InfoSAWIT, BOGOR – Minister of industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita on Thursday, 8 August 2024 officially inaugurated Empty Bunch Pilot Plant Fractionation at Balai Besar Standardisasi dan Pelayanan Jasa Industri Agro (BBSPJIA) Bogor.

He said that this would change empty bunch as the waste to be getting additional values.

“This project would be part of Ministry of Industry to increase export commodity additional values in palm oil sector to be one priority in downstream program,” he said when delivering speech, as InfoSAWIT did monitor.

Palm oil – upstream to downstream sector – significantly contributed to the economy in Indonesia that reached more than Rp 750 trillion in 2023, equal to 3,5 percent from gross domestic product nationally. He also said that technology innovation, including palm oil biomass process would be always encouraged to expand the industrial additional values.

The making of Empty Bunch Pilot Project Fractionation consortium took place in 2019. It involved the government through BBSPJIA Agro, academy from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), and business sector – represented by PT Rekayasa Industri (Rekind). The pilot plant would have the strategic values to develop industries in renewable source – base in the future. It would produce Glucose, Xylose, dan Lignin (GXL) as the main products.

Glucose would be used to produce bio-ethanol, while Xylose and Lignin are the precursor to produce bio fine chemicals or in renewable – base, such as, xylitol, benzene, and toluene.

Agus hoped the facility would be taken for advantages as good as it could by every industrial stakeholder to help waste management issue or side products from palm oil plantations to support the economic development sustainably.

It is hoped that palm oil biomass industries would be more sustainable, delivering bigger advantages for the people and environment. (T2)