@ green | MARCH-APRIL , 2023
Optimising biomass potential
JTS Group aims to address sustainability issues in agriculture industry with biochar
BY FATIHAH MANAF
Tridansh Bahadur Pandey and Ramkripal Pandey .
Tridansh Bahadur Pandey
IN 2022 , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) released a report titled “ Climate Change 2022 : Mitigation of Climate Change ,” which explored the potential of biochar in mitigating climate change . The report highlighted that biochar , a form of charcoal derived from biomass , can sequester up to 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 annually .
JTS Group is fully committed to tackling climate change as a corporation that greatly emphasises environmental sustainability . It recognises the significance of managing biomass resources sustainably and responsibly .
The Group ’ s subsidiaries , Taiyo Biomass Sdn Bhd and JTS Optimax Sdn Bhd are dedicated to optimising the potential of biomass , with particular attention on resources generated by the agriculture industry .
Taiyo Biomass serves as a hub and service provider for managing palm kernel shells ( PKS ), emphasising traceability and data collection . At the same time , JTS Optimax is the driving force behind JTS Group ’ s research and development ( R & D ) initiatives , including the biochar project .
Tridansh Bahadur Pandey , JTS Group ’ s Research and ESG Director , emphasised that the company ’ s R & D efforts are primarily dedicated to exploring the potential of biomass and its conversion into valuable products such as biochar and other carbon dioxide sequestering products .
He noted that the sources of biomass generated from the agriculture industry vary depending on the region and the country . In Malaysia , biomass predominantly comes from cocoa , rubber , rice or palm industries .
“ We have been focusing on biomass waste for a long time and exploring ways to address both the haze issue and climate change ,” said Tridansh .
“ Dry biomass is a primary contributing factor for haze or forest fires , which can occur due to environmental conditions . Dry biomass can be from anywhere ( dead forest vegetation or agriculture ), and we want to reduce biomass burnt or generated by human activities from being one such source . Our research aims to develop a solution . We have worked on this for the past 15 to 20 years .”
He shared that Ramkripal Pandey , the founder of JTS Group , was approached by the Department of Environment ( DOE ) to address the biomass issue in the early 2000s . After that , Ramkripal Pandey began researching and developing a partial solution before venturing into the e-waste business .
“ This solution involved processing biomass into biochar , which was still in its nascent stage then , and there wasn ’ t much development in this field yet . This was back when climate change or carbon credits were starting to come into focus ,” Tridansh added .
CREATING A GREENER AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY
Ramkripal said : “ Looking at the statistics , the largest volume of biomass comes from the agriculture industry . We proceeded with handling the empty fruit bunches ( EFBs ). EFB is quite different from other biomass - very fibrous , containing 40 to 50 per cent water .”
“ Logistics is a big issue because we are transporting water , not only biomass . We tried to take the challenge , and we ’ re still trying to solve that problem – hoping to help the palm oil industry become greener and to reduce its carbon footprints .”
He pointed out that in newsreels or articles , agriculture biomass burning was often observed during the haze issue in Southeast Asia , making them one of the most challenging biomass to deal with . Despite working on it for 15 years , the Group is still searching for a solution to make it economically viable .
In the beginning , Ramkripal considered converting EFBs into fuel . However , if considering carbon sequestering , it was not a feasible option . Later , the current team discovered that biochar could be a viable solution .
He highlighted that biomass management , including EFBs , had become increasingly essential in the palm oil industry in response to new regulations and market demands for sustainability .
Ramkripal said : “ The market wants to see a greener industry , demanding less clearing of rainforests , etc . Our target is to re-green the agriculture industry . Take the generated biomass , and put it back into the soil to make the soil better so that the yield becomes better . By making the industry greener , we can enhance the marketability of the final product .”