Recovery of solid waste as refuse derived fuel (RDF) to develop urban waste management through community empowerment

Abstract Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is a solid waste processing technology that converts waste into fuel using its calorific value. Solid waste can be processed into RDF as briquettes in a smaller-scale society. Kalisalak Village, located in Batang District, Batang Regency, has the potential to utilize dry leaf waste into bio briquettes as a substitute for LPG gas for cooking. More than 80% of the Batang Regency area is agricultural land, so there is a lot of organic solid waste, especially dry leaves. This study aims to develop the potential of RDF as an alternative waste processing method to produce high-value products through community empowerment. The activity stages consist of field surveys, product prototype making, outreach and training for the community, and monitoring. The RDF process adopts a thermal method in processing waste due to its efficiency in recovering waste into renewable energy in a relatively short time. Dried leaf waste will go through a bio-drying process to reduce the water content by increasing its calorific value, thus producing waste with a lower water content. The bio-drying process is carried out using simple tools easily obtained by the local community. The resulting RDF bio briquette product can be sold and used as charcoal fuel.