In petroleum industry, the role of zeolite as catalyst is very important. Almost all upgrading and refinery processes use synthetic zeolite as catalyst. Without a catalyst, a reaction will be a million times slower to produce a product. The state-owned petroleum company, PT. Pertamina, with its block in Balongan alone needs as much as 5,000 tons of catalyst every year.
That was delivered by Prof. Dra. Wega Trisunaryati, M.S., M.Eng., Ph.D., when inaugurated as Professor of Chemistry Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UGM, Wednesday (28/10). By delivering a speech entitled “Indonesian Zeolite as Absorbent and Catalyst in Overcoming Environmental Problems and Energy Crisisâ€, Prof. Wega said that the demand for catalyst is met by imports from abroad, such as China and Japan, which cost some US$500 million/year. “Indonesia had a big catalyst factory in Kujang industrial area, Cikampek, with a capacity of 1,100 tons/year. Unfortunately, the factory is no longer operational,†said the woman who was born in Yogyakarta on 28 October 1962.
The wife of Ir. T. Yoyok Wahyu Subroto, M.Eng., Ph.D, said that many researchers from many research institutions and universities in Indonesia have actually invented economical catalyst innovations. These include catalyst variation development in palm oil hydrogenation for oil chemical industry, catalyst technology development to process asphalt into fuels. Several patent rights in catalyst technology have been produced but they have yet to wait for commercialization.
Meanwhile, in environmental preservation, zeolite is often analyzed to be utilized as heavy metal (Hg, V, Pb) absorbent, color essence (textile waste) and toxic waste from various industries. The fact had encouraged Prof. Wega to scrutinize zeolite and modify it so that its quality will improve to overcome environmental pollution and to be made as catalyst in fuel production industry.