| EkoPaper
This project entails production of palm pulp and paper from palm industrial waste, namely empty fruit bunches (EFB) through extraction and conversion of fibre from EFB into pulp and paper. End product of this project will be environmentally friendly writing paper, known as EkoPaper.
This pioneering effort is a tri-partite joint collaboration between us, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). This is a landmark development for the palm industry which attracted due recognition and had earned itself a commercialization grant from our Government.
As part of our preliminary research on technical feasibility, we had undertaken comparative industry study of various non-wood fibre paper making technologies ultilizing wheat / rice straw, reeds, etc.
In addition, initial study on market development and commercialization potential had also been conducted with North Carolina University, USA, a Canadian paper consultant and a large paper producer in Asia.
The technology is now fully tested and developed. Civil and structural works for a palm pulp and paper plant with capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of EkoPaper per annum is presently in progress, while commercial production of EkoPaper is scheduled to commence production in 2008.
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