Mamad, a villager from Ciampea district in Bogor regency, knows how to make the most of coconut shells and find ways to minimize pollution.

His business has expanded from making charcoal to producing liquid smoke, by burning coconut shells.

Starting in 1994, he initially made charcoal only to fuel his business of making roofing tiles.

“But I decided to stop making tiles and concentrate on charcoal, since I got many orders from an iron-casting company in Pulo Gadung [in East Jakarta], because it was more profitable,” he says.

“I’m glad I got the orders, because now I can make use of the piles of burnt coconut shells at home.”

To meet the orders, Mamad usually burns around 400 to 500 kilograms of shells.

“I was worried the smoke would disturb my neighbors, and I didn’t know how to deal with it until I met Pak Rokhani Hasbullah, a lecturer from IPB [the Bogor Institute of Agriculture], who suggested I pool the smoke and condense it to produce a liquid,” he says.

“The liquid can be used as a food preservative.”

Rokhani, from IPB’s School of Agricultural Engineering, says the liquid smoke can also freeze rubber, remove odors and disinfect items.

He adds it is a safe and natural food preservative because it contains more than 400 substances to slow the growth of bacteria.

“Converting the smoke into liquid also minimizes air pollution,” Rokhani says.

Rokhani has also helped Mamad design a smoke distiller to produce 30 to 40 liters of liquid smoke a day.

It has been a year since Mamad began producing the liquid smoke, but he has only sold it to farmers in Central Java to use as a substitute for pesticide.

Rubber companies in Sumatra and Maluku also buy the product to freeze rubber. Each company uses about 50 liters a day.

Mamad sells the liquid smoke for Rp 20,000 per 300-milliliter bottle.

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