Implementation of the Circular Economy Model in Coconut White Copra Production

This study implemented a circular economy model in processing coconuts into white copra as the main product to achieve a zero-waste production system. Simultaneously, other fruit components, such as shells, fibers, and coconut water, are also processed into products that play a role in supporting the main product directly or indirectly. The processed products obtained were liquid smoke, charcoal briquettes, and tar. The processing of white copra was carried out in the following stages: (i) coconut meat was processed into white copra, while the shell was pyrolyzed into liquid smoke, charcoal, and tar; (ii) liquid smoke was used as a preservative for copra, (iii) charcoal was formed into charcoal briquettes which were used for pyrolysis heating, and (iv) the tar produced was used as a wood preservative. The entire series of research was conducted as a laboratory experiment. The treatment of coconut meat dipping for copra in the concentration of liquid smoke solution was arranged in a randomized block design (RCBD). The data were analyzed by ANOVA and continued with Duncan’s multiple comparisons. Meanwhile, the determination of the components of the results of peeling coconuts and the results of pyrolysis of coconut shells and fibers, as well as the characterization of liquid smoke and charcoal briquettes formed, were carried out by observational experiments. The results of this study indicate that the weight of 100 coconuts of the tall variety sample was 175.1 kg, or an average weight of 1,751 g per coconut. After peeling all the coconuts, the components of meat, shell, fiber, and fruit water were obtained, each weighing 48.9 kg, 23.2 kg, 70.6 kg, and 32.4 kg. Furthermore, 23.2 kg of shells were pyrolyzed and produced liquid smoke, charcoal, and tar of 9,126.70 g, 7,155.52 g, and 574.64 g, respectively, which was the average of three pyrolysis repetitions. Coconut shell charcoal briquettes were formed by mixing charcoal flour with tapioca and water in a ratio of 80:5:10, which formed a homogeneous mixture. The mixture was molded by a hydraulic press with a pressure of 2,000 g.cm-2. Furthermore, the test results of water content, volatile matter, ash, fixed carbon, specific gravity, compressive strength, and calorific value were 7.79%, 13.75%, 2.76%, 68.66%, 0.92 g.cm-3, and 64.22 kg.cm-2, 6,521 caL.g-1, respectively. All the results of the charcoal briquette test parameters met Indonesian and Japanese Standards. In the processing of coconut meat, 25.67 kg of white copra was obtained, which was treated with 12.5% liquid smoke with a quality equivalent to the results of sulfur fumigation, namely, free from fungal infection and the highest oil yield and copra brightness. The results of this study provide new findings that, from one coconut of the tall variety, 489 g of coconut meat and 232 g of shell were produced. From the shell, 91.13 g of liquid smoke and 82.15 g of charcoal briquettes were produced, and 26.67 g of white copra was produced as the main product. This study provided new findings on the circular economy model and the principle of zero waste in white copra production, with the fact that each tall coconut variety produced 489 g of coconut meat and 232 g of shell. From the shell, 91.13 g of liquid smoke and 82.15 g of charcoal briquettes were produced, and 26.67 g of white copra was produced as the main product. This evidence provided new enthusiasm in the business of producing white copra that is financially profitable and sustainable. This study opens up many further studies and studies on the circular economy and zero waste, especially in the processing of coconut products, for example, in the coconut oil, desiccated coconut, brown sugar, and virgin coconut oil industries etc. In addition, it does not rule out the possibility of research accompanied by financial studies.