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A truck carrying oxygen concentrators prepares for dispatch from the Industry Ministry to the Health Ministry building in Jakarta. (ANTARA/HO-Industry Ministry/sh) - 

The Industry Ministry has mobilized supply from oxygen generation plants nationwide to meet the growing demand for medical oxygen for COVID-19 patients across Indonesia.

"Oxygen stocks are available in Java as well as outside Java. Now, as the demand in Java is high, we are mobilizing the supply from plants in Java as well as outside Java to meet the sharply increased demand," the ministry's director of upstream chemical industry, Fridy Juwono, said here on Thursday.

The demand for medical oxygen in Indonesia has jumped from just 400 tons per day in March, 2020, when the country reported its first coronavirus infections, to two thousand tons per day on average currently.

Data from the Health Ministry shows that medical oxygen demand has reached 2,323 tons per day as of July 6, 2021, Juwono said.

Meanwhile, the national oxygen production capacity has been recorded at just 1,850 tons per day, which means the industry would need to boost production, he pointed out.

The Industry Minister has issued instruction no. 1/2021, asking industry operators to contribute to efforts to meet the oxygen demand for COVID-19 handling, he informed.

Dry air, which serves as the raw material for obtaining pure oxygen, is a mixture of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent argon, he said.

During purification, oxygen is separated from other components of the air through pressure swing absorption, he said adding, the oxygen can then be directly supplied for industrial use through a pipeline.

Some of the oxygen is liquefied and stored in oxygen cylinders as industrial stock, Juwono said.

To produce medical oxygen, liquefied oxygen would need to be converted into gas, he added.

"The liquefied oxygen would be further treated to meet the Health Ministry's standard, to reach up to 99 percent of purity, before it can be used for medical purposes," he further informed.

There are five major oxygen producers in Indonesia catering to industries as well as medical facilities, he noted.

In keeping with the ministerial instruction, oxygen producers are currently prioritizing medical oxygen production, he said.

"Many industries have also contributed to deliver their oxygen supply. From Batam, we received 100 tons, Bontang 500 tons. The oxygen would be collected and used for medical purposes," Juwono said.

Oxygen supply to the industry could get disrupted once demand for medical oxygen surpasses 2,500 tons per day, he added.

"Under such a situation, we will have to import (oxygen). But, this is something we do not want to happen," he remarked//ANT