What do you think this lumpy stuff is? This is the residue left over after the disposal of human excrement. It is in the form of compost, but it is not used and is left nearby. The people at this facility use it to plant tomatoes and other plants, which grow very well. Because of the history of using human waste as fertiliser in Japan and China, people are not afraid to use this kind of organic fertiliser made from human waste for their crops. For this reason, organic fertilisers from biogas facilities in China are still used in agriculture today.
There is not a history of using human waste as fertiliser in Indonesia, so many people are not comfortable using such compost-like materials in agriculture. In the first place, using fertiliser is not common in many parts of Indonesia, which is why slash-and-burn agriculture was created.
Yesterday, I mentioned that the rate of deforestation in Indonesia is decreasing. By converting the residue from manure treatment plants into organic fertiliser, we could help properly treat manure, revitalise agriculture, and reduce deforestation more. If methane gas can be successfully captured in the process, this could help reduce firewoods and provide renewable energy in biogas. Suppose you're not keen on using human waste for fertiliser. In that case, you can also use the residue to improve the land for farming by adding biochar from the residue to the mix and allowing more micro-organisms to live there.
It's all good, so we're thinking about how we can make the best use of these steps.
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