{"id":8209,"date":"2016-11-02T22:50:24","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T02:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/powering-the-world-one-tofu-block-at-a-time\/"},"modified":"2016-11-02T22:50:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T02:50:24","slug":"powering-the-world-one-tofu-block-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/powering-the-world-one-tofu-block-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering the World, One Tofu Block at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indonesia Makes an Environmental Commitment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consisting of over 17,000 islands[1] and ranked as the fourth most populous country in the world[2], Indonesia is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. As part of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, the Indonesian government pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29% from 2030 projected levels[3] and wants to derive a quarter of the country’s energy from renewables by 2025[4].<\/p>\n

The Potential of Tofu<\/strong><\/p>\n

A driver of greenhouse gas emissions and wastewater, Indonesia\u2019s tofu industry has the potential to shake things up. The industry consists of 84,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which are family-run businesses, clustered around the country[5]. To produce tofu, soybeans are soaked, grinded, filtered, and then added to a chemical coagulant[6]. Producing 80 kilograms of tofu requires 60 kilograms of soybeans and 2.7 liters of water[7]. In addition to using significant amounts of water, the tofu production process creates wastewater, a serious environmental pollutant[8] that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in addition to water and soil pollution[9]. In the case of the 80 kilograms of tofu, 2.6 liters of wastewater are produced[10]. Luckily, scientists have found that tofu wastewater can be fermented to produce biohydrogen[11], leading to two environmental benefits: creating an effective source of renewable fuel and reducing wastewater.<\/p>\n

Tofu Lovers Unite<\/strong><\/p>\n

This recent discovery has revolutionized Kalisari village, home to around 150 small tofu businesses[12]. In a collaboration between the tofu businesses and Indonesia’s Agency for the Assessment of Application of Technology, tofu wastewater from the businesses has been diverted to installed biodigesters, which then supply energy to household collectives to power stoves and cookers for a fixed fee[13]. Kalisari I, the first biodigester, took wastewater from 13 businesses and supplied cooking energy to 27 households[14]. Kalisari II took wastewater from seven businesses and supplied energy to 18 households[15].<\/p>\n

Prior to the project, households relied on liquefied petroleum gas, and consumed around three tanks a week[16].\u00a0 These tanks were often in short supply because of delayed deliveries due to poor logistics and road infrastructure, and three times more expensive then unlimited biogas[17]. Kalisari\u2019s tofu-powered solution has garnered the nation\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

\"Biodigesters<\/a>
Biodigesters in Kalisari<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should tofu-produced biogas gain popularity across Indonesia, the government estimates that fossil fuel consumption could be reduced by more than 56,000 tons[18]. To do so, the tofu industry and other stakeholders have more work to do:<\/p>\n

Standardize the process: <\/em>The innovation of tofu wastewater as clean fuel is promising, but as tofu businesses work with biogas cooperatives and provide fuel for households, there are risks of inefficient implementation. There should be more planning to determine how the biodigesters are geographically distributed, how much capacity each can handle, how many tofu businesses provide wastewater to each one, what the demand is for each area, how many households are in the collective, and who oversees the management of the biodigester network. In addition, decisions regarding how the distribution is run and how costs\u2014including management and repair costs, as well as any additional costs to tofu businesses\u2014will be distributed should be uniform to prevent exploitation.<\/p>\n

Popularize the process: <\/em>The success of Kalisari has gained the attention of local government officials across Indonesia, many of whom are looking to implement similar programs in their villages. Because biogas is significantly more efficient than liquefied petroleum gas, the tofu industry and government should focus on converting households. In addition, new customers should be brought in\u2014such as businesses, commercial enterprises, and developers\u2014all of whom could benefit from reduced energy costs and contribute to the Indonesian government\u2019s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Additional research should be conducted to further the potential of tofu-generated biogas by having it power electricity and other household and business needs.<\/p>\n

Find international stakeholders:<\/em> International non-profits such as the Dutch organization Hivos have noted the success of Kalisari\u2019s program[19]. Hivos, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and the SNV Netherlands Development Organization have already been collaborating in the biogas space and have created dairy cooperatives that convert animal dung into biogas and organic fertilizer[20]. Hivos has also been effective in finding private sector sponsors. For example, Nestl\u00e9 provides dairy farmers with interest-free revolving funds for biogas digesters and construction companies have provided biogas appliances[21]. International organizations such as the World Bank have financed biogas projects in many countries including Kenya, the Philippines, and Nepal[22]. Having international donors would ensure that biodigesters are made available in impoverished areas and not run by purely profit-driven private investors seeking to benefit from Indonesia\u2019s energy need.<\/p>\n

(797 words)<\/p>\n

[1] National Geographic, \u201cIndonesia Facts,\u201d http:\/\/travel.nationalgeographic.com\/travel\/countries\/indonesia-facts\/, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[2] Worldometers, \u201cIndonesia Population,\u201d http:\/\/www.worldometers.info\/world-population\/indonesia-population\/, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[3] Republic of Indonesia, \u201cIntended Nationally Determined Contribution,\u201d September 24, 2015, http:\/\/www4.unfccc.int\/submissions\/INDC\/Published%20Documents\/Indonesia\/1\/INDC_REPUBLIC%20OF%20INDONESIA.pdf, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[4] Perry, Nick. \u201cHumble Tofu Powering Indonesian Homes with Clean Energy,\u201d Phys.org<\/em>, May 13, 2016. http:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2016-05-humble-tofu-powering-indonesian-homes.html, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[5] \u201cTofu Production: A Massive Opportunity for RE Biogas in Indonesia,\u201d REEEP<\/em>, May 18, 2012, http:\/\/www.reeep.org\/news\/tofu-production-massive-opportunity-re-biogas-indonesia, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[6] Hrala, Josh. \u201cTofu is Providing Clean Energy to Residents in Indonesia.\u201d Science Alert<\/em>, May 14, 2016. \u00a0\u00a0<\/em>http:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/tofu-is-providing-clean-energy-to-residents-in-indonesia, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[7] Lay, Chyi-How et. al. “Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Tofu-Processing Wastewater by Anaerobic Hydrogen Fermentation for Onsite Energy Recovery,” Renewable Energy<\/em> 58 (2013): 60, SciVerse ScienceDirect via Elsevier, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[8] Ibid., p. 60.<\/p>\n

[9] REEEP<\/em>, \u201cTofu Production: A Massive Opportunity for RE Biogas in Indonesia.\u201d<\/p>\n

[10] Lay, Chyi-How, Renewable Energy<\/em>, p. 60<\/p>\n

[11] Ibid., p. 60.<\/p>\n

[12] \u201cIndonesian Village Powered by Clean Energy through Tofu,\u201d May 13, 2016, Agence France-Presse, \u00a0http:\/\/www.rappler.com\/world\/regions\/asia-pacific\/indonesia\/english\/132944-clean-energy-tofu-kalisari, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[13] \u201cIndonesian Tofu Industry: Generating Biogas and Building Community,\u201d REEEP<\/em>, February 1, 2013, http:\/\/www.reeep.org\/news\/indonesian-tofu-industry-generating-biogas-and-building-community, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[14] Ibid.<\/p>\n

[15] Ibid.<\/p>\n

[16] \u201cHumble Tofu Powering Indonesian Homes with Clean Energy,\u201d Channel NewsAsia, May 13, 2016, http:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/news\/asiapacific\/humble-tofu-powering\/2781898.html, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[17] Ibid.<\/p>\n

[18] REEEP<\/em>, \u201cTofu Production: A Massive Opportunity for RE Biogas in Indonesia.\u201d<\/p>\n

[19] Channel NewsAsia, \u201cHumble Tofu Powering Indonesian Homes with Clean Energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

[20] Hivos People Unlimited, \u201cIndonesia Domestic Biogas Programme,\u201d https:\/\/www.hivos.org\/activity\/indonesia-domestic-biogas-programme, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

[21] Ibid.<\/p>\n

[22] The World Bank, \u201cProjects & Operations,\u201d http:\/\/www.projects.worldbank.org\/search?lang=en&searchTerm=biogas, accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n

Photo credits: Adek Berry (AFP)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tofu wastewater emerges as a viable source of renewable energy in Kalisari. 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