Jakarta, INTI - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has successfully developed a mesoporous catalyst material based on SBA-15, which can increase the production efficiency of biomass-based bioavtur. This innovation is one of the efforts to support the development of sustainable aviation fuel to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support Indonesia's net-zero emission target.
Indriyati, a researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Catalysis, stated that the aviation sector remains one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions globally. As air transportation demand increases, the development of sustainable aviation fuel is necessary to reduce carbon emissions.
Currently, bioavtur is generally produced using vegetable oil. However, this raw material still competes with food demand and is therefore considered unsustainable.
Therefore, she and her team developed a second-generation bioavtur using non-food biomass, such as agricultural, forestry, and plantation waste, which is abundantly available in Indonesia.
"This non-food biomass is first converted into intermediate compounds, which are then processed using a catalyst," Indriyati said at the ORNAMAT #89 scientific meeting, held online on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Biomass Compounds into High-Energy Hydrocarbons
In this research, BRIN developed a catalyst based on the mesoporous material SBA-15, modified through a sulfating method using ammonium sulfate. This material has a meso-sized pore structure. This supports the catalytic reaction for converting biomass-derived compounds into high-energy hydrocarbons that have the potential to be used as aviation fuel.
This research is the result of a collaboration between BRIN, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Universitas Indoensia, and Universitas Padjadjaran.
"This collaboration resulted in a catalyst with a balanced pore structure and acidity level, thus providing better performance than previous materials," said Indriyati.
Indriyati added that the best catalyst design is not determined by the highest acidity level, but rather by the balance between acidity level, surface area, and ease of access to the mesoporous pore structure.
"The balance of these characteristics is a crucial factor in developing catalysts for the hydroxyalkylation–alkylation (HAA) reaction, a process that combines biomass-derived compounds into molecules with longer carbon chains as precursors for bioavtur," she explained.
Test Results Shows Suitability for Aviation Fuel
Test results showed that after optimizing the reaction temperature, catalyst amount, and raw material ratio, the raw material conversion rate reached 99 percent, with a bioavtur precursor yield of 62 percent. The next stage was converting the bioavtur precursor into hydrocarbons that met aviation fuel specifications.
This process resulted in a conversion rate of up to 100 percent, with most of the products falling within the hydrocarbon range suitable for aviation fuel. In addition to its high efficiency, the developed catalyst can also be reused in multiple reaction cycles.
"Although there was a slight decrease in performance after repeated use, the material still exhibited good stability, thus offering significant potential for industrial-scale application," Indriyati explained.
This research opens up new opportunities in the development of higher-quality biomass-based bioavtur. In addition to producing a high conversion rate, this research also provides the opportunity to produce bioavtur precursors with longer carbon chains, which are important characteristics in the manufacture of aviation fuel.
Conclusion
BRIN developed a mesoporous catalyst based on SBA-15 to increase the efficiency of second-generation bioavtur production from non-food biomass, such as agricultural, forestry, and plantation waste. This innovation, a collaboration with KIST, UI, and Unpad, was designed by balancing acidity levels, surface area, and pore accessibility to optimize the conversion process of biomass-derived compounds into bioavtur precursors. Test results showed a raw material conversion of 99 percent with a bioavtur precursor yield of 62 percent, while the advanced process resulted in a conversion of up to 100 percent with most of the products being in the hydrocarbon range suitable for aviation fuel.
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