New rubber composite to be used in aerospace
26 Jul 2022
This new composite is the 1st of its kind and hopes that it will be able to penetrate the global market and become a new source of income for the country, says PM
Malaysia will diversify the rubber sector with a new type of rubber composite for the manufacturing of aerospace balloons.
Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this new composite is the first of its kind in the world and hoped that it will be able to penetrate the global market and become a new source of income for the country.
Research led by Malaysians in collaboration with the world’s leading universities found that a new generation of rubber composites have been created from the combination of graphene extract and natural rubber.
“This new discovery allows Malaysia to venture into high-value industries and explore new markets involving satellite and aerospace applications, thereby helping to increase the export value of the country’s rubber products,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Malaysian International Agricommodities Exhibition and Summit (MiACES) 2022 today.
Ismail Sabri also said the government is committed to ensuring that the palm oil industry remains sustainable and profitable.
“The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry and related agencies are responsible for managing the agri commodity sector sustainably. This can be seen through the mandatory implementation of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil certification.
“Although palm oil production fell to low levels due to bad weather last year, the agri commodity sector remained robust. As of February 2022, the value of export commodities increased by 5%, which is RM31.6 billion compared to the same period last year,” he added.
Towards the end of 2021, this sector reached a trade value of RM270.2 billion, which is a 39.7% increase compared to the previous year.
The PM noted that the world is facing food security challenges due to economic uncertainties, geopolitical crises and climate change.
“This development affects the food supply chain as some countries have stopped exporting animal feeds. Therefore, the government strongly encourages local production of such feeds to reduce import dependence as well as contribute to the country’s food security initiative.
“At the same time, the approach to using raw materials from waste or surplus along the value chain of the agri commodity sector is also focused on driving the economic development of the circular economy,” he said.
Accordingly, this target capacity is also in line with the country’s status as the world’s second-largest exporter of palm oil and the largest contributor to the biomass industry.
The government will also continue to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) to diversify agri commodity products with high added value.
For palm products, Chinese government-owned companies will collaborate with Malaysian companies and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board to produce hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Malaysia, involving FDI worth RM6 billion.
This joint venture will offer 1,000 job opportunities.
The construction of the first HVO and SAF factories in Malaysia is one of the initiatives to drive the Malaysian oil palm sector towards a high-tech and high-value industry.
The Chinese companies are Shanxi Construction Investment Group Co Ltd and the Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, while the Malaysian companies are Pengerang Maritime Industries Sdn Bhd (Benalec) and Sabah Oil and Gas Development Corp.
In regards to food security in Malaysia, Ismail Sabri suggested using palm kernel dregs as a raw material for domestic aquaculture and animal husbandry, to reduce import dependence and contribute to the country’s food security initiative.
He believed that events like MiACES 2022 will be able to provide a platform for local agri commodity players to expand their businesses and to connect with other players worldwide.
“This expo will also be attended by revenue producers, innovators, investors, as well as exporters and importers, policymakers, researchers and academics from 39 countries.
“I believe MIACES 2022 is also a progressive step to connect industry players to innovative solutions, thus contributing towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals,” he said.
Source: The Malaysian Reserve
