Ijen sulfur miners at work

Mon, December 16, 2019 / 01:03 pm

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A close-up of a sulfur chunk and a miner's glove. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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A man wheels sulfur chunks from the peak of Ijen to the weighing post. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Miners load trolleys of sulfur. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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A miner weighs chunks of sulfur. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Miners line up to weigh their haul at 10 a.m. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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A miner steps on a chunk of sulfur. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Matri, a miner, displays the sulfur he mined from Ijen Crater. JP/Boy T Harjanto

Boy T Harjanto

The morning wind lost its chill as the sun blanketed the area around the sulfur weighing post near the entrance gate of Ijen Crater hiking post in Bondowoso, East Java.

Some of the miners started to arrive, bringing trolleys filled with chunks of sulfur to be weighed at the post managed by PT Candi Ngrimbi.

Since 1954, residents living near Ijen Crater Nature Tourism Park have mined sulfur to sell at market.

Sulfur is used to make many products, including sulphate acid, sugar, cosmetics, rattan, paper, zinc and soap. PT Candi Ngrimbi was established in 1969 under Military Command (Kodam) VIII Brawijaya to manage the mine located within the nature tourism park.

The sulfur is obtained by sending natural gas through pipes to gather sulfur smoke. The smoke is turned into liquid and then into chunks of sulfur. Those chunks are processed into sulfur flakes and granules. (kes)