Wilmar to produce aviation bio fuel

PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia, a subsidiary of one of the world?s largest crude palm oil (CPO) producers Wilmar International, plans to produce a palm-oil-based aviation bio fuel at the company?s bio fuel plant in Gresik, East Java, Kontan reported on Wednesday.

Wilmar Nabati began in December last year the construction of a new refinery plant to produce olefin, an important material for the production of jet bio fuel, with investment of between US$70 million and $80 million.

Taufik Tamin, the executive director of Wilmar Nabati, said in Gresik on Tuesday that the company would be the first in the world to commercially produce aviation bio fuel from palm kernel oil.

?At present, the olefin production from palm kernel is conducted only at laboratories,? he said, adding that the company began the bio fuel program after it purchased the finding for the production of the olefin from Nobel winner for science Robert H. Grubbs in 2005.

Wilmar will cooperate with Pertamina in marketing of the aviation bio fuel as well as its bio diesel. The company also teams up with the US-based Elevance Renewable Sciences to develop the palm-oil-based bio fuel.

Wilmar also plans to increase the production capacity of bio diesel in the Gresik plant from 2,000 tons a year to 3,000 tons a year at the end of this year. (*)