Indonesia Successfully Develops Gasoline and Diesel from Palm Oil

 

Currently, Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, producing 49 million tons of CPO per year, and Indonesia is also the second-largest importer of gasoline in the world, so the development of palm oil production technology is critical.

The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), in cooperation with the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), Catalysis Engineering Center, has successfully developed a pilot plant for the production of bio-hydrocarbon gasoline using palm oil as the main feedstock.

This palm gasoline has a very high RON 105-112 research octane number. So, Melia explained, the product can be mixed with naphtha, which is derived from fossil oil. “Naphtha has an octane rating of 70-80. In other words, if we mix it in a certain proportion, we can get RON 93 and Bensa, which is what we showed at the workshop.”

For the success of the demonstration and testing of Bensa, Melia said that the generation and power of the reactor will be optimized in the future, after which her party will conduct a detailed design (DED).

In addition, Indonesia has previously processed palm oil into biodiesel instead of diesel fuel.

Made from 100 percent palm oil (Crude Palm Oil/CPO) or B100, sustainable biodiesel continues to resonate as the fuel of the future and an energy security commitment for the Indonesian nation.

It is no exaggeration to make B100 the fuel of the future, both nationally and globally. This is because the need for fuel increases with the development of the population requiring mobility. However, fossil fuel reserves are declining and prices continue to rise.

On the other hand, Indonesia, in addition to being the world's largest exporter, also has the potential to produce CPO. Palm oil production on an area of ​​14.03 million hectares in 2018 was about 41.67 million tons. Seeing this, Indonesia has the opportunity to use CPO as an alternative to fossil fuels, especially in the form of biodiesel for diesel fuel.

Desrial, President of the Indonesian Agricultural Engineering Association (PERTETA), Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Biosystems at IPB University, estimated that the B100 also liberates from the shackles of imports as well as national energy security.

According to Desrial reports, Indonesian diesel production reached 248.8 million barrels, while imports reached 174.4 million barrels through 2015. “It's not much different from domestic production. This (diesel import) will be a terrible thing in the future if it continues to depend on Indonesia,” he said.

Desrial said the biodiesel industry in Indonesia could produce up to 12 million kiloliters in 2018. The largest producer is in Sumatra, which reaches 7.3 million kiloliters. “If we can produce everything according to the installed capacity of the plant, our capacity (for biodiesel) will exceed the need for diesel fuel in Indonesia. In this way, we can start ending the import of diesel fuel,” he said.