Vegetable oil based biodiesel feedstock potential in Indonesia

Biodiesel is a renewable energy that comes from natural biodiesel feedstock, such as vegetable oil, animal fat, waste oil, algae, etc. It becomes one of the best alternative solutions for global fossil fuel energy crisis, because it has similar characteristic with diesel oil (petrodiesel). This paper presents the Indonesian potential of vegetable oil based biodiesel feedstock from many potential crops. The objective is to give the perspective for the decision maker and other researchers to give more attention on development of this energy. There are several potential vegetable oil based biodiesel feedstock, i.e. palm oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, jatropha, Reutalis Trisperma, etc. But to obtain the most effective biodiesel feedstock for biodiesel production, many issues should be concerned, its productivity (ton/ha/year), biodiesel potential (liter/ha/yr), the national supply, competition with food, International market price, efficiency of biodiesel oil conversion and resistance of its crop to weather-climate changing and pests. Therefore, Jatropha, Reutalis Trisperma and Palm Oil are the best vegetable oil based biodiesel feedstock for Indonesia.