Jakarta, INTI - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is developing technology-based solutions to address the urban waste management crisis. One of the solutions being developed is the second-generation LAHSADIMIN (Liquid Fuel from Plastic Waste with Advanced Pyrolysis System for Industrial Scale). LAHSADIMIN is a pyrolysis technology for processing plastic waste into industrial-scale fuel oil.
Agus Kismanto, an Associate Engineer at BRIN's Research Center of Fuel Technology, explained that the LAHSADIMIN Generation 1 was initially designed with a capacity of 400 kilograms of plastic waste per day, using PP, PS, and PE plastic types as raw materials. This technology utilizes biomass as fuel with a semi-continuous operation system that allows the machine to operate for up to three days nonstop, while also producing crude plastic oil.
The Previous Version was Not Optimal
"LAHSADIMIN Generation 1 faced challenges with raw material supply, and its production output of around 300 liters per day was insufficient to cover operational costs. Its economics were also not yet attractive to investors, so its development was not optimal," explained Agus on Friday, May 22.
This situation pushed BRIN to redesign the technology in LAHSADIMIN Generation 2. Capacity was increased to 1.25 tons per day, with a target of up to 5 tons, using refuse-derived solids (RDS) as the raw material.
Agus stated that the main breakthrough was the change in operation to a multicontinuous process, allowing plastic waste to be fed directly into the reactor without sorting. The two-stage system with plastic-based liquefaction liquefies the plastic first, making the pyrolysis process more efficient and the reactor more compact.
In addition to producing fuel oil, LAHSADIMIN Generation 2 also produces fuel gas from the pyrolysis product, which is compressed into value-added products.
Agus emphasized that LAHSADIMIN Generation 2 focuses not only on technology but also on addressing national needs, as many regions lack adequate waste processing facilities.
"This is part of a solution to processing 100 tons of waste per day, with approximately 10 percent being plastic waste. With LAHSADIMIN Generation 2, RDS can be purchased for over Rp1,000 per kilogram, making RDS facilities more feasible for wider development," he said.
Conclusion
BRIN developed LAHSADIMIN Generation 2, an industrial-scale pyrolysis technology that converts plastic waste into fuel oil and gas. Compared to the first generation, which had a capacity of 400 kg per day and was hampered by economic constraints and raw material supply, the latest version can process 1.25 tons of waste per day with a target of up to 5 tons. This technology uses RDS plastic residue, implements a multicontinuous operating system, and allows plastic to be processed without sorting, making it more efficient.
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