Turning Manure into Money: Yogyakarta, Central Java

By Barrie | November 16th, 2007 | No Comments

For most people, cow manure, known as tlepong in Central Java, is supposed to be smelly, dirty and disgusting. Unless it’s used for fertilizer, cattle dung is usually disposed of the quickest way possible.

However, in the hands of Syammahfuz Chazali, common cow manure has become a valuable commodity. A student at Gadjah Mada University’s School of Agriculture in Yogyakarta, Syammahfuz has turned tlepong into a high quality ingredient, suitable for use in pottery production.

“As a binding agent for ceramics, tlepong is better than the clay or sand which pottery makers usually use,” said the first prize winner of the National Business Plan Youth competition, organized by the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry and taking place on Oct. 28.

Syammahfuz said it was as easy as mixing equal parts soil and manure for pottery makers.

Cow manure has to be processed to remove odor and liquid content before it can be used for pottery.

“We wish to keep the process secret,” he said.

However, he said the process was simple and organic. First, a certain type of bacteria is added to the manure. Then, for around three weeks the “infected” manure is dried in the sun to remove moisture.

With 10 kilograms of animal waste, nine kilograms of tlepong mixture can be produced.

Syammahfuz himself makes pottery from organic tlepong, working with another pottery maker, Purwanto, from Kasongan.

“The pottery we produce are far lighter and stronger. They never break when heated and have a smoother finish,” he said.

Syammahfuz’s breakthrough has received acknowledgement from overseas. Praise for his products has come from Malaysia and purchase orders are expected to follow. A Brunei Darussalam buyer wants 60 tons of tlepong daily for organic pottery production.

“So far, we are only able to produce six tons of tlepong a day. We would need cash and industrial-grade production equipment to meet orders like 60 tons. We aren’t sure how we can raise the capital,” he said.

Syammahfuz has been invited to China from Dec. 2 to 9 to present his innovation. Australia will be his next stop.

The agriculture student is convinced his creation has significant potential and can raise incomes of livestock farmers and create new jobs.

“The supply of raw material is more than sufficient — the cattle population here can produce 5.9 tons of dried manure annually,” he said.

The economic value of this huge volume of manure has rarely been explored. Only a small portion is being used as fertilizer.

Per kilogram, Syammahfuz charges Rp 1,000 (about 9 U.S. cents) for his tlepong product, making it cheaper than clay, which costs Rp 2,500 per kilogram.

Syammahfuz would like to protect his finding. He says the university shares rights but that it has yet to respond to his inquiries.

“Maybe because I’m regarded as just a student. The university should have assisted me in this matter,” he said.

“If I get the patent later . . . I will set aside 20 percent of royalties for student research.”

Asked how he initially conceived of the idea for tlepong pottery, Syammahfuz said it happened while using the toilet.

He was intrigued by what he recognized as tlepong-content floor tiles.

“They have a warm feel.”

In October 2006 Syammahfuz brought together four of his colleagues from the university — Fatmawati, Agus Dwinugroho Wusana, Bayu Pamungkas and Irawan Nurcahyo — to form a research group called Faerumnesia. The name of the group is an acronym for a long phrase that translates fairly well as “cow dung.”

In 2006 the group submitted a tlepong research proposal to the school’s Student Creativity Week committee; however it was rejected because the organizers found the association with animal byproduct distasteful.

Syahmahfuz continued to seek funds to finance his research. In April 2007 the proposal was finally approved and he received Rp 3.5 million from the university.

Slamet Susanto