The Minister Of Industry Inaugurates The Pilot Project For The Utilization Of Palm Oil Waste

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (Photo: Maria Trisnawati/VOI)

BOGOR - Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita inaugurated the Pilot Plant of the Palm Oil Blank Mark Fractionation at the Bogor Agro Industrial Services and Standardization Center (BBSPJIA), today, Thursday, August 8.

"By saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I, the Minister of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia, hereby inaugurate the Pilot Facilities for the Pilot of the Expansionation of the Palm Oil Blank Marks (TKKS) at the Agro Industrial Services and Standardization Center, Bogor," he said in Bogor, Thursday, August 8.

In his remarks, Agus said, this pilot plant utilizes palm oil empty bunch waste (TKKS) to become products with high added value.

Moreover, Agus said, the Ministry of Industry has made the palm oil sector one of the priority programs for downstreaming the industry in order to increase the added value of export commodities.

Just so you know, the economic value of the upstream-downstream and downstream sector reaches more than IDR 750 trillion or equivalent to 3.5 percent of the National GDP in 2023.

"This figure has the potential to continue to grow through technological innovation, from what was previously centered on downstream oil palm, to be expanded, including the processing of palm oil biomass," said Agus.

He further explained that the formation of the Plant Pilot Consortium for the Dissionation of Palm Oil Blank Marks since 2019 is a form of collaboration between Government by BBSPJI Agro, Academics by the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and Business by PT Rekayasa Industri (Rekind).

"The Plant plot, which is currently available in front of us, has a very strategic technology value for the development of renewable resources-based industries in the future. This Plant Pilot is able to produce Glukosa, Xilosa, Lignin (GXL) simultaneously," he explained.

Glucose is a precursor for the manufacture of bioethenol, namely bioethenol, a natural fuel for gasoline (gasoline) mixtures, while Xilosa and Lignin are both precursors for the manufacture of Bio Fine Chemicals or chemicals based on renewable resources, which can be processed into products including xylitol, benzene and toluene.

The Minister of Industry hopes that this Pilot Plant facility can be utilized by all levels of industrial stakeholders, so that the processing of palm oil biomass, which has been neglected so far, can solve waste management problems or the side products of oil palm plantations.

"And support the realization of the downstream oil palm industry program for the nation's sustainable economic progress," concluded Agus.