Indonesia is a very rich tropical country. If tamanu oil is not utilized, then the cost of biofuel in Indonesia could rise further.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - A researcher at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Budi Leksono, has informed that he is preparing oil from the nyamplung tree, or tamanu, as a biofuel.

"It does not mean that tamanu will compete with palm oil. Palm oil is very much ready to be (used as) biodiesel with industry-scale process, even for export," Leksono noted at a webinar observed from here on Wednesday.

If developed further, tamanu oil could substitute palm oil as a biofuel, he added.

This substitution is necessary since palm oil distribution was halted due to global concerns, such as how biofuel cannot be in the form of edible oil, he said.

Tamanu trees could be cultivated in remote regions, which could prove useful since biofuel made from palm oil cannot be distributed to those areas, he added.

"Indonesia is a very rich tropical country. If tamanu oil is not utilized, then the cost of biofuel in Indonesia could rise further," the researcher said.

According to Leksono, tamanu trees are spread out across Indonesian regions located at a height of 0-300 meters above the sea surface.

The tree can bear fruit throughout the year and each tree can yield up to 50-150 kg of fruit per year, he noted.

The tree also has a high non-edible oil yield of 30–80 percent. The method of processing tamanu oil has already been mastered by researchers and local residents, he pointed out.

"The use of tamanu oil industry waste is already known, and also its cultivation technique," Leksono said.

"Right now, there are no superior seeds with high productivity yet. This is what should be prepared in order to develop an industry based on tamanu," he affirmed.

Currently, the ministry is conducting research on extracting tamanu oil from 12 tree populations that are spread out over eight Indonesian islands, he added.

The researcher said he expects the research to become the basis for the government's policy in the future. The government is also expected to start using algae as biofuel, he noted.

Related news: Involve forestry sector to achieve net-zero emissions: researcher
Related news: Government should design framework for biofuel to lower emissions: NGO
Related news: BPPT exhorts government to accelerate development of biofuel

Translator: Sanya Dinda, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021