Avtur Berbahan Baku Sawit Dikembangkan

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT) mengembangkan minyak avtur (jetfuel) dari minyak sawit yang merupakan teknologi biofuel generasi 1,5, atau pengembangan biofuel generasi pertama melalui jalur "hydrotreating".

"Jalur hydrotreating yakni dengan proses pemberian hidrogen ke minyak sawit (CPO)," kata Kepala Balai Rekayasa Desain dan Sistem Teknologi BPPT Dr Adiarso pada Lokakarya Pengembangan dan Perekayasaan Teknologi Biodiesel 2011 di Jakarta, Rabu (16/11/11)

Hidrogen tersebut berasal dari gasifikasi biomassa dan menghasilkan C02 dan H2 yang direaksikan dengan sintesis Fischer Tropsch dengan menggunakan suatu jenis katalis sehingga menghasilkan minyak avtur, ujarnya.

Biofuel generasi 1,5 ini dikembangkan BPPT bersamaan dengan pengembangan biofuel generasi 2 sejak awal 2010 bekerja sama dengan Jepang.

"Kalau yang generasi pertama sudah selesai prototipenya sejak lama, bahkan pabrik biodiesel dan bioetanol ini sudah diaplikasikan di beberapa daerah di kawasan perkebunan sawit, jarak atau perkebunan lainnya," jelas Adiarso.

Teknologi produksi biodiesel merupakan teknologi produksi generasi I, yaitu melalui reaksi esterifikasi dan transesterifikasi minyak nabati dengan sejumlah alkohol dan katalis asam/basa menghasilkan biodiesel (akil ester).

"Namun karena produksi biodiesel generasi I menggunakan bahan baku minyak sawit mentah (CPO) yang harganya sangat tinggi, sampai Rp8.000-Rp9.000 per liter, maka pengusaha sawit tentu saja lebih memilih ekspor mentah langsung daripada membuat biodiesel yang prosesnya harus menambah Rp1.000-2.000 per liter lagi untuk dijual sebagai biodiesel seharga Rp4.500," katanya.

Itulah mengapa dibuat biodiesel generasi II yang memanfaatkan biomassa melalui proses liquifaksi dan gasifikasi.

"Jika biodiesel generasi I menggunakan minyak sawit, biodiesel generasi II akan menggunakan limbah sawit seperti tandan buah kosong sawit, pelepah dan limbah pertanian lainnya sehingga diharapkan tak ada lagi hambatan mengembangkan biodiesel," terang Adiarso. 

Sekretaris Jenderal Asosiasi Produsen Biofuel Indonesia (Aprobi) Aslam Kalyubi mengatakan, potensi biomassa di Indonesia tercatat mencapai 50 ribu MW, bahkan faktanya mencapai 210 ribu MW, sementara kapasistas terpasang hanya 1.618 MW.

"Di AS pembangkitan tenaga listrik dari biomassa mencapai 11 ribu MW sedangkan di Indonesia biomassa untuk pembangkit listrik belum tercatat pasti, namun telah digunakan oleh sejumlah perusahaan," katanya.

[repost] : dari kompas

Research

THE INFLUENCE OF RATIO POLYSULFON/POLY(EUGENOL SULFONAT) TO CHARACTERS OF ELECTROLYTE POLYMER MEMBRANE OF FUEL CELL

ABSTRACT
The influence of polysulfon/poly(eugenol sulfonat) ratio to characters of electrolyte polymer membrane for fuel cell was studied. Synthesis of poly(eugenol sulfonat) (PES) was carried out by sulfonation and polimerisation of eugenol using lead(II)sulphate (PbSO4) catalyst. Synthesis of membrane was performed by blending polysulfon (PSF) + PES at weight rasio PSF/PES : 4/0 (A membrane), 3/1 (B membrane), 1/1 (C membrane) dan 1/3 (D membrane). The solvent used was Dimethyl Sulfooxide (DMSO). The liquid membrane was then changed to thin solid and dried in vacum condition at temperature 80 oC.
The surface of membrane was analyzed by optical microscope at 1000 magnification. Physical and chemical characterisations of membrane include proton conductivity, percentage of water uptake, oxydative stability, thermal stability and crystalinity of membrane was investigated. Proton conductivity was determined using V-I methode at temperatur 30 oC and relative humidity of 100 %. The water uptake test was calculated by difference mass of humidified and dryed membrane at temperature 30 oC and relatif humidity of 100 % . The oxydative stability test was performed by immersing membrane into fenton reagent. The thermal stability of membrane was analyzed by Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and membrane crystalinity was identified by X-Ray Diffraction (X-RD).
The surface analysis indicated that distribution of matrix in the membrane was homogen. The proton conductivity test showed that the conductivity increased when humidity was increased. The percentage of water uptake and proton conductivity increased together with decreasing PSF/PES rasio. The value of proton conductivity at orde 10-8-10-6 S/cm. The oxydative stability test indicated that all of membranes stable in the oxydative environment. Generally, thermogram of DTA indicated that geometry structure of membranes changed at temperature of 155-170 oC and desomposition of SOx were observed at 220-325 oC. The X-RD data showed that the crystalinity of all membranes were amorf. The result showed the best performance membrane was D membrane which has the highest proton conductivity (10-6 S/cm) and water uptake (144,19 %) with good thermal stability (225,85 oC) for application.


Key words : fuel cell, sulfonation, conductivity, proton, membrane.