Toray supplies membranes to Pertamina’s oil refinery in Indonesia

Japanese materials firm Toray Industries announced that it has supplied reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to the Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) Balikpapan Project in Indonesia. This is one of the largest initiatives for PT Pertamina (Persero), the nation’s premier oil refiner. That project aims to lift daily capacity at one of that company’s refineries to 360,000 barrels while reducing import volumes.

Indonesia is pushing forward with strategic initiatives to develop new cities and industries. A seawater desalination plant at Pertamina’s oil refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, will be able to produce 84,000 cu m daily of boiler and drinking water after it begins operating later this year.

Toray recently supplied a package of RO elements and new rack-integrated UF modules. It will leverage this achievement in collaborating with regional liaison subsidiary Toray Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore to keep supporting progress in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia.

Toray secured this order largely on the strength of comprehensive technical services leveraging its advanced RO and UF membrane technologies. Another factor was its solid reputation worldwide in RO membranes over the past two decades, particularly in seawater desalination. The diverse features of the company’s rack-integrated UF module also attracted Pertamina.

Toray has expanded sales, production, and technical support for RO and UF membranes over the years to help resolve global water shortages. Applications range from seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation to industrial usage. As of March 31, 2024, its RO and UF membranes delivered a cumulative 136 million and 11 million cu m, respectively, of fresh water every day.