InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Palm oil empty bunches can be used as material to produce helmet, just like one innovation of a lecturer in Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) University, Siti Nikmatin did.

She would be in cooperation with PT Intertisi Material Maju (PT IMM). She is developed by Surveyor Indonesia to produce helmet from empty bunches. The most important thing is that it passed Indonesian National Standards and has domestic high level - component that reached 71,21 percent. In commercial the brand would be Green Composite Helmet.

Siti Nikmatin said the innovation to advantage palm oil empty bunches to be material in producing helmets has its patent with number P00201609159. "The fiber of empty bunches has good mechanic characteristic that functions as filter to escalate mechanic-physic quality of project helmet,” she said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT recently.

Based on what Siti Nikmatin calculated, the big numbers of CPO production would be the same with the abundant empty bunches. Every ton fresh fruit bunch (FFB) could produce 22 – 23 percent or about 220–230 kg empty bunches.

She also said, if palm oil industry had 100 tons of FFB/hour and operated for one hour, there would be about 23 tons of empty bunches. The abundant empty bunches would need solution.

Meanwhile, CEO PT IMM, Andika Kristinawati said, certification process of domestic high level – component was facilitated by PT Surveyor Indonesia. Surveyor Indonesia helped in fund to purchase cutting machine, registration in market place ‘Padi UMKM’, branding training, and took IMM in exhibition.

In the material, PT IMM is in cooperation with PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) VIII in Jasinga, District of Bogor to supply empty bunches. “The process is in cooperation with smallholders’ groups,” Andika said.

In the first time of cooperation the groups got trainings about empty bunch to be processed. Now they could process empty bunches to be fiber as the material to produce helmet. (T2)