US and Indonesia celebrate launch of Jakarta waste-to-bioethanol project

The first US-Indonesia municipal waste-to-bioproducts project, known as JababECO, is officially underway after US vice president Mike Pence participated in a ceremony in Jakarta celebrating the signing of multiple Memorandums of Understanding.

Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla, Greenbelt Resources CEO Darren Eng and Jababeka Infrastruktur director Tjahjadi Rahardja were also in attendance at the ceremony, part of an event showcasing $10 billion (EUR 9.3 billion) of trade deals between the US and Indonesia.

The municipal waste-to-bioproducts plant will process food waste into bioproducts such as bioethanol, animal feed, fertiliser and distilled water.

Over five years, the plant will have a cumulative product sales value of $6 billion (EUR 5.6 billion), using local waste resources to make locally sold bioproducts.

"Our technology was specifically developed to address local municipal waste needs, a tremendous challenge in growing cities like Jakarta," said Darren Eng in a press release. "We're excited for this opportunity and believe that out of this project, we can create a new model of municipal waste management for cities across the country and around the world."

When complete, JababECO will produce approximately 500,000 gallons (2.3 million litres) of bioethanol as well as protein concentrate to be used as liquid fertiliser and animal feed.

Setyono Djuandi Darmono, chairman and founder of Jababeka & Co believes his company is breaking new ground in dealing with Indonesia and Jakarta’s waste management challenges. "We're building cities of the future that create interconnected communities through the latest and most promising technologies from waste water management to fiber optics to sustainable energy," Darmono explains. "New cities need new and innovative approaches to growth challenges and we believe Greenbelt Resource's JababECO technology will prove to be an ideal local waste solution for our cities' local needs."