Lowland peat sediments in Indonesia has been known to be very widely spreading in accordance with the low-lying stretch of coast, but until now reserve estimates are still too rough. Shell (1983) estimates that thick peat deposits of more than 1 m which can be used as energy material includes the lowlands more than 17 million hectare spread in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya. Since the last decades of this new idea arose to build a remote area. This was confirmed by Euro consult report (1984) which among others stated that in the long run and the availability of consumer, peat mining industry as a material for generating electricity in remote areas of Indonesia will be able to compete with the power plant fuel.
1. Peat composition
Peat is the remains of plants that have been heaps of dead and later elaborated by anaerobic and aerobic bacteria into the more stable component. Apart from organic substances that form peat inorganic substances are also found in small quantities.
Peat forming in this environment is always in a state of saturated water (more than 90%). Peat-forming organic substance similar to plant in a different comparison rate in accordance with bitumen (time or resin), humus and others. The composition of organic substances is unstable depending on the process of decay, such as cellulose decomposition at early (H1-H2) as much as 15-20%, but at the level of advanced decay (H9-H10) almost does not exist.
In contrast to the cellulose in humus decomposition rate is 0-15% early, while the peat that has experienced higher weathering (H9-H10) reached 50-60%. Forming elements peat consists mainly of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O). in addition there are also the main elements of the other elements of Al, Si, S, P, Ca, etc. in other forms bound, the peat decomposition rate would increase levels of carbon (C) and lower oxygen (O).
Based on the growing environmental and peat forming in Indonesia can be divided into 2 types namely:
a. Ombrogenus the peat water content comes only from the rain, this type of peat is formed in an environment where the precipitation-forming plant that grows only during his lifetime from the rain, so the ash content is original (inherent) from
the plant itself.
b. Topogenus the peat water content derived from surface water. This type of peat was deposited from the rest of the plants that grew during his lifetime from the influence of ground water, so the levels are influenced by elements of the ash carried by the water surface.
Topogenus peat areas is more useful to agricultural land area compared with peat peat ombrogenus because topogenus contain relatively more nutrients. Both types of peat is in essence a rather difficult megaskropis be defined as a completely decay.peat composition stage of the process determining the quality and usefulness are affected by several factors such as substance prganik content, ash, bulk density, wood content, etc.
Fisher (in Supraptohardjo & Driessen, 1967) makes the classification of peat is more focused on the interests of agricultural land, which is divided peat based soil fertility as follows:
a. Eutropik (fertile)
b. Mesotropik (was)
c. Oligotropik (poor)
Furthermore also argued that Indonesia's peat lands of the fertile until bergam poor. Final classification is more emphasis on the level of maturity or the level of decomposition (in Supraptohardjo & Driessen, 1967), namely:
a. Saprik (terombak more than 66%)
b. Hemik (terombak 33-66%)
c. Fibrik (terombak less than 33%)
There is also a classification of peat decomposition by not seeing it is based on forming parent materials (Backman et al, 1969, in Endang Suarka 1988), namely:
a. Peat deposits, a mixture of water lily, herb pond, plangton, etc.
b. Teridiri fibrous peat of various kinds of grass, moss, sphagnum, etc.
c. Kayuan peat consists of trees and konifera
In addition to the above division of peat also classified as:
a. Topogen the peat peat eutropik or mesotropik
b. Ombrogen the peat peat oligotropik
2. Peat As Fuel
Some of the reasons that support the use of peat for fuel in Indonesia, among others:
a. Peat is available in a number of large reserves in the area large enough
b. Land that has been taken gambutnya can be used for agricultural land
c. Mining and processing of peat for fuel absorb labor
d. In addition to providing energy can also directly or indirectly have a good impact on the environment
3. Regional Distribution of Peat
The amount of peat areas in the world estimated at 420 million hectare, or maybe more than 500 million hectare. There peat sediments around the world who meet the conditions that allow formation of a cold climate and nature are and have high precipitation and low evaporation (Kalmari, 1982 in Endang Suarka 1988). Supraptohardjo; Driessen (1976 in Endang Suarka 1988) mentions that in the dense forest areas with high rainfall and lack of groundwater influence will shape ombrogen peat, while peat formation topogen affected groundwater. Indonesia is estimated to have reserves of peat covering 17 million ha.
These numbers make Indonesia as the country has the fourth largest peat reserves of the world after Canada's 170 million ha, 150 million ha Russian, United States 40 million ha. Supraptohardjo & Driessen (1976 in Endang Suarka 1988) describe the area of peatland in Indonesia reached 16 million ha over the details:
a. East coast of Sumatra, 9.7 million ha
b. Kalimantan 6.3 million ha
c. Others 1.3 million ha
The forecast was almost equal to the estimated Andrieese (1974) which states that the eastern region wither bio geography of lowland peat that covers 18 million ha, mainly located in the east coast of Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Sarawak and the northern coast of Brunei . Peat in the area is largely peat ombrogenous.
Source: Coal and Peat, Ir. Sukandarrumdi, MSc, PhD