InfoSAWIT, PADANG – Academy from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, Professor (Prof) Erliza Hambali delivered explanation about palm oil to minimize over water absorption from the environment around.

“One thing to do is by taking advantages on empty bunches through carbonization,” Prof Erliza Hambali said in a workshop with the theme "Palm Oil Downstream to be Oleo-food, Oleochemical and Biofuel Products: Chances and Challenges”.

Prof Erliza explained that empty bunches could be processed by burning without polluting the environment. The result of the burning would be in charcoal. It should be spread around palm oil tree. The goal is about to resist the water around the tree and would minimize water absorption.

“The charcoal could resist water up to 60 to 70 percent,” Prof Erliza said, InfoSAWIT quoted from Antara, Monday (8/7/2024).

Besides it functions to resist the water, charcoal would absorp nutrients from the fertilizers that were applied around palm oil trees. By the mechanism, palm oil tree would not absorb much water.

“But it still needs further or deeper research that many universities should conduct,” she said.

Prof Erliza also emphasized it would be significant to maximize the additional values of downstream sectors to develop the economy nationally. Until now Indonesia successfully produced 100 palm oil downstream products. In the future, it should be producing more than 500 products.

To realize it, IPB University suggested to get cooperation and collaboration with many parties, namely universities in the provinces where palm oil plantations developed. (T2)