BRIN converts low-value plastic waste into fuel with pyrolysis

This technology is an alternative solution to reduce the burden of waste management and promote a circular economy,

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is promoting the use of pyrolysis technology as a sustainable solution for converting low-value plastic waste into economically valuable fuel.

By scaling up pyrolysis technology, BRIN aims to address the country’s massive plastic waste problem while contributing to the energy supply—aligning with recent directives from President Prabowo Subianto to clean up the archipelago.

Indonesia generated an estimated 38 million tons of waste in 2024. Approximately 19 to 20 percent of that total consisted of low-value plastics—such as single-use shopping bags, food packaging and Styrofoam.

Unlike high-density plastics, these materials are notoriously difficult and unprofitable to recycle using conventional mechanical methods, meaning they often end up clogging waterways or piling up in landfills.

"Through pyrolysis technology, low-value plastic waste can be converted back into fuel with economic value," said Heru Susanto, a researcher at BRIN’s Sustainable Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Research Center, here on Friday.

"This technology is an alternative solution to reduce the burden of waste management and promote a circular economy,” he added.

To address this issue, BRIN has developed Petasol, a renewable fuel equivalent to diesel. The technology has achieved a Technology Readiness Level (TRLs) 8-9, and has been successfully implemented at more than 60 locations across Indonesia.

According to Heru, the technology boasts a technical feasibility index of 87 percent and offers an estimated investment payback period of 2.4 years.

Environmental impact assessments indicate that emissions from the pyrolysis process remain safely below established environmental quality standards.

According to a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, BRIN’s pyrolysis method generates approximately 315 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per ton of plastic processed.

This footprint is up to five times lower than emissions generated by conventional open dumping, open burning or mass incineration.

BRIN hopes the research will encourage local governments to adopt the pyrolysis technology in various regions to support a waste-free Indonesia.

The technological push aligns with recent directives from President Prabowo Subianto, who instructed all levels of central and regional governments to take consistent, concrete actions to address the country's waste emergency.

The Indonesian government continues to implement measures to tackle the ongoing waste crisis, focusing on environmental cleanup and sustainable development nationwide.

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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Yashinta Difa

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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