Indonesia Eyes Japanese Technology that Converts Palm Oil Waste into High Value Products

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has welcomed the adoption of Japanese technology that can convert liquid palm oil waste, known as palm oil mill effluent (POME), into valuable products such docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and animal feed, according to The Jakarta Post dated May 27.  The Novel Algae-DHA Technology was developed by Japan’s Mobiol Corporation and Tsukuba University. 

Darmin said the adoption of the technology was important for Indonesia, as the world’s largest palm oil producer, because it could attract investment, boost exports, address environmental issues and improve economic activity. In Indonesia, there are currently 875 firms that produce palm oil products, which produce some 156 million tons of POME per day.

Mobiol Corporation Group CEO Toshihide Nakajima explained that the global demand for DHA was around 250,000 MT per year, while demand for aquatic and animal feed was estimated at 4 million MT and 1 million MT per year, respectively.  The company projects that sales of DHA could be four times higher than the revenue from the currently produced palm oil products, while sales from aquatic and animal feed could be two times higher.