JAKARTA – Indonesia will produce its own catalyst product under the brand name of ‘Merah Putih’, which is an important element in producing various types of bioenergy, including biofuel, bio-avture and bio-gasoline.
The Head of chemical reaction and catalysis techniques Laboratory (TRKK) and catalysis engineering center (PRK) of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Melia Laniwati Gunawan said that catalyst is an important material in the development of green energy and the key to the conversion of vegetable oils to biofuel, which is now mostly imported from foreign countries.
“We import catalysts from Germany, India, China, the USA and other countries. The catalyst price is high due to exclusivity and its production technics,” Melia said at ITB campus in Bandung on Wednesday (31/01/2024).
“It could be problematic for Indonesia if the producing countries apply an embargo. So, it’s very important that Indonesia can produce own catalyst to support its bioenergy production,” she said.
She said that currently ITB has developed and produced a catalyst with a reactor that has production capacity of 40 kilogram per day. “But here in ITB, it’s still in the stage of research. Looking forward, Indonesia will realize it as a national strategic project through the development of a catalyst plant in Cikampek, West Java province,” she said.
She is referring to the catalyst plant developed by PT Katalis Sinergi Indonesia in Cikampek, which will start commercial production in the near future.
Melia said that currently TRKK and PRK of ITB are conducting a research and development on the catalysis technology and system of processing palm oil and palm kernel oil into various products with higher added values, with main focus on the conversion of palm oil and palm kernel oil into various types of bioenergy.
In 2019, Indonesia has managed to produce palm-based bio-gasoline, locally known as Bensa, after a series of researches conducted by the ITB research team since 1982 with financial support from the oil palm plantation fund management board (BPDPKS). The Bensa has RON around 110-115 and had undertaken a series of tests in motorcycles and cars by traveling from Bandung in West Java to Sabang in Aceh.
Besides, there is also a catalyst to clean the dirt in products of naphtha and fossil diesel fuel and to produce biohydrocarbon diesel, which has been researched and developed since 2005 under a cooperation with Pertamina. Then the catalyst has been further developed and it can be now used to convert palm oil into biohydrocarbon diesel through hydrotreating process. (*)
Source: sawitku.id
