An Alternative Way For Reducing Potential Fuel

WoodVinegarMinistry of Environtment and Forestry

Republic of Indonesia

Currently, mainstreaming on forest and land fire prevention in Indonesia becomes a key agenda to tackle the forest and land fire problem. One of main focus on forest and land fire prevention is how to increase community awareness regarding land preparation without burning practices. This effort is in line with community needs to conduct eco-friendly and low-cost land preparation.

One of innovation which is currently developed by Manggala Agni (Forest and Land Fire Brigades-Ministry of Environment and Forestry) is biomass utilization through utilize crops or plantation or wood residue into wood vinegar, if the residue does not well managed, then those residues potentially become combustible fuel. Wood vinegar is liquid product that produced from condensation process of charcoal production. In the scale of field practice, the utilities of wood vinegar are as follows:

1. Additional fertilizer for agriculture and plantation

Wood vinegar contains chemical compound which dominated by acid that are useful for fertilizing the soil by increasing the soil fertility though increasing microbe, spurring growth, strengthening root system, improving quality, increasing fruit productivity, and reducing the diseases and pests.

2. Coagulation material in the natural rubber industry

In the natural rubber production, it is used for rubber thickener to replace formic acid. Wood vinegar acts as an anti-bacterial agent that inhibits the growth of bacteria that consume protein thus preventing odor and increasing plasticity.

3. Farm disinfectant Wood vinegar is used by farmers as a

disinfectant for farms. Wood vinegar serves as an agent capable of suppressing harmful bacteria growth so that reduces odor and improves the health of the farm environment.

Wood VinegarAn Alternative Way For Reducing Potential Fuel

WORK PROCEDURES

1. Drying process Raw materials such as wood or bamboo are cut

into size of 15-20 cm, coconut shell, litter, sawdust is dried under the sun until dried out.

2. Raw material preparation Put the dried raw materials into the drum and set

to tight

3. Burning Process± Burning air outlet parts with twigs / wood

± After the fire is turning on and it is expected not extinguish, the kiln can be closed and the chimney is nstalled

± The process is considered to be complete when the number of smokes coming out of the ring is thinning and the color is bluish.

4. Cooling ± The stove is cooled parallel to the ground

and the chimney is covered with paper or cloth that has been soaked in water.

± The smoke that comes out through the bamboo will naturally cool and produce liquid that will flow through the pipe and accumulated in the jerry can.

± The process takes 8-10 hours and will produce 8-10 kg of charcoal with 9-12 liters of wood vinegar.

Currently, Manggala Agni develops wood vinegar with a variety of ingredients/raw materials and it is being tested in sample plots in Daops (Local Fire Station). Some Daops which has developed a sample plot test namely Daops Pontianak and Daops Ketapang in West Kalimantan, Daops Kota Jambi and Daops Bukit Tempurung in Jambi, Daops Ogan Komering Ilir in South Sumatra, Daops Banjar in South Kalimantan and Daops Kapuas in Central Kalimantan. In the development process, Manggala Agni was supported by the Research and Development Agency of MoEF and several parties, one of which was PT. Pupuk Kaltim.

Success in the development of wood vinegar can be an alternative solution for reducing burnt material in land preparation, providing benefits to farmers and cattleman as well as being an option to improve the local community's incomes by marketing wood vinegar products.

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Raw materials for wood vinegar come from plantation biomass waste, including: coconut shells, oil palm bunches, durian fruit peels, etc. Biomass waste from forestry includes: sawdust, litter, small wood, bambo, bark, etc. In addition, raw materials for wood vinegar can also be obtained from the remaining harvest such as rice husk and corn cobs. The equipment that is used in making wood vinegar could be: drums, bamboo, buckets, jerry cans, tubes, hoses, etc.

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