Research Ministry to Develop Integrated Technology for Salt Production

Minister of Research and Technology/Head of the National Agency for Research and Innovation Photo by: PR/Ibrahim

Ministry of Research and Technology/the National Agency for Research and Innovation is developing integrated salt technology in accordance with the directive of the President.

“The salt factory should be directly integrated with the land, so that salt farmers can sell their salt products, with NaCl lower than 90 percent, to the factory,” Minister of Research and Technology/Head of the National Agency for Research and Innovation Bambang Brodjonegoro said after attending a Limited Cabinet Meeting via video conference on Acceleration of Salt Absorption, Monday (5/10) in Jakarta.

In the factory, he continued, the salt will be upgraded to industrial salt with NaCl above 97 percent through washing plant technology and industrial salt installations developed by the BPPT (Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology).

“The BPPT has developed technology to increase the quality of NaCl though salt factory or we call it an industrial salt installation where the NaCl quality will increase from 92 percent to 98 percent,” the Minister said.

Currently, there is one integrated salt factory that has been completed and is already operating in Gresik, East Java.

“The President’s directive was to build more (factories) immediately, at least 1-2 factories next year, and of course there will be more,” Bambang said.

One unit of the integrated industrial salt, he added, can produce 40 thousand tons of salt per year. “If we can add 14-15 similar units, then we can produce up to 600-700 thousand tons (of salt) per year. We are optimistic that with the use of technology and investment of around Rp40 billion per factory, we will be able to substitute imports and be self-sufficient,” the Minister said.

Regarding the chlor alkali plant (CAP) for the glass industry, the Minister said that the Ministry will start the development of salt processing from the PLTU (steam power plant).

“We will start with a steam power plant in Banten with a capacity of 100,000 tons per year. The demand for import is high, approximately 2.3 million tons per year,” the Minister said.

If the pilot project is successful, he said, there will be additional capacity and additional steam power plant with waste water processed into salt for CAP’s industrial needs. (MAY/UN)

Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by: Lulu Wuliarti