Potential and Utilization of Powder Wood Waste

Human need for wood as a building material either for construction, decoration, and furniture continues to increase along with the increasing population. Demand for wood for the timber industry in Indonesia is estimated at 70 million m3 per year with an average increase of 14.2% per year while roundwood production is estimated at 25 million m3 per year, hence a deficit of 45 million m3 (Priyono, 2001). This indicates that the actual carrying capacity of the forest has been unable to meet the demand for wood.

This situation is exacerbated by the komversi natural forests into agricultural land, shifting cultivation, forest fires, harvesting practices that are inefficient and infrastructure development, which was followed by encroachment. These conditions require the use of wood efficiently and wisely, inter alia through the concept of the whole tree utilization, while increasing the use of non-wood cellulosic materials, and the development of innovative products for wood as a building material. 

Unfortunately, until recently the harvesting and processing of timber in Indonesia is still generating large volumes of waste. Ceballos et al, (1994) sets out the composition of waste in harvesting and wood processing industry are as follows: 

In timber harvesting, waste, typically in the form of logs, reaching 66.16% 
at the sawmill industry include wood waste and sawdust 10.6. Kutorejo 25.9% and 14.3% cut, with a total waste of 50.8% of the total raw material digubakan 
Waste in the plywood industry, including waste deduction of 5.6%, 0.7% sawdust, veneer wet waste 24 , 8%, 12.6% dry veneer waste remaining 11.0% peel and cut the plywood edge of 6.3%. Total waste of plywood is about 61.0% of the total raw materials used. 

Data from the Ministry of Forestry in 1999/2000 showed that Indonesia's plywood production reached 4.61 million m3 of sawn wood while reaching 2.06 million m3.Assuming the waste generated is estimated to reach 61% of the wood waste generated reached more than 5 million m3 (CBS, 2000). 

Waste Powder Wood 

Waste wood log or a piece Kutorejo has been used as the core block board and particle board raw materials. The form of sawdust waste utilization is still not optimal. 

For large industrial and integrated waste powder sawn timber has been utilized to form charcoal briquettes and charcoal are sold commercially. But for the sawmill industry small scale industrial units numbering in the thousands and scattered in the countryside, this waste is not used optimally. An example is the sawmill industry in Jambi which totaled 150 of which are located along the Batang Hari river, sawn wood waste generated is discharged to the river bank so that the process of silting and narrowing of river (Pari, 2002). 

In most of the wood processing industry waste powder wood is commonly used as furnace fuel, or burned away without the use of means, so can cause environmental pollution (Febrianto, 1999). In the framework of the efficiency of utilization of wood sawdust is necessary to be more useful products.