Depok, November 3rd 2023. Four students from the Department of Chemical Engineering (DTK) Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Indonesia (UI) developed an innovative product called X-PELBO: Waste Plastic to Eco-Lubricant Base Oil for engine lubricants from plastic waste materials. Those who were members of the Lubritech Team consisted of Ariadne Jasmine, Fionna Aurell, Farrel Hakim, and Ni Putu Xyieloveeda Sequioa.
This innovation is the result of processing polypropylene (PP) plastic waste into base oil which is the basic oil that makes up lubricants. The Lubritech team developed this product under the guidance of DTK FTUI Professor, Prof. Dr. Ir. Dijan Supramono, M.Sc. Thanks to this innovative idea, the team won 1st place in the Tribology category at the Think Efficiency 2023 competition organized by Shell Indonesia and Society Renewable Energy (SRE) Indonesia. In the competition announced on Thursday (19/10), the Lubritech Team managed to beat 50 student teams from other universities in Indonesia.
This innovative idea is based on the fact that the use of plastic has skyrocketed in various industries and households. Unfortunately, plastic has properties that do not decompose easily and will damage the environment in the future. One of the most commonly used types of plastic is PP plastic which is found in drink bottles, food containers, and various other consumer packaging. This PP plastic contributes greatly to the problem of plastic waste accumulation throughout the world.
“Apart from that, it is important to remember that Indonesia is the second largest contributor of plastic waste in the world with a total of 64 million tons of plastic waste every year. To tackle this serious problem, recycling plastic is the key to reducing plastic pollution. The Lubritech team has answered this challenge with innovation which they have realized in a product called X-PELBO,” said Fionna Aurell.
Generally, engine lubricants use high quality base oil which comes from refined petroleum. The Lubritech team’s innovation is a new breakthrough as a solution and innovation to support a sustainable environment by creating X-PELBO.
“By carrying the spirit of ‘the best lubricant begins with the best base oil’, X-PELBO brings various advantages. Apart from being a solution for processing PP plastic waste with high sales value, this product also reduces dependence on non-renewable petroleum resources. X-PELBO also features excellent evaporation capability, stability and lubrication power. Another important thing that is an advantage of this product is the market price of X-PELBO which is 76% cheaper than competing products, with a price of only IDR 11,999 per liter,” said Ariadne Jasmine.
She further said that the X-PELBO production process involves three stages, namely pyrolysis, hydrocracking, and distillation. In the pyrolysis stage, PP plastic waste is first heated without oxygen at a temperature of 524 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, this process breaks the long chains of PP plastic. In the hydrocracking process, the C30 carbon chain is broken down into C16. This is the carbon chain that makes up the desired base oil. The final stage is atmospheric distillation which is carried out twice to separate the main product (C16) from the side products (C3 and C8).
Even though it comes from PP plastic waste processing, the base oil in X-PELBO reaches around 70-80% in each lubricant with the best quality. The test results show that the Viscosity Index of X-PELBO reaches 120 with a sulfur content below 0.2%, so it is included in Group III Base Oil, which is one of the superior class base oils.
Dean of FTUI Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU., said, “The Lubritech Team’s innovation is proof that FTUI students have strong critical powers and are able to provide innovative alternatives that support environmental sustainability. The Lubritech team not only presents brilliant solutions, but also provides inspiration about the great potential of Indonesia’s young generation in overcoming energy and environmental challenges.”
Think Efficiency 2023 is a competition event resulting from collaboration between Shell Indonesia and SRE Indonesia. This competition is a competition that aims to encourage active students who have an interest in the fields of energy, tribology and digitalization to produce innovations that are efficient and have a positive impact.
