INDONESIA ROUTE IN ADOPTING BIODIESEL
(RM4.7 billion).
The next stop of our tour was a briefing by Gaikindo on the extensive testing of the B100 pure palm biodiesel component that is used for blending B20 as well as the testing of B20 on the roads of Indonesia.
Testing started in 2014 and focused on potential problems related to engine components and also the Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) biodiesel itself.
With regards to engines, the higher concentration of FAME reportedly resulted in rough idling, engine stalling, insufficient power output and deterioration of components.
Gaikindo then came up with recommendations to improve engine component coatings and the Indonesian industry standards (then SNI 04-7182-2006) related to B100 biodiesel to specifically to improve oxidation stability and reduce precipitates and solubility.
It is worth noting that our own Malaysian Standard for B100 is much stricter and harder to achieve than the Indonesian version.
Indonesia’s road testing covered more than 100,000km and with three different manufacturers. Their testing and the extensive roadshow by
EBTKE was crucial to the acceptance of the public towards B20 biodiesel.
Next, we went on a tour of the Pertamina biodiesel blending facilities in Tanjong Priok, close to Jakarta.
B20 is called BioSolar as opposed to pure diesel, which is branded Solar by Pertamina. In 2014, Pertamina used a method called In-Tank blending for biodiesel, whereby the FAME and diesel were blended directly into the tanker trailers. Nowadays, they are utilising in-line pipe blending, which is a better and more practical method.
A more informal meeting with the Indonesian Trucking Association was held later.
This meeting was much looked forward to by members of the Malaysian delegation, including the deputy president of the PanMalaysian Lorry Owners Association and the president of the Association of Malaysian Hauliers, as it involved the actual end users of B20 biodiesel.
According to them, when B10 and even B15 was implemented, they ran their trucks as per normal. But with the implementation of B20, they experienced problems with the fuel filters of their vehicles.
They quickly found that by training their drivers to clean the fuel filters regularly and by utilising a second in-line filter, they could circumvent the problem entirely and at a negligible cost.
In the end, they surmised that the implementation of KEN was a good thing for their nation and supported the policy entirely.
MPOB representative Dr Harrison Lau said: “(The) Jakarta trip was a very fruitful learning trip as our local representatives from the haulage and lorry associations were exposed to first-hand information regarding hazard-free implementation of biodiesel in Indonesia.
“More importantly, the diesel quality and diesel engine technology for both countries are within the same range. This proves that (technically) the Malaysian B10 biodiesel initiative will not pose any technical risks to any stakeholders and end users.”
Indonesia has plans to increase FAME content gradually and their KEN policy stretches to the year 2050. It is wise that Malaysians should also have similar goals and outlook for the sake of the environment.
We came away from the trip with a newfound respect for our neighbour’s tenacity in implementing their biodiesel policy and their citizen’s patriotism in supporting their government policies.