Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) emphasized that metabolic engineering of woody plant cell walls has become an important breakthrough in the development of environmentally friendly bioenergy and bioindustry in Indonesia. Through advanced biotechnology approaches, plant biomass can be designed to become more easily converted into bioethanol and other high-value bioproducts, while simultaneously supporting the growth of a green economy and low-carbon bioeconomy.
The statement was delivered by Sri Hartanti, a researcher at BRIN’s Research Center for Genetic Engineering under the Organization for Life Sciences and Environment, during her inaugural scientific oration as Research Professor in Life Sciences with expertise in Plant Molecular Biology at the B.J. Habibie Building in Jakarta on Thursday (21/5).
In her presentation titled “Metabolic Engineering of Woody Plant Cell Walls for the Development of Environmentally Friendly Bioproducts,” Sri explained that the complex structure of plant cell walls has long been a major challenge in converting biomass into bioenergy.
According to her, the high lignin content in woody plants inhibits hydrolysis and biomass bioconversion processes, making the production of bioethanol and other biological products less efficient and more costly.
Sri noted that advances in technologies such as genome editing and multi-omics analysis are now opening new opportunities for the utilization of woody plants. Through these approaches, biomass composition can be engineered more precisely, enabling easier conversion into bioenergy and sustainable bioproducts.
She explained that metabolic engineering is carried out by modifying lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose compositions so that biomass becomes easier to process. This approach is considered capable of improving conversion efficiency by up to 30–40 percent while reducing energy consumption, chemical use, and production costs.
Sri also highlighted the development of molecular technologies such as CRISPR-Cas, which enables precise modification of plant cell walls to improve biomass quality, biofuel efficiency, and environmental resilience.
In Indonesia, research has focused on several plant species, including sengon, acacia, and oil palm, to optimize lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose compositions in support of sustainable bioenergy and bioeconomy development.
According to Sri, studies on sengon, mangium, and oil palm have shown that biomass with lower lignin content and higher cellulose content is easier to convert into energy. Through genetic engineering and the overexpression of specific genes, researchers have succeeded in increasing saccharification efficiency and bioethanol production by up to 1.4 times.
In her research, Sri also developed metabolic engineering strategies to reduce lignin content in woody plants. In transgenic sengon trees, the approach successfully reduced lignin levels by approximately 45 percent through targeted genetic modification.
The reduction of lignin is expected to improve the efficiency of the pulp and bioenergy industries because the biomass becomes easier to process. The development of biomass with such characteristics is considered increasingly important amid rising demand for environmentally friendly energy and low-emission industries.
Sri emphasized that Indonesia possesses enormous lignocellulosic biomass potential derived from agricultural residues, forestry waste, and energy crops such as oil palm, sengon, acacia, and bamboo. These resources can be developed into bioethanol, bioplastics, and various other bioproducts.
However, she also warned that the development of the bioindustry still faces multiple challenges, including lignocellulosic complexity, high production costs, logistical constraints, limited human resources, investment barriers, and inadequate infrastructure.
Therefore, Sri stressed the importance of policy synergy, strengthened research, sustainable investment, and collaboration among government, academia, and industry to build a sustainable low-carbon bioeconomy in Indonesia. (*)
