can be increased, of course it is very profitable, biochar is effective and efficient to use for this. 

Modern Ruminant Livestock Paradigm: Reducing Methane Production and Increasing Feed Efficiency

 The gases in the atmosphere that can capture the sun's heat are called greenhouse gases (GHG). Which includes greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, among others, are carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and freon (SF6, HFC and PFC). Methane gas (CH4) is a dangerous gas for the earth's atmosphere and one of the greenhouse gas groups above because of the destructive power of methane gas 21 times carbon dioxide (CO2). This requires efforts to prevent methane gas and reduce its production. An example is the use of POME waste or palm oil mill effluent for biogas production. In this way, methane occurring in the open air (aerobic) will be avoided (methane avoidance scenario) and will not be released into the atmosphere with the biogas unit. The livestock sector also has the potential to produce, namely the group of ruminant farms or ruminant animals. The methane is produced in the ruminant's rumen as part of the digestion process. It is estimated that the contribution of methane from ruminant livestock is dominant and of course it needs to be reduced. The production of methane gas (CH4) besides being an environmental problem also causes a lot of energy loss in livestock. And it turns out that there is a process of reducing methane production which simultaneously improves health and increases body weight and milk production.

Large ruminant farms should be more aware of this condition and have a greater incentive to reduce methane production. Biochar is a feed supplement that can be used for the above purposes. The use of 1-3% biochar from dry feed ingredients has been shown to significantly increase body weight gain in beef cattle, as well as milk production in dairy cows. Experiments in Australia on beef cattle for 2 months have given a weight gain of 10% compared to those who do not use biochar. As for dairy cows, it has provided a profit of $ 70,000 per year. For more details, read here. Meanwhile, the reduction in methane gas emissions is estimated at 29% from the use of biochar. Once paddle 2-3 islands, so the saying goes.

Another effect of using biochar as a feed additive is that livestock manure becomes denser and less smelly. Biochar can also be used alone to deal with the smell and viscosity of livestock manure, so that the cage becomes cleaner and does not smell strong. In addition, if the manure is used for production, the biogas production will also increase, for more details, please read here. The composted digestate will also produce better organic fertilizer (compost) because of the additional biochar. 

The quality of biochar is also very important, especially for animal feed supplements. Meat and milk are livestock production to meet human food needs, so that it will also affect humans in the end. The quality of biochar is determined by the raw materials used and the production process carried out. This indicates that not all biochar has the same quality, for example biochar from agricultural wastes with high ash content with traditional processes, with wood biomass raw materials with a small ash content and modern processes, of course the results are different, for example using the same modern technology will have different results. The differences mainly lie in their physical chemistry properties. 

Biochar production should also be designed according to its objectives, for example the biochar feed supplement above must use selected biomass raw materials and modern processes so that the quality is stable and maintained. Meanwhile, the reference for biochar quality can be OMRI, USDA or IBI. World feed livestock associations or organizations such as FEFAC, IFIF and AFIA are currently very concerned about safety and sustainability, so this can be in line with biochar as a feed additive. Biochar as a feed additive, especially dairy cattle, has been accepted by almost all European Union countries. Meanwhile, for purposes such as reducing odors and the dilution of impurities, biochar is produced from any biomass and even by using simple technology (low tech).  

Benefits of Palm Oil Company When Produce Biochar

There are at least four things that become motivation for biochar production, namely as in the chart above. There are a number of slices that make the impact of biochar application multi-benefits, which is very much in line with today's world problems, namely climate change and global warming. Biochar has also been accepted as an instrument to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere which causes the two big problems above, namely in 2018 biochar was included in the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as one of the negative emissions technologies (NETs). Biochar application is a carbon negative scenario because biochar can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. This is slightly different from the use of biomass fuels such as wood pellets, wood briquette and palm kernel shell (PKS) in industrial boilers or power plants, which are carbon neutral scenarios. Indeed, basically there are 3 big scenarios to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, namely increasing the efficiency of equipment that uses fossil fuels, using carbon neutral fuels and carbon negative scenarios such as biochar.

Palm oil trees are known to require a lot of water and fertilizer to maintain the life sustainability and productivity of their fruit, so practical efforts in the form of increasing fertilizer nutrient efficiency and increasing fruit productivity are important. Besides that, palm oil mills produce a lot of biomass waste, especially empty fruit bunches (EFB ) and mesocarp fiber, which are very potential for biochar raw materials. The biochar is then applied in palm oil plantations which can be used with chemical fertilizers or with compost / organic fertilizers.

Pyrolysis and gasification technologies are commonly used for the production of the biochar. Apart from producing biochar by pyrolysis or gasification, energy is also produced which can be used for the business development of the palm oil industry or for electricity production. Production of PKO (Palm kernel oil) from kernel processing at KCP (kernel crushing plant) or production of torrefied PKS from PKS processing with torrefaction can be done by utilizing excess energy from the production of biochar. Most of the palm oil mills or CPO mills do not have kernel processing or KCP to produce PKO. And by making torrefied PKS, the caloric value of PKS will increase, it is easy to downsizing (increased grindability), for example in the use of cofiring and does not absorb water (hydrophobic property). In general, palm oil mills will have many advantages, both economically / financially and environmentally, with this biochar production.

Apart from being used for business development like the diagram above, excess energy from pyrolysis or gasification can also be used as boiler fuel in the palm oil mill. In this way the energy to heat the boiler, which is usually with palm kernel shell and mesocarp fiber, can be replaced by energy from pyrolysis or gasification. After that, all of the palm kernel shells / PKS can be sold or exported, thus providing additional profits for the palm oil company. The need for biomass fuel, especially palm kernel shell / PKS, is predicted to increase, both in the domestic market and in the export market. Japan is currently the largest consumer or user of palm kernel shells and it is predicted that the demand will also increase. Japan will also impose stricter standards on imports of palm kernel shells to ensure environmental sustainability by applying the GGL (Green Gold Label) certification which will be effective starting April 2023. This is like the wood pellets with FSC certification. If anyone is interested in an economic analysis of the use of biochar in palm oil business, please contact us.  

Biochar to Increase Biogas Production

Charcoal (biochar) is the raw material for the production of activated carbon. The production of activated charcoal itself goes through two main processes, namely carbonization (pyrolysis) and activation. The surface area of charcoal (biochar) is also smaller than that of activated carbon, but larger than the raw biomass. The carbonization process increases the surface area of the raw biomass. The ratio of surface area between raw biomass, charcoal and activated charcoal is approximately 25 m2 / gram, 200 m2 / gram, 2000 m2 / gram. The larger the surface area of the biomass material that is inserted into the biogas reactor, the greater the penetration of bacteria into the substrate so that the fermentation process that occurs is more perfect so that biogas production will increase. Biochar itself does not participate in fermentation because the main component is stable carbon, while hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin have been decomposed during the carbonization process.

Another example is the addition of biomass briquettes to the biogas reactor, briquetting processs with high pressure and heat also open pores or expand the surface of the biomass, so that biogas production also increases, for more details, read here. The addition of biomass briquettes to the biogas reactor will also increase the C / N ratio, even biochar and activated charcoal have high carbon (C) content.

Charcoal (biochar) has been widely used in the agricultural world to repair damaged soil / soil amendment and thus increase fertility. Good soil fertility will also increase agricultural production. The biochar becomes a home for soil microbes, so that organic materials or compost will break down more completely and be absorbed by plants more as plant nutrients. The charcoal (biochar) pores are the home for these microbes. The more pores, the more microbes will inhabit the biochar as their “house”. The same principle applies to the biogas unit. Another bonus of using biochar is that it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, thereby contributing to lowering the greenhouse gases that cause climate change and global warming.

Research in Germany shows that adding 5% biochar to a biogas reactor increases methane production by 5% - based on the dry matter of biochar to the substrate. But when the amount of biochar became 10%, it turned out that no more methane was added. This shows that the optimum condition for adding biochar is the amount of 5%. The microbes in the biochar increase the volume of microbes in the reactor so that the production of biogas or especially methane also increases up to 5%. Biochar itself is not decomposed in the fermentation process. 

Meanwhile, the addition of biomass briquettes per 1 tonne of briquettes will increase biogas production by 400 Nm3. This is because in the biomass briquettes, both cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin have not been decomposed, thus adding to the substrate in the biogas reactor. Whereas in biochar, both cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin have been decomposed during the thermal carbonization process, so there is practically no additional substrate, but only microbial addition occurs in the biochar pores.

The important thing about the addition of biochar is that the compost or digestate produced is of better quality with the addition of the biochar. Biochar will make the compost which is produced as a slow release organic fertilizer. This further encourages biochar production, especially for palm oil companies that care about environmental issues and even strive for zero waste conditions.

 Palm oil mills have the potential to apply biogas and biochar units. Solid wastes such as empty bunches and mesocarp fiber can be used for biochar production. Palm oil mills can even replace the furnace in the boiler with a gasifier or pyrolyser. This becomes more profitable because in addition to heat energy being used for production of steam which is used for power generation and sterilization of fresh fruit, biochar will also be produced. The biochar produced is then used to increase biogas production and improve the quality of the compost, as well as a fertilizer mixture in palm oil plantations. And even the potential use of biochar to save fertilizer on large palm oil plantations, for more details can be read here.     

Production of Electricity and Charcoal from Banana Trunk Waste

Banana trees only bear fruit once. After this fruit, the banana tree dies and the trunk becomes waste. Meanwhile, banana production from the plantation is continued by its seedlings. To maintain the quality of banana production, controlling the number of banana saplings is important, especially in plantations that are professionally managed. The more banana trees, especially if the number is not controlled, the quality and quantity of bananas produced will decrease.

After the bananas are harvested, the trunks are just left in the banana plantation. Even though banana trunks can be used for electricity and charcoal production, namely by continuous pyrolysis technology. The electricity produced can be used for banana packaging production operations which are usually export-oriented and charcoal can be used to maintain the fertility of the banana plantation land itself or for fuel, for example by making briquettes. The process of removing banana trunks from the plantation should also be easy because you can take advantage of the means used to transport bananas from the plantation, of course, with a few modifications. After the banana trunks are collected in a place, then the size is reduced (downsizing) and the moisture content is reduced so that can continue processed with the pyrolysis unit.

Large banana plantations generally manage plantation covering thousands or tens of thousands hectares. With these conditions, the resulting banana trunk waste is also very large, or comparable to the banana harvest. Costa Rica is a country that is well-known as a banana producing country. In a number of countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, there are also a number of large banana plantations. By utilizing banana stem waste or adding waste from the plantation, besides overcoming environmental problems and preventing banana tree disease so that the productivity of the banana plantation is maintained, it also provides other benefits. The use of charcoal (biochar) for the banana plantation. Besides being able to save on the use of fertilizers, it will also increase the productivity of the banana fruit itself, as can also be done in oil palm plantations, for more details can be read here. A number of practices using charcoal for agriculture (biochar) can increase crop productivity by up to 40%.

Water Hyacinth Pyrolysis For Electricity And Charcoal Production

 

Map of distribution of global water hyacinth infestation

Water hyacinth has become a global concern as the most disturbing and invasive aquatic weed. The impact of water hyacinth losses covers the environment, economy and even social conditions experienced by many countries as a result of the water hyacinth attack. Economically, the losses due to water hyacinth are also very large, reaching hundreds to thousands of millions of dollars. Pyrolysis of water hyacinth for electricity and charcoal production is one solution to overcome the water hyacinth attack. In this way, it is hoped that the growth of water hyacinth can be controlled and reduce the environmental impact significantly. This is because the speed of attack from the fast growth of water hyacinth can be balanced with the speed of the biomass requirement for the pyrolysis process that produces electricity and charcoal.

The electricity generated in addition to operate or running the pyrolysis unit can also be used for various needs of the surrounding community. Meanwhile, the charcoal produced can be used for energy and agricultural applications, or in general the motivation for charcoal (biochar) production is as shown in the scheme below. And to facilitate handling both storage, transportation and use, the charcoal can be compressed / densified into pellets or briquettes. The need for energy or fuel for the surrounding community for cooking and so on, can use the charcoal that has been compressed into the pellets or briquette. If the community previously used firewood obtained from the forest illegally, then the charcoal pellet or briquette is also a solution to the problem of forest destruction.

 

The use of water hyacinth as a bioenergy is the best option and is most recommended by prominent experts and researchers around the world. Pyrolysis is one way or method of bioenergy production. It is true that water hyacinth also provides environmental benefits, namely phytoremediation, but with uncontrolled development, the aspects of the losses incurred are far greater than the benefits obtained. This requires good management so as to produce optimal benefits. In a number of cases even the water hyacinth creates silting which causes the volume and discharge of water, even though the water is used for hydroelectric power plants. This causes the hydropower plant to have less water supply and disrupt its operation. So that the use of water hyacinth for electricity production with pyrolysis will again increase the supply of electricity produced and at the same time overcome the volume and discharge of water for the hydropower plant. Basically, maintaining a balance between the environment and economic aspects must be made in such a way as to become a sustainable activity so that it is in line with the bioeconomic era. Bioeconomics is defined as knowledge-based production and using biological resources or living things to produce products, processes and services in the economic sector within the framework of a sustainable economic system.

Energy Independent With Pyrolysis

A community even in remote areas can be energy independent as long as there is an energy source in the area. Biomass energy sources from plants are energy sources that can be obtained almost anywhere. The plant can be planted as a source of raw materials for the production of energy needed. Heat and electricity energy is energy that mostly needed, in addition to energy or fuel for vehicles as a means of transportation. Heat energy is mainly needed for cooking while electrical energy for various purposes in life. Pyrolysis is a technology that can meet the energy needs as above. The diagram below explains the application of pyrolysis to meet these energy needs:

Charcoal is a solid fuel product from pyrolysis. Although solid fuels such as charcoal, are not as practical and easy as gas fuels, the use of charcoal for cooking fuel has many advantages including being safe because it will not explode, smokeless, odorless, has a high calorific value and is an environmentally friendly fuel. While firewood in addition to causing a lot of smoke, smell, low calorie value also interfere with health. Today there are also many countries in Africa that use charcoal for cooking fuel. To make it easier to use and store, the charcoal can be made into briquettes. While fuel for vehicles such as diesel oil and gasoline can be produced from biooil. Vehicles for transportation can operate in the presence of these fuels. The availability of petroleum in Indonesia, which is estimated to be 10 years away, needs to be anticipated and prepared from now on. The current low price of petroleum makes petroleum exports less attractive, especially for Indonesia, which is currently a net importer of petroleum.

Charcoal stoves are widely used in Africa

In the future era when electric vehicles are widely used, electricity production especially for battery charging is prioritized. The energy source for electric cars as environmentally friendly vehicles should also be from renewable energy sources, for more details, please read here. Biomass is a carbon neutral energy source so it does not increase the concentration of CO2 or greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Woody biomass from the energy plantation is the ideal raw material for the pyrolysis feed. Multipurpose energy plantations are the best energy plantation for this, so that in addition to sustainable production, it also provides other benefits, for more details about multipurpose energy plantations can be read here. Remote areas, especially those with large lands, will have the potential to develop these energy plantations, so that an energy independent community or region can truly be formed and sustainable. Areas in surrounding the palm oil plantations can also utilize biomass waste from palm oil mills and plantations such as palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB), fronds, etc. for the pyrolysis feed. Indonesia is the owner of the largest palm oil plantation in the world with an area of ​​around 13 million hectares and 1,000 palm oil mills. 

Advantages of Municipal Waste Processing by Pyrolysis Compared to Fluidized Bed Combustion, Incenerator, Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) and Gasification

Municipal waste is always a problem everywhere, especially in big cities. With proper processing, the municipal waste should be an attractive opportunity that has great potential. Municipal waste that amounts to thousands of tons per day needs fast handling so that it does not cause problems, moreover the waste management should require cheap investment and even benefit the waste management party. The question is what is the waste processed into, in what ways and where can it be used? Let's compare waste processing with a thermal route with various existing technologies, namely fluidized bed combustion, incenerator, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and gasification. Why are only thermal routes compared? This is because if the biological route takes a long processing time and requires a large place. In short, the biological route is not effective in overcoming the problem of municipal waste.

Basically all the thermal technologies mentioned above can be used to process municipal waste, only how effective and how economically profitable it is the topic of discussion. It really depends on the condition of each region, for example a number of major cities in Indonesia have oversupply electricity production, so that if added to electricity production it will meaningless and not absorbed. Another factor is the investment needed for waste processing equipment, which is generally still very expensive. Based on this, a solution is needed that can be suitable for a particular region. In fluidized bed combustion technology, incenerator and gasification in general is to produce electricity, even though electricity has also been oversupplied so it is not an option.

With HTC technology will produce the main product in the form of carbon material or charcoal, but HTC equipment investment is still expensive. Well, of all the thermal route technologies, continuous pyrolysis is the best choice because it produces the main product in the form of charcoal. Charcoal with the main content of carbon can be used for fuel, especially boilers in the industry. Boilers that have been using coal even from other fossil energy such as gas and petroleum can switch to using charcoal produced from municipal waste. The use of charcoal from municipal waste will certainly reduce the use of coal in particular and fossil energy in general. And the most important thing is of course to overcome the environmental problems caused by the garbage. The continuous pyrolysis units are also not centralized in one place, but can be spread more to various locations on a medium scale, for example each location to process municipal waste with a capacity of 200 tons / day. If let's say Jakarta produces 5000 tons / day of municipal solid waste every day, 25 continuous pyrolysis units are needed. To save transportation and facilitate storage and use, the charcoal product can be made of charcoal pellets or charcoal briquettes.

With the use of continuous pyrolysis, InsyaAllah the problem of municipal waste in big cities can be overcome while providing economic benefits (read: profits) for the manager companies. While the garbage problem continues to haunt and has never been resolved to this day, so an effective and solution-oriented innovation is needed to overcome it. Jakarta is the largest city in Indonesia surrounded by many industrial estates and boilers are one of the important equipment widely used by these industries. If Jakarta's waste is processed into charcoal, it can replace the fuel for the boilers. Steam power plants can also use charcoal for their fuel, for example with cofiring.