Estimated CO₂-eq Emissions from Indonesian Palm Oil-Based Biodiesel Production Activities

¹ Department of Agroindustrial Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, 16680 IPB University, Dramaga Bogor, Indonesia
² Department of Resource and Environmental Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management, 16680 IPB University, Dramaga Bogor, Indonesia
³ Surfactant and Bio-energy Research Center (SBRC), 16129 IPB University, Padjajaran Bogor, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

The primary energy supply in Indonesia is still dominated by fossil fuels, leading to a significant increase in CO₂-eq emissions, particularly from the transportation and industrial sectors. The Indonesian government has implemented the B40 program (a blend of 40% biodiesel and 60% petroleum diesel) to mitigate CO₂-eq emissions. This research aims to calculate the total CO₂-eq emissions throughout the entire life cycle of B100 production based on the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as specified in SNI ISO 14040:2016 and SNI ISO 14044:2017. The analysis compares the CO₂-eq emissions of conventional diesel (B0) and B100. The results indicate that B100 has the potential to reduce particulate emissions by 40-60%, carbon monoxide (CO) by 10-50%, and hydrocarbons (HC) by 10-50% compared to B0. The CO₂-eq emission factor for B0 was found to be 4,354.81 kg CO₂-eq/kL, and for B100 it was 2,155.64 kg CO₂-eq/kL. This demonstrates a significant reduction in emissions with the use of B100, resulting in a decrease of 2,199.17 kg CO₂-eq/kL or 50.50% from B0. However, the study also highlights the environmental challenges associated with the expansion of oil palm plantations, including deforestation and land degradation, which contribute to CO₂ emissions.