MTU UNIVERSITY TURNS PT KPN PALM WASTE INTO ORGANIC FERTILIZER
14 January 2022
Mahkota Tricom Unggul University visited the PT Karya Pratama Niagajaya (KPN) factory on KM 97 Tanjung Seri Sei Suka Road, Batubara Regency, Wednesday (12/1).
The Head of the Agro Business Study Program at MTU University, Suwandy Purba, explained that the visit was not only to see firsthand the process of making CPO but also to explore cooperation in making organic fertilizers, both solids and liquids from palm oil waste.
“Palm oil waste produced by PT KPN, be it liquid, boiler water, empty bunches or fiber will be processed by MTU University into organic fertilizer. In other words, the company provides the material, the university processes it into organic fertilizer,” Suwandy said.
The use of inorganic fertilizers and other chemicals in agricultural and plantation cultivation will leave residues in the soil that can cause physical, biological and chemical soil damage. This will affect plant growth and plant health.
The use of organic fertilizers, both solids that we often know as compost and liquid known as liquid organic fertilizer is one solution to re-improve soil conditions both physically, biologically and chemically. Soil becomes loose or not hard, can retain nutrients and water, increase the content of plant nutrients both macro and micro.
“We will test the content of the organic fertilizer. Through laboratory tests and efficacy tests through application to plants. The results will be disseminated to planters and farmers of food, vegetable and fruit crops as well as ornamental plants,” he explained.
MTU University as an academic institution, he said, has a role to provide wider education to other PKSs about processing their factory waste and to farmers about the use of organic fertilizers (compost and liquid organic fertilizer) in their agricultural and plantation cultivation businesses.
Meanwhile, PT KPN manager Eka Pramudy welcomed the desire of MTU University to process palm oil waste into organic fertilizer.
“We are ready to provide palm oil waste raw materials to be processed by MTU University into organic fertilizer,” he said.
He hopes that the use of organic fertilizer can not only improve soil fertility but also increase crop yields. Later, organic fertilizers produced from palm oil waste will be sold to farmers at affordable prices.
Also present at the visit from MTU university were Vice Rector 1 Dompak Pasaribu, Head of LPM Nasib and Head of Bureau Ahmad Fadli.