Participatory Conversion of Pineapple Waste into Bioenergy Briquettes to Support a Rural Circular Economy

Abstract

Pineapple peel, crown, leaf, and stem residues generated in the Tangkit Baru agrotourism area have not been optimally utilized and are commonly left around plantations. This community engagement program aimed to strengthen farmers’ practical capacity to convert pineapple residues into bioenergy briquettes through participatory training. The program was conducted on 29 May 2025 at the Tangkit Baru Village Hall, Muaro Jambi Regency, involving 20 members of the Tangkit Pineapple Agrotourism Farmers’ Group. Activities comprised preliminary coordination, interactive education, demonstration, group practice, discussion, process observation, and oral feedback. Participants were organized into five groups and practiced feedstock drying, six-hour carbonization, grinding, mixing 200 g of pineapple-waste charcoal with 40 g of tapioca flour and 100 mL of water, molding, and five-day sun drying. All groups completed the practice sequence and produced briquette samples that retained their form after demolding. Participants identified possible group-based uses of the product; however, fuel quality and economic feasibility were not tested. The program demonstrates the practicality of hands-on training for introducing simple waste-valorization technology to a farmer group. Follow-up assistance should include standardized testing of moisture, ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon, calorific value, mechanical durability, emissions, production costs, and market feasibility before commercial production.