Indonesia develops tech to get bio-jet fuel from coconut oil

Jakarta, 21/11 (ANTARA) - A researcher from the Chemical Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Deliana Dahnum, has developed a metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) catalyst to convert coconut oil into bio-jet fuel.

She said that bio-jet fuel is a renewable fuel that uses vegetable oil as raw material.

"Indonesia has great potential because of many natural resources in the form of coconut oil that grows well in tropical areas," she pointed out during a discussion on Thursday.

According to Dahnum, coconut oil is a good raw material for bio-jet fuel since coconuts that are unfit for consumption, such as old, small, or moldy coconuts, can be processed to make alternative aircraft fuel.

To convert coconut oil into bio-jet fuel, a catalysis process is needed with the help of an efficient catalyst.

Therefore, Dahnum developed an MOFs-based catalyst, an innovative material to convert coconut oil into bio-jet fuel productively and effectively.

"The development has reached the laboratory trial stage and shows the potential to be developed on a larger scale, including using coconuts that are not suitable for consumption, in order to maximize energy sustainability," she informed.

She further said she is optimistic that the innovation will cut fossil fuel dependence and also support the use of environmentally friendly local resources.

She then expressed the hope that her research can be utilized and developed to a more advanced stage.

It is expected to contribute directly to meeting Indonesia's sustainable energy needs, she added.

It would also support the achievement of Indonesia's 2050 net zero emissions target through the strategic conversion of its resources into new and renewable energy alternatives.

At the recent G20 forum in Brazil, President Prabowo Subianto informed that Indonesia has developed technology for making solar and gasoline from palm oil.