EXTRACTION OF POTASSIUM FROM PALM BIOMASS

• Main Author: Pretty Punyanan, Jolanda
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/55502
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Palm oil is one of the biggest commodities in Indonesia, with CPO production reaching more than 45 million tons annually. During the process of converting fresh fruit bunches into CPO, several types of palm biomass are produced, consisting of 20-23% EFB, 13,5-15% palm shell, 15% fiber, and the rest is POME. The results of previous studies indicate that the extract of palm biomass contains high potassium which can be used as fertilizer for plants. Potassium extraction from palm biomass has been carried out by previous studies, but the economics study from the extraction has never been done. The purpose of this research is to calculate the economics of potassium extraction from palm biomass. In this study, total ash of palm biomass (fiber, shell, OPEFB) is collected from 7 palm processing plants in East Kalimantan. Then, mass and energy balance is created within laboratory and plant scale. Next steps are main equipments sizing, plant location determination, and plot plant making. Then, total capital investment (TCI), operating expense (OPEX), salvage value, depreciation, and revenue are calculated. Finally, economics analysis is done with cashflow tabulation, continue with sensitivity analysis. This research used XRF data from OPEFB, shell, fiber ash with rasio between ash and solvent of 1:3 produced by Thalia and Sanggita in 2020, and fiber and shell ash (85:15) with rasio between ash and solvent of 1:2 produced by Grant Riset Sawit 2018-2. The result of economics analysis in discounted and non-discounted shows that extraction of potassium from palm biomass is not economically feasible. The two plants can’t achieve return on capital within operation period and have negative cash at the end of operation period and negative rate of return on capital. Sensitivity analysis in rasio between ash and solvent of 1:3 shows that product price and labor cost are variables that mostly influence the plant’s profit, where in rasio between ash and solvent of 1:2, FCI and labor cost are mostly influence the plant’s profit.