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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

Technical study of small-scale coconut husk decomposing

equipment to reduce coconut husk waste in North Sulawesi

D Tooy*, I A Longdong and T F Lolowang

Agricultural Engineering Study Program, Agricultural Technology Department,
Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi University, Jl. Kampus Unsrat Kleak Manado,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

E-mail:*dtooy@unsrat.ac.id

Abstract. Coconut in North Sulawesi are known to produce food products from coconut flesh.
However, coconut husks which is 35% of the whole coconut, is still considered waste for
farmer groups. In some areas the husk is thrown away or burned. When it is burned the
problems faced by the people around the area, some complain about the smoke generated. This
study aims to study how to utilize the coconut husk to become a more useful product and to
study and test the manufactured equipment to process coconut husk become coconut fiber and
coconut peat. The study showed that the equipment is very promising to produce cocopeat and
coconut fiber in small scale sector and very potential to reduce husk waste in the field. The
products can be made to other derivative products that have economic value and to avoid
smoke problems due to environmental smoke due to burned the coconut husk.

1. Introduction
Indonesia is the world's largest coconut grower, with smallholder farmers dominating the industry
(99.04 percent). In 2018, the total area of coconut was 3,417,951 hectares, generating around 14.3
billion nuts or 2.84 million metric tons of copra per year [1]. The principal form of coconut, coconut,
and copra, as well as processed and derivative products, are all exported. The value of Indonesian
coconut exports increased by 16.74 percent each year on average between 2010 and 2019. Because
coconut is seen as nutritious food, there is a strong desire to shift the market toward value-added
products [2]. The establishment of the integrated coconut industry can help to increase the added value
of coconut [3]. It's a business that uses the coconut processing method by combining all product
components, such as husk, meat, shell, and coconut water, into a single operation. When used on a big
scale for commercial purposes, products must be manufactured, packaged, and supplied to the market
in a way that fits customer needs [2]. The growth of rural agroindustry will raise the added value of
rural agricultural products, increasing farmer income. Aside from that, regional development should
improve local labour, regional income, and exports in the long run [4]. Supporting rural areas through
agro-enterprise development is a strategic approach to dealing with resource and asset limitations, as
well as significant changes in the agriculture sector brought by globalization and market integration
[5].
Coconut development is one of the plantation sub-sectors that absorbs a lot of household’s labours
and has an impact on increasing Regional Original Income in some highest coconut producers in
Indonesia like the North Sulawesi. This is because the coconut plant functions as a provider of raw
materials for the great coconut processing industry and brings a lot of income for Indonesia. North

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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

Sulawesi Province as one of the highest coconut-producing areas in Indonesia has coconut plantations
so that if maximized, coconut products will become more meaningful for so many households in
Indonesia. Job creation, a decrease of post-harvest losses, foreign exchange from exports, and
extension of product shelf life will all benefit from agro-industrial development, as will assuring food
supply through product diversification and distribution facilities [6].
As one of the highest coconut-producing regions in Indonesia, North Sulawesi contributes to
almost 10% of the amount of Indonesian coconut. However, from the high amount of coconut
production, most of the existing coconut husk is still a waste and its benefits are still not widely
enjoyed by the people in North Sulawesi. One form of industry that is seen as having the potential to
be developed and suitable for small to medium scale is the processing of husk to be used as fiber and
coir ash and to develop it to be some more values such as carpets, ropes, etc. In addition to its good
market prospects, husk is the largest heavy component (38-44%) of the coconut fruit, compared to
other components such as shell (21-28%) and coconut water (29-35%) [7]. This husk can be processed
into coconut fiber and coconut powder (cocopeat). Coconut fiber can be used, among others, as raw
material for industrial carpets, upholstery, vehicle dashboards, mattresses, and hardboards, while
coconut peat can be used as a medium for horticultural crops. Other products include coconut pot, and
coconut fiber board. These materials are raw materials in the mat industry, pots, dry compost, and so
on [8].
In order to have coconut fiber and cocopeat, a coconut husk processing machine is needed [7].
Although the potential is great, the coconut husk processing business is relatively unreachable by
small-scale farmer groups. This is due to the lack of husk processing equipment to make fiber and
coconut peat. Existing tools are often too expensive and difficult for small-scale farmers to afford.
Therefore, in this study, a small-scale coconut husk processing equipment which has been designed
and manufactured is used.

1.1. Added Value of Coconut husk

The potential for increasing added value in the coconut agroindustry is immense [9]. Non-food goods
made from processed coconut include activated carbon, shell powder, fiber, charcoal, handicrafts,
furniture, and roofs. Coconut husk is composed of organic and mineral elements, namely: pectin and
hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose, potassium, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, and protein.
Comparison of the above components depending on the age of the coconut husk, lignin in coconut
husk fiber ranges from 40% - 50% husk is relatively short, the fiber cells are about 1 mm long with a
diameter of 15 and a fiber consists of 30-300 cells or more seen from the cross-section. The length of
husk fiber ranges from 15-35 cm with a diameter of 0.1-1.5 mm. Coir fiber has high buoyancy, is
resistant to bacteria, saltwater and is cheap, while its weakness is that it cannot be twisted properly and
is classified as a stiff fiber. The quality of coconut fiber is determined by color, percentage of dirt,
moisture content, and the proportion between the weight of long and short fibers.
The fiber product quality specifications that industry standards use is [10]:
a. Water content < 10%
b. Cork content < 50%
c. Fiber length 2 – 10 cm
d. Bale size 70 x 70 x 50 cm
e. Weight/Bale 50 kg/Bale

Derived products from coconut husk in the form of coconut fiber, coir dust. Processing of coconut
husk into coir fiber and coconut coir dust can be done by biological and mechanical methods [11]. The
biological fiber is carried out by utilizing the role of microorganisms to soften the coconut husk, the
coconut husk is soaked in water, so it is more popularly known as immersion fiber. The way the
insertion works is as follows: Coconut husk to be soaked is put into a net, then the coconut husks are
soaked in water, the duration of immersion is three months. During soaking the husk becomes soft and
the parts of the husk will be released making it easier to separate the fibers from the coconut husk. The

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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

husk is removed from the water and dried, after which it is beaten to separate the fibers from the husk
and then proceed with drying the fibers. The fiber obtained is dried in the sun for 4-5 hours (bright
weather).
Mechanical fiber is a popular way to be developed today. With the invention of the coir fiber
(decorticator), it is very easy to help in speeding up the embedding process. The decorticator consists
of three processing units, namely the processing unit, the beater/crusher, and the coir fiber separator.
The length of the curing process depends on the size and capacity of the decorticator.
Machines for processing coconut husk into fiber and ash have recently begun to develop and can be
obtained commercially, both produced by R&D institutions and by the private sector [12]. Main
activities in processing Coconut husk using this machine in principle consists of four stages, namely
(1) softening the husk, (2) fiber, (3) cleaning and sifting, and (4) packing (to facilitate transportation).
Various studies on the design of coconut husk machines have been carried out. The design of the
coconut husk decomposer is based on the need by using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
method as the basis for the design. Similar research, namely designing a coconut husk peeler, crusher,
and sifter machine using an 8 HP diesel engine instead of an electric motor. The design of a husk
peeler machine coconut has been carried out with a participatory ergonomics approach consisting of
stakeholders by looking at the level of user satisfaction. The resulting machine design consists of four
parts, namely peeler, actuator, gripper, and guide cover of husk. The machines used for the production
process generally consist of the decomposing machine. Solar-powered which functions to convert
coconut fiber into coconut fiber and an electrically powered sieving machine that functions to separate
coconut peat from fiber [13].

1.2. Environmental problems in coconut-producing areas

In the lot coconut producer areas, coconut husk often caused the disposal of coconut husks in the field.
However, if left continuously, it can even result in the fields being unkempt and dirty. On the other
hand, when coconut husk is burned, the smoke generated is often very stinging and disturbing the
environment. One of the efforts to reduce the negative impact is to utilize coconut husk waste into a
valuable product. Whereas in some places, this coconut fiber has been used as a composite material
that can improve its mechanical properties, which is cheap and environmentally friendly [11].
Unfortunately, its utilization in Indonesia is still very limited compared to its capacity
The objective of this research is to study how to reduce coconut husk waste in small-scale farmers'
fields by processing it which has an impact on reducing coco husk waste and to conduct technical
testing of small scales coconut husk processing equipment to produce coconut fiber and cocopeat.

2. Material and Methods

2.1. Location and Time

The design, manufacture, and analysis of coconut husk processing equipment was carried out at the
Agricultural Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi Manado. Technical tests
were carried out at the production house at Tontalete Village, North Minahasa Regency, North
Sulawesi Province. The research period had been carried out for 4 (four) months in 2021, most of the
time are in the design and manufacture of the equipment.

2.2. Materials and Equipment

The materials and equipment used are:
a. Coconut Husk
b. Manufactured Coconut Husk Decomposer Equipment
c. Diesel engine 6 HP
d. Measuring instruments (scales, rpm meter, and stopwatch).
e. Containers

3
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

2.3. Procedures
This research was conducted in 5 stages (1) literature review, (2) design (3) manufacturing, (4)
technical test (5) evaluation. After literature review, design and manufacturing, the research was
carried out using an experimental method for testing. Before the technical test, it is necessary to
prepare coconut husk which has been relatively dry for 4-5 hours in the sun. For uniformity of water
content, efforts have been made at a moisture content of around 14-15% for uniformity of raw
materials for technical tests.
The technical test of the equipment has been carried out by put in 8 kg of coconut husk into the
input hole, and the engine speed has been adjusted at 600 rpm. The percentage of biodegradable fiber
was compared with that of non-biodegradable fiber to become the percentage of biodegradable fiber
compared to that of non-biodegradable fiber. The capacity has also been determined based on the
results of the technical test. Figure 1 explains the flowchart of this research.

Start

Literature Study

Design

Manufacture

Technical
Test Improvement

Evaluation

`
Stop

Figure 1. Flowchart of Research

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The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

Figure 2. Perspective of design Figure 3. Top View

Drawings of equipment designs are given in Figures 2 3, 4 and 5. These designs are seen from
perspective view, top view, front view, and side view.

Figure 4. Front View Figure 5. Side View

3. Results and Discussions

In the design of the equipment, efforts have been made to make it easy to use, with only one operator
and adapting to an average operator height of about 165 cm. It is hoped that the ergonomics element
meets comfort. The manufacture of a coconut husk decomposer designed by the research team resulted
in the equipment used in this study. The process of making this coconut husk decomposer takes about
2 months. Some adaptations were made to produce a suitable equipment with a design capacity of 200
kg per day. Some of the important parts of this equipment are: coconut husk input hole (hopper),
frame as a tool holder, coconut fiber (cocofiber) output hole, cocopeat output hole, V Belt, 6 HP diesel
engine, shaft with iron crusher/husk decomposer, and cover.
In several trials, in order to make the decomposition process easier by this equipment (Figure 6), it
is necessary to reduce the size manually. It is proven to make easier to put the husk in the input hole.
For a small scale this is not too much of a problem, but for a large scale it is necessary to adjust about
10 cm more the size of the input hole (hopper). Studies show that this equipment is quite practical to
use, but it takes patience to fill the husk into the input hole. The coconut husk should be put one by
one in the input hole, the size of the husk can't be bigger than the input hole (which is now 26 x 25
cm).

5
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

Figure 6. Manufactured Coconut Husk Decomposer Machine

Figure 7. Cocopeat Outlet and the Cocopeat Figure 8. Coconut fiber Outlet and the Coconut fiber

In this research, a coconut fiber decomposer has been made, where the coconut fiber outlet and the
cocopeat outlet are made separately (Figure 7 and Figure 8). The result of the technical test showed
that the equipment could process 8 kg coconut husk and produced 5,3 kg coconut fiber and 2 kg
cocopeat, whereas about 0,7 kg husk was still inside the equipment. It needs about 13,24 minutes to
process 8 kg coconut husk using this equipment. From the results of technical tests and through
calculations, it was found that with a working hour of about 7 hours in one day, the coconut husk that
can be processed with this equipment is as much as 224 kg. It can be estimated with this equipment,
within 7 hours it can produce about 94 kg of coconut fiber (42.4%) and 56 kg of cocopeat (25%), and
the rest is still coarse which still needs to be reworked.
Based on calculations with a capacity of 95 kg of coconut fiber and 56 kg of cocopeat, in a simple
calculation, this equipment is quite economical, because if the price of 1 kg of coconut fiber is around
Rp. 2,500, and the price of 1 kg of cocopeat is Rp. 1,250, - then this equipment will generate Rp.
307,500 per day. On the other hand, there is coconut husk decomposing equipment that is made
manually, but its capacity is relatively very small because it requires manpower and is tiring [14].
Several other studies to produce coconut coir decomposers have been carried out. One of them is a
small coconut coir decomposer using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. This method
can produce decomposers based on the will of the community, in terms of ergonomics, size and type
of raw materials [15]. However, this principle is suitable for development. In fact, due to paying
attention to the will of the community, other aspects often escape the attention that is closely related to
sustainability. Because at the location where this research was conducted, the low cost of equipment
and high fiber prices are the most important things to consider.

6
The 5th International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 977 (2022) 012068 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/977/1/012068

4. Conclusions
Coconut husk in some places is still an environmental problem. Therefore, it is very important to
process them into useful products. Studies showed that to make a good coconut fiber using the
equipment, the input of the husk into the hole of the equipment should be one by one and not too many
in one feed. The study recommends some improvements about the crusher slope and the size of the
outlets of the equipment should be done for productive result. However, this equipment is very
promising to produce cocopeat and coconut fiber which can reduce the number of coconuts burned,
and can be made to valuable products that have economic value for the sustainability of farmers’ life.

References
[1] Directorate General of Plantation 2019 Statistics of Indonesian Plantation 2018-2020 Coconut
(Jakarta: Directorate General of Plantation)
[2] Mithra A, Swamy G J and Chandrasekar V 2013 Coconut: An Extensive Review on Value
Added Products Indian Food Industry Mag 32 6
[3] Wulandari Suci and Alouw J C 2021 Designing business models for rural agroindustry to
increase the added value of coconut IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci 807 2
[4] Nofialdi and Melly D S 2018 Competitive strategy for rural agroindustry development of brown
sugar from sugar cane in Matur sub-district Agam district, Sumatra Barat J Eurasian Anal Chem
13
[5] Walter L B and Conroy A 2019 Using Agricultural Waste to Create More Environmentally
Friendly and Affordable Products and Help Poor Coconut Farmers E3S Web of Conferences 130
01034
[6] Born H and Bachmann J 2006 Adding Value to Farm Products an Overview National
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service A Publication of ATTRA-National Sustainable
Agriculture Information Service
[7] Sepriyanto 2018 Coconut Husk Decomposer with Portable Blade to Produce Coconut fiber and
Cocopeat J Civronlit University of Batanghari 31
[8] Indahyani T 2011 Utilization of Coconut Coir Waste in Interior Planning and Furniture that
Impacts the Empowerment of the Poor J of Humaniores 2
[9] Goncalves F A, Dos Santos E S and de Macedo G R 2015 Use of cultivars of low-cost agro-
industrial and urban waste in the production of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil A proposal to the
utilization of micro-distillery Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 50 12871303
[10] Sudarsono S, Rusianto T and Suryadi Y 2010 Making Particle Board Made from Coconut Husk
with Natural Binder J Technology 3 1
[11] Lay A and P M Pasang 2003 Processing of Coconut fiber Monograph (Manado: Post Harvest of
Coconut Indonesian Palm Research Centre Manado)
[12] Subiyanto 2000 Husk Waste Processing Industry Prospects J. Environmental Technology 1 1
[13] Apriani E and H A Nurusman 2019 Coconut Decomposer Design for Small and Medium
Industry National Proceedings of Industrial and Information Technology Engineering XIV 2019
November 19075995
[14] Veranika R M, Fauzie M A, Sukarmansyah and Jumahat 2020 Manufacturing and Design of
Coconut Manual Decomposing Equipment J Diseminasi Teknologi 8 1
[15] Nuriyadi and Yohanes 2017 Coconut decomposer design based on quality function deployment
method JOM FTEKNIK 4 2

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to express gratitude to the research institutions and community service of Sam
Ratulangi University, the ministry of education, culture, research and technology, the Indonesian
Republic for the support fund in this research. The authors acknowledge the support and special work
of Mr. John as a technician.