Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) on September 25 said it is exploring the potential for research collaboration in converting food waste into energy with the Gyeongnam International Development Cooperation Centre (GNIDCC) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This is motivated by the large amount of domestic wastewater produced in Indonesia with a limited management process, said head of the BRIN Environmental Research and Clean Technology Centre Ario Betha Juanssilfero, adding alternative technology is needed both on a business and individual scale.
Juanssilfero underscored the need for waste management research to support environmental preservation and as a renewable energy material.
Indonesia has conducted waste management research in the form of wastewater recycled into clean water using the anaerobic-aerobic biofilter process and membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, according to the official.
Proper waste management can give rise to various opportunities, including conversion to energy. Research and collaboration are needed to realise it, Juanssilfero remarked.
GNIDCC representative Kwanyoung Kim said waste in Indonesia reached 63.9 million tonnes in 2021, and that this figure is projected to increase along with pollution from organic waste.
Indonesia currently produces 25.4 million tonnes of food waste and 10.9 million tonnes of green waste. Unfortunately, only 7.5% of this organic waste has been managed through the composting mechanism, Kim noted.
The meeting between BRIN and the counterparts from the Republic of Korea (RoK) aimed to discuss further cooperation in waste-to-energy (WtE) management.
Discussions at the meeting also covered the development of technology and policies related to green transformation, climate change mitigation, and sustainable industrial ecosystem management./.
