Development of IoT-Based Platform for Biomass Utilization Toward Low-Carbon Economic Society: Case of Oil Palm Residue

The global effort to mitigate the climate change effect leads to the transformation of society toward a low-carbon economy. Biomass residue has been marked to have a potential contribution to this society and is increasingly considered for its utilization to substitute fossil fuels. Biomass residue has potential applications for various valorization purposes, such as fertilizer, ethanol, and electricity. The use of information technology such as IoT has been recognized for accelerating the effort on biomass utilization. This study proposes an IoT-based platform to evaluate the potential biomass utilization from oil palm residue in Indonesia. The proposal is based on the currently underdeveloped prototype for oil palm residue utilization, to be integrated with other available tools. The platform is proposed by considering the theoretical conversion of biomass by considering their nutrient content (NPK), cellulose-hemicellulose-lignin content, and calorific value. The theoretical conversion refers to available literature that can be modified later by a user based on field or laboratory data. It is expected that by using the platform, stakeholders such as farmers, industrial practitioners, and policymakers can perform a simulation to explore the best potential utilization of biomass to help reduce environmental impact in the future.