JAKARTA – The National Research and Innovation Board (BRIN) has conducted a research on the potential of biomass from oil palm trees as raw material to produce ‘carbon black’ that can be utilized for coloring, strengthening car tires, belts, hoses and other rubber-based products.
(The carbon black is different from black carbon. Despite having some similarities in their physical profiles and the processes through which they are generated, they are actually different. The carbon black is usually used as raw material for a variety of applications, including as a colorant in inks, pigments and foodstuffs or as a filler in tires and other rubber-based products. But the black carbon is an undesirable by-product of combustion process which has no beneficial properties or applications. (GAPKI Editor)
The BRIN’s Energy Conversion and Conservation Researcher Agus Kismanto said that the oil palm plantations are potential as an abundant source of biomass, ranging from midribs, empty fruit bunches, and palm tree trunks cut down due to replanting.
“The empty bunches alone could reach up to 59 million tons per year. From those bunches, around 3.0 million tons of carbon black can be produced,” Agus was quoted by Antara as saying on Sunday (03/03/2024).
According to Agus, the research of technological production of carbon black from biomass of oil palm trees is actually very promising to increase Indonesian exports.
The development of technological production of carbon black from the palm biomass is started from the process of biomass pyrolysis to ensure the economics of production process.
Biomass Carbon Black Production
Agus said that the production of carbon black from biomass is a new market for the use of palm wastes. Previously, carbon black is only generated through the fossil fuels.
“The new application has a bright future, as it will help realizing the target of zero emission, which is now a priority,” he said.
BRIN proposed a production technique through the process of empty bunches gasification at low temperature, which will produce syngas and pyrolysis oil or tar.
Then, the syngas is used as fuel in production process, while the pyrolysis oil is used as raw material.
“The carbon black production from the pyrolysis oil is very good, as the quality of physical properties of pyrolysis oil is close to heavy oil,” said Agus.
During the first year research, they had managed to produce quality carbon black that can be used as part of raw material to produce tires (N770).
“We’ll conduct further research to prepare raw material of pyro syngas production from empty bunches, optimizing research of production in carbon black reactor toward the quality of N110, and carbon black harvesting,” he said.
Biomass use
Biomass is also a source of new and renewable energy, which is targeted to significantly contribute to the national energy mix.
Satya Widya Yudha, of the National Energy Council (DEN), said that the biomass is expected to contribute 10.2 million tons per year to the target of national renewable energy mix. (*)
Source: KOMPAS.com