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Indonesia and Korea to Develop Biofuel from Seaweed |
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Written by Martin Kho
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009 10:33 |
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Page views: 648 |
Indonesia and South Korea have agreed to develop a seaweed-based biofuel as part of the two countries’ commitment to combat global warming and encourage the use of green energy.
The use of seaweed as feedstock for biofuel production is expected to garner support from environmental groups who, recently, have criticized the use of land-based materials such as palm oil, corn, and sugarcane for having caused massive deforestation across Indonesia’s tropical forests.
Secretary General of Indonesia Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Widi Agoes Pratikto, and president of Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Kyoung-hoan Na, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of the seaweed based biofuel, marking a joint cooperation to harness Indonesia’s abundant seaweed resources.
Locations being considered as potential sites for the research and development are West Nusta Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Bangka-Belitung.
A spokesman for the Indonesia Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry said that the development of seaweed as raw material for biofuels causes no damage to the environment because there is no deforestation involved.
For South Korea, the signing of this agreement will help promote the “Low Carbon, Green Growth” national vision of President Lee Myung-bak. The main projects include “green transportation” and “clean energy”. The country aims to increase the market share for renewable energy to 11 percent of its total domestic energy market by 2030
Following their bilateral meeting last week, President Lee and Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said they were seeking to play more significant roles at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
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