SIG to plant red calliandra for biomass fuel

SIG's Corporate Secretary, Vita Mahreyni, has explained that currently his company is increasing the use of alternative fuels as environmentally-friendly new renewable energy through the planting of more than 143,000 red calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus) trees.

Red calliandra has the potential to be used as carbon-neutral biomass-based alternative energy. “Red calliandra not only has a beautiful appearance but is also rich in benefits. This plant from Guatemala is the best raw material for wood pellets because red calliandra wood can produce calories of 4700kkl," Mr Mahreyni said. 

CO₂ emissions from calliandra wood pellets are eight times lower than gas fuel, and 10 times lower than coal and oil fuels. The trees are being planted in the reclamation area of the Tuban cement plant, East Java, and several locations in West Sumatra, as a substitute for coal in cement production at the Tuban  and Indarung plants.

From February to April 2023, as many as 10,000 red calliandra seedlings have been planted in a 15.7ha area at the Tuban plant and it is hoped they can be harvested next year, or when the trees are one year old. In the first year, the harvest can only be done once. "Meanwhile, in subsequent years, the harvest can be done every six months or twice a year. If each tree can produce around 5kg of stems, then a total of 50t of stems will be obtained in one harvest and can be used as bait for burning in cement kilns. Meanwhile, the leaves, which are high in protein, can be used as animal feed in the Kambang Semi Ecopark," Mr Maheyrni explained.

Meanwhile, the planting of red calliandra in West Sumatra was carried out by a subsidiary of SIG, PT Semen Padang. During the period July 2022 to April 2023, 133,111 calliandra trees were planted on a land area of up to 13ha, spread across 13 regencies/cities, especially around the Social Forestry area and are expected to start harvesting in the 3Q23.

SIG has set an ambitious target of reducing carbon emissions by 515kg CO₂/t cement equivalent in 2030. Creative breakthroughs such as the calliandra plant is key to achieve this target. SIG will ensure that decarbonisation efforts occur in its entire supply chain, not just in terms of raw materials.