PT Rekayasa Industri (Rekind) is designing a factory location in Bogor, West Java, to be the first company to convert palm oil waste into high-value compounds and bioethanol derivatives through a fractionation process.
Factory progress
The preparation of the factory has reached the stage of installing some of the main equipment. In making this factory it aims to be able to maximize the manufacture of these chemical compounds through the fractionation process.
Meanwhile, the process of making this factory is said to be environmentally friendly, because the waste from the processing can be used as fertilizer, so there is no waste.
When compared to other industrial players, palm oil waste is usually used for the combustion process to support boiler work to convert water into steam energy.
The making of GXL compounds
Rekind uses waste or empty oil palm fruit bunches (EFB) to create glucose, xylose and lignin (GXL) compounds through a fractionation process (a technique for separating and grouping the chemical content of extracts) both chemically, and biologically.
This effort is the first time in Indonesia, previously there were no industrial players in Indonesia who were able to produce these three compounds through a fractionation process.
“This is the first time in Indonesia. There are no industrial players in Indonesia that can produce three compounds at once with their derivatives that can produce high-value products. Obviously this is very proud. We as ‘Red and White Actors [Indonesian people]’ will try our best to be able to provide the best contribution innovative for the nation and state,” said Triyani Utaminingsih, President Director of Rekind, on 13 July 2023.
In making these compounds, Rekind collaborated with Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) Companies, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Agro Industry Center (BBIA), the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) and the Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS).
The initial research for this project was started by Rekind in cooperation with ITB in 2013, and later in 2017 in a laboratory scale. In 2019 to 2021, Rekind and ITB conducted a Bench Scale Research trial with a focus on Bench Scale Reactor Design Optimization, functional trials (separation process) and techno-economic services.
Rekind and ITB then implemented the research results in a concrete way by collaborating with BBIA in the development of a technology pilot scale and funding from BPDPKS./
Multifunctional use of GXL
One of the GXL derivatives, glucose, has a derivative product in the form of Butanediol. Butanediol derivative products can be used in various cosmetic products.
In addition, there is bioethanol fuel for motor vehicles as an alternative solution to environmentally friendly fuels.
Meanwhile, xylitol compounds through their derivative products can be used and developed into natural sweeteners that are beneficial to health.
Meanwhile, lignin can be made into Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene (BTX) plants, which are the main raw materials for the synthetic fiber and softener industries.
