SEAMEO BIOTROP equipped 26 Indonesian participants with knowledge and skills on Agro-Industrial Wastes Utilization through Environmental Friendly Technology during a national training held on 2 – 6 July 2012 at its headquarter in Bogor, Indonesia.

At the end of the training, the participants were expected to be able to: (a) characterize the various types of agro-industrial wastes; (b) acquire practical skills in utilizing agro-industrial wastes through environment-friendly technologies; and (c) identify business opportunities to produce products with added value from recycling agro-industrial wastes. 

In opening the training course, SEAMEO BIOTROP Director  Dr. Bambang Purwantara emphasized the potentials of agro-industrial solid wastes as biomass materials which are rich in organic materials and available in large quantities as well as their negative impacts on the environment if not handled carefully. He said that agro-industrial wastes contain  a variety of organic materials such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, oils, etc. which generally can be used to produce value-added products, if processed  using  appropriate technology. The Director also cited the role of biotechnology in offering alternatives to utilize waste products as resources to produce a wide range of valuable recycled products, including bioenergy/fuels, animal feed ingredients, organic fertilizer, and even basic material for pharmaceutical products.

The following topics were covered during the lecture-discussions: (1) Overview on agro-industrial wastes, (2) Laws and regulations on the management and control of agro-industrial wastes; (3) Production of bio-energy and animal feeds  by utilizing micro-organisms of agro-industrial wastes; (4) Production of organic fertilizers from agro-industrial wastes;  and (5) Utilization of solid agro wastes as growth media of fungi.  The participants also gained practical insights on the subject matter during a visit to the Science and Technology Research Centre (PUSPITEK) in Serpong,  South Tanggerang.

Instructors for this training course came from Bogor Agricultural University, Ministry of Environment of Indonesia, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology of Indonesia. 

The training participants were from agro industry and plantations companies, universities, NGOs, and private business.

Dr. Hilman Affandi, BIOTROP’s lead scientist for natural products and wastes management, coordinated the training course.