In brief, the roadmap for Agrotechnology and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group moves toward the development of sustainable Bioindustrial Agriculture which begins with the improvement of plant productivity to produce feed, food, biofuel, biochemicals, fiber as well as bioconversion process to produce bioproduct with desired specification.
The establishment of Bioengineering Program in SITH ITB (2010) was the beginning of this research group. Since 2004, the research and development that has been studied is focused on the production of food and non-food (biofuel and fine biochemicals). One of the technologies which has been patented in Indonesia through ITB is “Integrated biodiesel production technology using centrifugal contactor separator” funded by the government of Netherlands. In the future, the research and development will be directed toward upstream processes, which include the development of biofuel feedstock availability (ethanol and lipid) with biorefinery concept.
Agrotechnology and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group released 10 national and international journals in average per year. For its research and development activities, Agrotechnology and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group collaborates among others with the Ministry of Agriculture (Indonesia), Vegetable Research Institute (Indonesia) and Indonesian Institute of Science. Agrotechnology and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group also works closely with several local government in developing bioproducts using a biorefinery concept that includes bioconversion of biological agents such as microorganism, Trigona bees, Black Soldier fly, and cattle that are integrated with agriculture and farming system.
Several collaboration are established in Western Bandung, Sumedang, Lubuk Linggau, Tapanuli, and Center Kalimantan, especially in making primary and secondary metabolites (food, feed, and essential oils), bioconversion on biomass, biofuel, and biochemical in. Apart from research, Agrotechnology and Bioproduct Engineering Research Group also collaborates with local partner initiated by the alumni of Bioenginering at SITH ITB to conduct production trials on nutraceutical to show a strong commitment to support ITB to be a enterpreneurship university.