"The technology for utilizing wood waste for environmentally friendly composite products in the form of chip block pallets can be a national model of solution for the national issue of lignocellulosic biomass waste, which is very rampant in Indonesia," the deputy for research and innovation utilization at BRIN, Mego Pinandito, said here on Thursday.
According to the technology's inventor, Sukma Surya K, chip block pallets are environmentally-friendly composite products, given that they are free from harmful formaldehyde emissions, and their raw materials are wood industry waste.
It also has superior load-bearing strength, exceptional resistance, and a simple installation method, he added.
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According to Pinandito, the increase in the sale value of chip block pallet products is estimated at US$150 to US$250 per cubic meter.
He said its commercialization could reduce dependence on chip block pallets products imported from China. It could also create new jobs and solve environmental problems, he added.
The agency's researchers are trying to increase the added value of wood industrial waste because its current market price is capped at just Rp200 per sack, he informed. Wood industry waste is usually utilized as a fuel in tofu factories, he said.
Meanwhile, the head of BRIN's Life Sciences Research Organization, Iman Hidayat, said that the CBP production technology is a form of quick response by BRIN for assisting the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
In 2020, representatives from CV Kibti Furniture apprised the agency of the wood industry biomass waste issue in Jepara area, and its potential use for international standard chip block pallets production, he informed.
The Center for Excellence in Lignocellulosic Science and Technology of the Center for Biomaterials Research at BRIN then developed a chip block pallet prototype that was tailored to the needs of the industry, in response to the query, he said.
In 2021, the agency allocated funds to expedite the commercialization of composite pallet foot cushion products, he added. The product has been tested and has been well-received by the export market, he informed.
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Translator: Martha H S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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