Biochar Case Study: Asosiasi Biochar Indonesia Internasional (ABII)
Our Case Studies series demonstrates real biochar projects around the world from IBI members who are making an impact.
Every year, millions of tons of leaves and agricultural waste accumulate across Indonesia.
Most of this biomass is burned in the open, which fills the air with smoke, releases greenhouse gases, and causes serious environmental problems and public health risks. Leaf litter are an abundant source of biomass containing organic components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which can be converted into activated carbon through a pyrolysis process, yielding a product known as biochar (bio-charcoal). However, what if this waste could become one of the country’s most valuable resources?
This question underlies the work of the Indonesian International Biochar Association (ABII), an organization dedicated to converting agricultural and organic waste into biochar. The ABII initiative transforms abundant tropical waste into a strategic soil amendment while addressing several environmental challenges. By reducing open burning, it has improved soil fertility, enhanced water retention, and promoted long-term carbon storage. Biochar demonstrates how waste can serve as a sustainable solution for agriculture, climate change mitigation, and the development of carbon markets.
The Origins and Growth of ABII
The initiative began in 2023 with the recognition that Indonesia possesses substantial biomass potential but lacks a national platform capable of bringing together government, academia, industry, farmers, and researchers to develop biochar in an integrated manner. The Indonesian International Biochar Association (ABII) was subsequently established and officially launched on 7 July 2025 in Jakarta.
ABII was founded as a collaborative platform to promote the use of biochar for sustainable agriculture, soil health, carbon emission reduction, and climate change mitigation. Indonesia has considerable potential to become a global center for biochar technology and market development, given its abundant biomass from the agricultural and forestry sectors. An organization was therefore needed to unify these efforts and accelerate the development of a national biochar ecosystem that extends to the international level.
ABII’s principal founder is Hashim Djojohadikusumo, a prominent Indonesian businessman and the younger brother of the current President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. From its inception, ABII’s mission has been to promote this carbon-rich material as a sustainable means of managing agricultural waste, restoring degraded soils, and mitigating climate change. Although it was established only recently, ABII has grown from a small environmental initiative into a nationally recognized organization with strong government support, and it plays an important role in Indonesia’s climate and agricultural strategies.
During its first decade, ABII established itself as a leading platform for biochar research, knowledge sharing, and technology development in Indonesia. The association promotes efficient pyrolysis techniques and seeks to build a scientific basis for the practical application of biochar across various agricultural systems. To strengthen its research capacity, ABII has formed collaborative partnerships with leading academic institutions, including the School of Life Sciences and Technology at Institut Teknologi Bandung (SITH ITB) and IPB University, where researchers evaluate the effectiveness of biochar in soil remediation, crop productivity, and sustainable land management.
As the organization has developed, its work has increasingly influenced national agricultural policy. In early 2026, ABII supported the formulation and launch of Indonesia’s official national guidelines for biochar application, which aim to improve soil quality and rice production. In addition to shaping national strategy, the association encourages decentralized research by supporting small-scale, community-based projects. One example is the leaf litter pyrolysis initiative led by Fahruddin, a lecturer at Hasanuddin University, who has been conducting extensive research on leaf litter-derived biochar since 2024 through the Thematic Research Group (TRG) Biochar for Environmental Sustainability at Hasanuddin University. His work explores affordable, locally adaptable methods of biochar production to help smallholder farmers improve soil health while reducing agricultural waste.
University, Indonesia, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia.
Biochar Specifications and Characteristics
Biochar is produced from agricultural residues and organic biomass, including leaf litter, through controlled low-temperature pyrolysis at laboratory scale, in order to optimize process parameters and product quality before scaling up. Production has since been extended to a scale suitable for direct application in the rehabilitation of marginal land, particularly acidic soils, although it remains limited to small-scale operations using drum-based pyrolysis units. This condition allows researchers to optimize the process before transitioning to industrial-scale production.
| Specification | Details |
| Feedstock | Organic residues, including unscreened mixed-size leaf waste and plant biomass |
| Production Process | moderate-temperature pyrolysis |
| Pyrolysis Temperature | 300-400°C |
| Residence Time | 1-2 hours |
| Current Operational Scale | Micro/Laboratory scale |
| Processing Capacity | Less than 500 mL of biomass per minute |
| Primary Objective | Optimize production parameters before scaling to industrial production |
To ensure product reliability, ABII follows internal quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols while aligning its work with Indonesian National Standards for Agriculture. The resulting biochar is characterized using advanced analytical techniques, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to examine surface morphology, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify chemical functional groups, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) to determine elemental composition, and Surface Area Analysis (SAA) to evaluate porosity and adsorption capacity. These analyses help verify that the biochar meets the physical and chemical properties required for agricultural applications.
Despite its technical progress, ABII continues to face several research and development challenges. High production costs remain the principal obstacle to commercial-scale implementation, while the pyrolysis process requires specialized equipment and trained personnel to operate effectively.
Additionally, further research is needed to establish standardized field application methods that maximize biochar’s agronomic benefits across different soil types and crops. Moving forward, ABII’s primary objective is to support the initiative and facilitate the advancement of biochar research, innovation, and market development in Indonesia, with the aim of scaling up the sector and promoting broader adoption of biochar solutions.
How ABII Thinks
ABII’s commitment to advancing biochar extends beyond scientific research to fostering collaboration among researchers, farmers, policymakers, and industry leaders. The association emphasizes that knowledge sharing and collective action are essential for scaling the product’s technologies and maximizing their environmental and agricultural benefits.
This collaborative vision was further reinforced by Phil Rickard, Executive Director of the Indonesian International Biochar Association (ABII), who highlights the technology’s potential to address both climate change and food security:
“Capturing carbon inside biochar can help us achieve the critical goal of removing billions of tons of CO₂ annually by 2030. Indonesia alone has at least 200 million tons of crop residue that can be turned into biochar and then put back into the soil to help improve crop yields and farmers’ livelihoods.”
What Lies Ahead
Biochar represents far more than an alternative method of waste management; it is a versatile and sustainable technology with the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental and agricultural challenges.
Beyond improving soil fertility and crop productivity, biochar enhances the performance of construction materials such as concrete and asphalt, serves as a feed additive that promotes animal health, purifies air and water by adsorbing pollutants, regulates humidity, and supports beneficial microbial activity. Because it can be produced locally from agricultural and organic residues, it reduces transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions while transforming waste into a valuable resource.
The work of ABII demonstrates how scientific research, collaboration, and innovation can accelerate the adoption of biochar as a practical solution for sustainable development. Through research partnerships, national implementation guidelines, and community-based initiatives, ABII has laid the foundation for expanding its production throughout Indonesia.
Unlike many climate technologies that are still developing, biochar is already being implemented by farmers, researchers, and industries around the world. As ABII continues to advance biochar research and support the development of the biochar market in Indonesia, biochar has the potential to become a cornerstone of the circular economy, demonstrating that agricultural waste can be transformed into a resource that benefits the environment, strengthens food security, and continues to guide us into a more sustainable future.