Geothermal operations generate brine as a secondary product, while agrarian communities around the PGE Karaha Area face limited fertilizer access, rising input costs, declining soil quality, and weak farmer regeneration. This study analyzes COMBINE (Compost Brine) as a circular-economy community empowerment model that converts geothermal brine, wild grass, coffee husks, and sheep manure into mineral-enriched organic fertilizer. A descriptive case-study approach was applied using social-mapping documents, field observations, focus group discussions, interviews, community satisfaction surveys, laboratory testing, demonstration plots, monitoring records, and environmental impact studies. The analysis follows an input–process–output–outcome–impact framework. The findings show that COMBINE integrates material valorization with co-production among the company, university, farmer groups, village governments, and young farmers. The program produced a patented fertilizer, standardized procedures, community-based production, improved crop performance, lower fertilizer expenditure, high community acceptance, youth participation, and measurable environmental benefits. Its novelty lies in linking direct-use geothermal innovation with knowledge transfer and local institutional strengthening. Long-term replication requires location-specific quality testing, soil-based application, business recording, and adaptive multi-stakeholder governance
Copyrights © 2026