Green Carbon in a sustainable

way for developing countries

Dr. Willie Smits, Masarang Foundation

Smart energy for a sustainable future
Session on “Future Energy Supply”
BASF, Ludwigshafen, March 10th-2015
 Vinod Khosla

 "What is needed is something that replaces base-

load coal technology. Unless technology does
that, it's not competitive.”
 "Today's unimaginable is tomorrow's
conventional wisdom."
 Today’s Presentation
• Assessing the true potential of biomass based
energy with special focus on sugar palms

• Looking at sustainability issues in triple P

terms for reforestation in developing nations

• Practical example of a large scale commercial

operation based upon these approaches
 Biomass Based Energy
• The 1% photosynthesis efficiency theory
• The photosynthesis process is influenced by:
– Light intensity
– CO2 concentration
– Temperature
• Other factors determining plant productivity:
– Method of photosynthesis (eg. C3 vs C4)
– Water and nutrient availability
– Pests and diseases
Productivity of Corn in Temperate Zones
30

25

20
15
10
5
0

Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Productivity of Corn in Tropical Zones
30

25

20
15
10
5
0

Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Productivity of a Sugar Palm Forest
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Inefficient Monocultures
 Kumelembuai, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Mixed sugar palm forest on steep slopes.
Furniture
Wood

Fruit
Construction Trees
Timber Fuel
Bamboo
Wood

Sugar
Food/
Palms
Energy/ Spices
Medicines
Fodder Bamboo
 Temperate vs Tropics
Temperate Zones Tropics
Photosynthesis Seasonal growth Year round growth
Low sunlight intensity High sunlight intensity
C4 less efficient C4 optimal

Agriculture vs Forest
Corn or Sugar Cane
Photosynthesis Wasting light/energy
Nutrients Depleting resources
Pesticides Long lasting, dangerous
Sugar Palm
Optimal light utilization
Natural recycling
No pesticide need at all
Zone of Maximum Productivity
(Most Solar Radiation/Rainfall)

The Green Belt of the World

and zone with most available

land and most people in need
 Sugar Palm Biomass Based Energy
Other
• The 1%factors determining
photosynthesis plant productivity:
efficiency theory
Method of photosynthesis (eg. C3 vs C4)
• The photosynthesis process is influenced by:
Water and nutrient availability
– Light
Pestsintensity
and diseases
– CO2 concentration
LAI (Leaf Area Index)
Harvest Index
– Temperature
Energy conversion efficiency
 How is the 1% efficiency calculated?

Wh=S* εi* εc*η

in which Wh = Harvested Yield

S = Total solar energy

εi = Interception efficiency

εc = Conversion efficiency

η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

 The case of the Sugar Palm
εi = Interception efficiency
interception efficiency depends upon the speed of canopy
closure, plant canopy size and plant architecture.

• Once a forest canopy is present, a fully developed

photosynthetic apparatus is always present (no more
growing investment phase like with agricultural crops)

• With a high LAI (>6.5 for sugar palm vs. 3.0 for most trees
and crops) and more efficient light capture, combined
with special leaf arrangement εi is very high
 Many years of
field experiments

Sugar palm forest

 The case of the Sugar Palm
εi = Interception efficiency
interception efficiency depends upon the speed of
canopy closure, plant canopy size and architecture.

εc = Conversion efficiency
Conversion efficiency depends upon the method
of photosynthesis (C3/C4) and respiration rates

• Sugar palms have C4 photosynthesis

• Respiration is extremely low due to absence of
maintenance growth after start of production
 Combining the positive aspects of
trees and energy crops like corn

Once fully grown & flowering Hapaxanthic male For new harvestable fruit
all energy goes to to the fruit inflorescences new leaves need to form
 The case of the Sugar Palm
εi = Interception efficiency
interception efficiency depends upon the speed of
canopy closure, plant canopy size and architecture.

εc = Conversion efficiency
Conversion efficiency depends upon the method
of photosynthesis (C3/C4) and respiration rates

η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

The harvest index indicates how much of the plant
material can be converted to utilizable energy
 η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

For the best corn this is about 55% of the above ground
biomass, so η being 0.55, with little room for improvement.
• A sugar palm can produce many times the harvestable
biomass compared to its own dry weight infrastructure
Note: For an individual tree the tapping takes place over almost three years and
with a life span of 10 years η is only slightly higher but as forest much more!

160 Leaf biomass 5 Inflorescences

280 Stem biomass 16 Liter/day
105 Root biomass 12% Sugar Content
135 Fruit biomass 200 Tapping Days
680 Total Mass (kg) 1920 Total Sugar (kg)
 In addition
• From sugar palms we do not harvest
organs and the output is sucrose, a very
efficient energy carrier

• Sugar palms have very deep roots and

need little water and can maintain
photosynthesis where other trees
experience a midday photosynthetic
depression period
 No removal of organs!
Just tapping Water & Sugar

Sugar Palms
add nutrients
to soil

All other biofuel crops

remove nutrients
so always need fertilizer
Root system Root system
of a 1 year old of a 3 year old
sugar palm sugar palm
Roots more than 6 meter deep!

Root length 9 m
 A Sweet Sustainable Solution : The Sugar Palm

CO2
CO2

CO2 CO2 Production:

O2
CO2 Energy equivalent
O2 of 82 Barrels Oil
per hectare/year !

Masarang

The Basic Principle: And by pumping up nutrients to the

Convert solar radiation energy surface improving overall vegetation
into storable chemical energy growth and overall carbon storage
 Differences in Energy yielded per hectare per year
for various crops (tonnes biodiesel equivalent)

14,0

12,0

10,0

8,0

6,0

4,0

2,0

-
Linen Rape Seed Soya Maize Sugar Beet Sugar Cane Cocos Oil Palm Jatropha Sugar Palm
 Calculation for Sugar palm productivity:
Description Amount Unit
Number of adult producing trees per 70 Trees/ha
hectare at any moment
Daily production of sugary juice 13 Liters/day/tre
e
Sugar concentration in juice 11 Percent
Sugar production per hectare per 36,5 Ton/ha/yr
year
Ethanol production per hectare per 19 Ton/ha/yr
year (0.52 conversion from sugar)
Note: 19 ton of ethanol = 24.000 liters
(Calculation based upon data compiled from various studies by dr.ir. Willie Smits)
 Note: WUR, Technical University Berlin and Indonesian
Sciences Institute all found much higher values…

Teguh Wikan Widodo, Elita R., and A. Asari

Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development (ICAERD)
Situgadung, Legok, Tromol Pos 2 Serpong, Tangerang, Banten 15310 Indonesia

27
 Six independent assessments done
November 2011
 Sustainability
Oil Palm
(Elaeis guineensis)
• Leading to carbon emissions
• Leading to deforestation
• 5 tons of biodiesel/ha/yr
• Monoculture
• Needs fertilizers/pesticides
• Soil depletion
• Watershed pollution
• Rivers disrupted
• Coral reefs affected
• Few and poor jobs (0.11/ha/yr)
• Mechanization under way
• Causes many local conflicts
vs. Sugar Palm
(Arenga pinnata)
• Carbon sequestration
• Protecting forests
• 19 tons of ethanol/ha/yr
• Mixed forest/Biodiversity
• No fertilizers/pesticides
• Soil improvement
• Improved water supplies
• Rivers flow regular
• No downstream problems
• Many (2.14) all year round jobs
• Non mechanizable
• Brings communities together
 Looking at the whole green carbon picture

Land Energy/ha Water Pesticide Species Food Labor Climate Planting Processing

High High Low No Diverse Security Permanent Carbon Once All Year
Availability Demand Positive

Low Low High Yes Mono Conflict Seasonal Carbon Many X Seasonal
Availability Demand Negative

Corn Sugar Cane Palm Oil Sugar Palm

Even after one year under
water still producing!
Surviving Fires

3 months after fire

6 months after fire
 Volcano
resistant !!!

Sole Survivor…
By the way… 17th July, 2011
and October th
12 , 2012
 Built-in biological
control through
symbiosis with ants
Physical and Biological Protection
Sugar palms need a mixed forest

All sugar palms from same mother tree and same age
Only those closer to trees growing healthy and better
Producing
Palm Palm that soon
will produce
Tapping is manual and labor intensive
Palms have to be tapped twice a day.
Each day 1 mm is sliced off
After 40 minutes the 10-17% sugary juice
reaches maximum dripping speed
After 12 hours the speed gets less
Other Sugar Palm
Products:

• Fruits
• Fibers
• Medicines
• Sago (starch)
• Palm Heart
• Honey
• Fuel wood
• Timber
• Scent material
• Orchid media
• Packing material
• Etc., etc.
 8 year old mixed Sugar Palm Forests
protecting the steep Masarang slopes
 The practical application

• The company manages almost half a million acres of severely

degraded forest in East Kalimantan.

• After the closure of the wood industry many people became

jobless, causing a lot of land pressure.

• In this area the company is establishing a giant zero waste system to

produce fossil fuel replacements and various other sustainable
products.

• All of this while creating sustainable jobs, food security, clean water
provision and biodiversity protection
What about combining restoring forests, plus additional permanent
carbon storage in soil and improved growth of the forest, with ethanol
as well as fossil fuel coal replacements and production of drop in jet
fuel from waste within 2 years from start…?
Flow of Carbon, Energy & Nutrients

Mobile Adam
Retort

Dead Wood,
Biochar
Tree Stumps
& Roots

Heat
Leaves/twigs/bark
are spread to keep
nutrients in forest
Felling,
cutting, Wood
Chips
debarking,
chipping
Torrefaction Product Flows
Heat for Own Use
Drying, Power for in ITCI
Evaporation, Own Need Forest Camp
Distillation Electricity Gasifier

Syngas for
Jet-fuel
Torrefaction LNG
Pellets Fuel

Nutrient
Recovery

Export
Electricity Pellets

Income
Balikpapan
Villages
Generation
 Classical Forestry
Short Rotations 5-8 year (Timber Estates)
Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation

Long Rotations 35 year (Natural Forest Management)

Long Rotation

Mixed Recipes
Long Rotation
Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation

1 2 3
 Sengong/ Aren Agathis
Jabon/dll

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
Cassava Animal Feed Palm Fibres Palm Fruits
Jobs in land preparation, planting, maintenance Tapping of palms
Torrefaction Torrefaction Torrefaction
Materials Materials Materials

Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 Year 14 Year 15 Year 16 Year 17 Year 18 Year 19 Year 20
Maintenance Maintenance Rattan
Aren Rattan Resin
Wood Torrefaction & Resin Torrefaction
Materials Materials

Year 21 Year 22 Year 23 Year 24 Year 25

Agathis
Wood
Capturing nutrients
through cassava
Cassava Planting was started on 12 March 2013

70 days

21 Mei, 2013
 103 days

> 2 meters high!

23 Juni, 2013
 103 days

Mr. Subrata

Food
Tree Sugar Palm 23 June, 2013
After only 100/300 days already energy and food
security with 20 ton/ha and a new forest starting

23 Juni, 2013
After 223 days 100 ton/ha
 Torrefaction
pellets
Degraded
Forests
Other
Products Year 1
Biochar

Starch

Wood/Biochar Food/Fuel

Year 25 Year 3-
6

How to start up Sugar/Wood

the permanent
production cycle Year 7-
10
Diverse other non-timber income sources

• Bird nests • Biochar

• Forest Honey • Carbon Credits
• Ornamentals • Damar/Resin
• Nutrients • Medicines
• Rocks • Eco-Tourism
• Fish/Meat • Electricity
• Plant media • Drinking Water
• Starch • Etc.
 Nutrients
• Are key to high
productivity and
sustainability
• For plants, animals
and human health
• Are a big cost factor
and scarce product
• Can become a
valuable income
• ITCI can obtain them
from various sources
 Fertilizer Production
From Forest From former From Cities
wood Industry
Sea
Litter Wood
NPK

Mud Mud Mg

Various Recipes
Ash Azolla Hair Local needs

Fish
Rock Waste
Compost
Outside sales
Night Night
Guano Soil Soil

Sea Animal
Peat Weed Manure Plus BioChar!
Torr Jelly
Shoots Nutr. Fish
 with biochar
& fertilizer
with compost

without fertilizer

Left Cassava with compost

Right with biochar and compost
Without both virtually no growth!

Above chillies
 Significant
improvements
Tomatoes with and without
biochar 1.000,0

120,0 800,0

100,0

80,0
600,0
+400%
400,0
60,0
200,0
40,0

20,0 -
16. Apr 21. Apr 26. Apr 01. Mai
-
20. Feb 02. Mrz 12. Mrz 22. Mrz 01. Apr 11. Apr 21. Apr Harvest with biochar Harvest with compost only

Corn with and without biochar 200,0

70,0 180,0
160,0
60,0
140,0
50,0 120,0

40,0
100,0 +700%
80,0
30,0 60,0
20,0 40,0
20,0
10,0
-
- 0 1 2 3 4
20. Feb 02. Mrz 12. Mrz 22. Mrz 01. Apr 11. Apr 21. Apr
Harvest with biochar Harvest without biochar
Added Benefits
From smoke condensate:

– Wood vinegar (for

compost, germination,
as biodegradable
herbicide)

– Wood tar (for

preserving less durable
wood and poles in
ground)
 CO2 Dynamics as influenced by the
new ITCI Multi-System Silviculture
H2O • More biodiversity
> C-store in forest
> fish and meat
• Better forest
Food > rainfall >
forest growth >
Biodiversity Forest Water C-store in forest
• More Biochar
Wood > 40 tons C stored/ha
Torrefaction > tree growth/biomass
Pellets Biochar > C-store in forest
> nutrient retention
 Fossil  40 tons  Products • Torrefaction pellets
Fuel Need CO2 stored storing C in > Fossil Fuel Reduction
Reductions per hectare wood • Sugar Palm & Cassava
& >biomass > biofuels C savings
> efficient protein
So: “Money does grow on trees”
Forest Factory, Money Machine
From selling air,
rain and sunlight!
 Chances for
Everyone
"There is still time and there are still opportunities to clear up the mess man has created."