Category: Announcements

Utilizing Oil Palm Waste, ITB’s Lecturers Successfully Create Supercapacitor for Electric Car

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Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer in the world with an area of ​​11 million hectares. Not surprisingly, Indonesia is one of the world’s largest palm oil exporting countries. With this fantastic amount of palm oil production, the palm oil biorefinery industry in Indonesia has become very important and has experienced rapid growth. But on the other hand, this has become a biomass trade-off, because the waste generated from the palm oil production process has also increased in terms of quantity. This is the background of the ITB researchers team, consisting of Dr. Tirto Prakoso ST, M.Eng., Dr.Ir. Isdiriayani, Hary Devianto ST, M.Eng., Ph.D., And Dr.Eng. Pramujo Widiatmoko ST, MT to utilize the palm oil waste.

Oil palm plantation are rich in carbon elements which are the result of atmospheric CO2 fixation. The main product of processing of palm fruit bunches is known as Crude Palm Oil (CPO). While the remaining products are empty fruit bunches (EFB), fiber and shells, as well as the kernel core (kernel) mostly end up being waste. “Is not waste, but other biomass products,” said Tirto when referring to the remaining products of the palm oil industry. The high hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose content of those biomass residues allows the extraction of the elemental carbon within it. The best option is to process it into nanocarbons so that it can be used to make supercapacitors for electric cars. So far commercial supercapacitors that have been spreaded on market, still using the base of precious metals so the price is high.

The extraction process begins by destroying the biomass then the hydrothermal carbonization process is carried out using ZnCl2 as an activator. After removing unwanted metal minerals (ash) two types of products will be found, namely bio-char and bio-oil. Some special treatment is needed until eventually it will be found graphene, activated carbon, and carbon nanotubes (CNT). Activated carbon is used as material to support the layer while graphene and Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) which have high electron transfer capability are used as materials added above the support layer. Supercapacitors with a capacity of 3 farads per gram have been successfully made in the first research project.

The yield obtained from dry biomass for this supercapacitor reaches 70 percent. With these satisfying results, the ITB researchers are seeking patent claims for their invention. In the future, this project will be focused on pursuing quantity because the supercapacitor used in the electric car is quite large based on the value of the farad needed. The added value which reaches 500 times compare to the initial value of the residual biomass of these palm oil industry to become a supercapacitor electrode is a promising business for the electronic component industry in Indonesia. Not even limited to be used for the electric car supercapacitors, in the future the researcher team of ITB’s lecturers hope that the solar cell industry and car window coating to be able to produce electricity which developed by the same technology.

source: www.itb.ac.id

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Jadikan Tunisia dan Maroko Hub Perdagangan Minyak Sawit di Afrika dan Uni Eropa

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Kementerian Perdagangan berkomitmen untuk terus menggarap pasar potensial di kawasan Afrika. Kali ini, dengan menyasar kawasan Afrika Utara, Menteri Perdagangan Enggartiasto Lukita memimpin secara langsung rangkaian misi dagang ke Tunisia dan Maroko pada 24-28 Juni 2018. Pelaksanaan misi dagang ke Maroko bersinergi dengan ajang Fes Meknes Economic Forum (FMEF) di kota Fez.

“Afrika merupakan pasar potensial bagi produk Indonesia dan Kemendag berkomitmen untuk menggarap pasar tersebut dengan maksimal. Tunisia dan Maroko diharapkan dapat menjadi hub bagi produk Indonesia di kawasan Afrika, khususnya Afrika bagian Utara dan Uni Eropa,” jelas Enggartiasto dalam keterangan resmi diterima InfoSAWIT, belum lama ini.

Tunisia, lanjut Enggartiasto, telah menandatangani perjanjian perdagangan bebas (Free Trade Agreement) dengan Uni Eropa sejak tahun 2008 sehingga tarif bea masuk dari Tunisia ke Eropa menjadi 0%. “Hal ini dapat dimanfaatkan Indonesia untuk mengekspor produknya ke Eropa melalui Tunisia. Dengan demikian, produk kita akan menjadi lebih kompetitif,” imbuh Mendag.

Misi dagang Indonesia ke Tunisia diikuti 21 pelaku bisnis dari 11 perusahaan dan lembaga dari berbagai sektor usaha. Sedangkan misi dagang ke Maroko diikuti sebanyak 35 pelaku usaha dari 18 perusahaan dan pemerintah daerah Sumatra Barat. Sektor usaha tersebut antara lain minyak kelapa sawit, kelapa, kakao, kopi, makanan dan minuman, rempah-rempah (pala, lada, cengkeh), peralatan medis, perhiasan, furnitur, bahan bangunan, produk-produk militer, ban, dan karet.

Turut serta pula Kementerian Luar Negeri, Kementerian Keuangan, Kamar Dagang dan Industri (Kadin) Indonesia, Gabungan Perusahaan Perkebunan Indonesia (GPPI), Badan Pengelola Dana Perkebunan (BPDP) Kelapa Sawit, Gabungan Pengusaha Kelapa Sawit Indonesia (GAPKI), dan KSO Sucofindo-Surveyor Indonesia.

Menurut Mendag, misi dagang adalah salah satu cara penetrasi pasar ekspor yang dapat meningkatkan volume perdagangan lebih cepat karena para pelaku usaha dapat bertemu dengan mitranya secara langsung.

Lantas di Tunisia, Kemendag juga akan melakukan perundingan bilateral terkait kesepakatan tarif preferensi (Preferential Tariff Agreement/PTA). Tarif bea masuk yang masih relatif tinggi dinilai sebagai salah satu kendala untuk masuk ke pasar Tunisia. Padahal produk-produk Indonesia cukup kompetitif di pasar Tunisia.

Sementara itu, Direktur Jenderal Pengembangan Ekspor Nasional, Arlinda menyampaikan bahwa masih belum cukup banyak produk Indonesia yang masuk ke pasar Tunisia, meskipun Tunisia merupakan pasar tujuan ekspor yang potensial bagi Indonesia di kawasan Afrika bagian Utara. “Dengan misi dagang ini diharapakan dapat diperoleh hasil yang maksimal sehingga ekspor Indonesia ke Tunisia dapat terus meningkat,” tutur Arlinda.

Lebih lanjut kata Arlinda, interaksi antar-pelaku usaha baik dari Tunisia maupun Maroko juga akan terus ditingkatkan. Salah satunya melalui kegiatan business matching. “Melalui kegiatan tersebut para pelaku usaha Indonesia dipertemukan dan dapat berinteraksi langsung dengan mitranya,” imbuhnya.

Sekilas Hubungan Perdagangan Indonesia dengan Tunisia

Perdagangan bilateral antara Indonesia dan Tunisia yang terjadi selama ini yaitu di sektor nonmigas dan belum ada perdagangan untuk sektor migas. Pada tahun 2017, tercatat ekspor produk nonmigas Indonesia ke Tunisia sebesar USD 55,19 juta. Sedangkan impor produk nonmigas dari Tunisia pada tahun yang sama mencapai USD 32,77 juta. Untuk itu, Indonesia mencatat surplus perdagangan dengan Tunisia sebesar USD 22,42 juta.

Produk ekspor utama Indonesia ke Tunisia antara lain minyak kelapa sawit dan turunannya (58,27%); minyak kelapa dan turunannya/kopra (5,3%); palm kernel (10,57%); benang filamen sitetis (2,42%); serat benang sintetis (2,75%); lysine(3,34%). Sedangkan impor Indonesia dari Tunisia antara lain kurma (59,47%); calcium hydrogenorthophosphate (5,63%);calcium phosphates (9,83%); electrical switches (7,17%); serta kulit domba (2,51%).

sumber: infosawit.com

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Happy Ied Al-Fitr 1439 H

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Palm Oil and Health (in Italiano)

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Palm oil is an edible oil from the fruits of the palm tree the use of palm oil in our diet dates back to thousands of years traditionally, palm oil was used as a cooking oil in West Africa, SouthEast Asia and Brazil.

Today palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world palm oil has a unique and balanced composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

More specifically, palm oil contains 44% palmitic acid, 5% strearic acid, 40% oleic acid and 10% linoleic acid, Like all refined fats and oils.

Palm oil contains less than 2% trans fatty acids, two to its unique composition. Palm oil is widely used to replace fatty acids in products.

It has contributed to the almost complete disappearance of industrial trans fats, specifically in Western Europe.

Like all fats and oils, palm oil is a source of energy for our body. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. While carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram.

Fats are structural components of cell membranes and hormones. Fat also cushions our organs during movement insulated the body and helps maintain a normal body temperature.

Some types of vitamins (A, D, E, and K) rely on fat for absorption and storage. Palm oil is a good source of natural vitamin E constituents, 70% of vitamin E in palm oil occurs as tocotrienols.

Current research suggest unique biological properties of tocotrienols and warrants further investigation.
A lot of fruits and vegetables, a balanced carbohydrate, fat and protein intake and avoiding high sugar, saturated fats and trans fats.

Video by European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA)

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