PT Petrokimia Gresik (Persero), an Agroindustrial Solutions company and member of the PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) holding, successfully developed an innovation utilizing silica byproducts as a molten sulfur filtration agent in the sulfuric acid production process. This innovation transforms material that previously posed a management challenge into a valuable resource, while simultaneously reducing the company's dependency on third-party filtration materials.
The President Director of Petrokimia Gresik, Daconi Khotob, Monday (21/9/2026), stated that this innovation has received a Simple Patent Certificate (Sertifikat Paten Sederhana) from the Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia. The Simple Patent Certificate was presented directly by the Minister of Law of the Republic of Indonesia, Supratman Andi Agtas, to the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Operations III of Petrokimia Gresik, Bambang Ariwibowo, who represented company management, during the “What’s Up Campus Calls Out” (WCCO) event organized by the Ministry of Law of the Republic of Indonesia at the Airlangga Convention Center recently.
“Previously, molten sulfur filtration utilized diatomaceous earth obtained from third parties. Through this innovation, we not only found a solution for the silica byproduct generated by the company, but also presented an alternative filtration material capable of supporting production process efficiency,” said Daconi.
Silica is a byproduct of the aluminum fluoride (AlF₃) production process. Every month, this production unit generates approximately 990 tons of silica in solid form. This volume requires adequate management and storage space.
This challenge subsequently prompted Petrokimia Gresik to develop silica as an alternative filtration material in the sulfuric acid production process.
Sulfuric acid is one of the materials used in the fertilizer manufacturing process. Within its production process, there is a molten sulfur filtration stage to produce clean materials that meet quality standards. Through the innovation developed by Petrokimia Gresik, silica resulting as a byproduct of aluminum fluoride production can now be utilized as an alternative filtration material in that process.
The utilization of this silica provides dual benefits for the company. Beyond optimizing the byproduct to hold utility value, the innovation also reduces the need for third-party filtration materials and has the potential to lower production process costs.
From an economic perspective, the utilization of silica as an alternative filtration material is projected to offer potential savings of up to approximately Rp259.6 million per year. This efficiency stems from the reduced purchasing needs for diatomaceous earth alongside the optimized utilization of silica byproducts that previously required separate management and storage.
“Through this innovation, we want to establish a mindset that byproducts are not always a management burden. With proper research and innovation, such materials can be developed into solutions that support industrial process efficiency and sustainability,” Daconi explained.
Obtaining this Simple Patent Certificate serves as recognition for the innovation developed by Petrokimia Gresik in addressing the company's operational needs. The innovation also opens up opportunities for broader applications of silica utilization, including for other industries with similar process characteristics.
“Moving forward, we will continue to encourage the birth of innovations capable of creating added value for the company. Not only from an economic and efficiency perspective, but also through resource optimization and a more sustainable utilization of byproducts,” Daconi concluded.
Attachments
| File | Type | Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59 PG Paten Sederhana FINAL | 137 KB | Download |
