By Ashley Sim and Chris Bishop
KUCHING, Dec 14: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg wants the palm oil industry to explore palm oil sludge for energy production and as part of a circular economy.
Abang Johari also emphasised that palm oil sludge has value and is one of the materials required for solar panel film protection.
“(In the palm oil industry), you plant palm oil, you produce coolant palm oil, you also produce biomass. At the same time, you also produce sludge, and this sludge has a value.
“When people manufacture what we call solar panels, where solar absorbs energy from the sun and uses that energy also for other purposes,” he said before wrapping up his remarks at the 10th Premier of Sarawak Environment Award (PSEA), which was held at a local hotel here today.
He went on to say that there is a new technology for protecting the solar panel’s film, and one of the oils required is palm oil sludge.
“Meaning, you don’t throw your sludge; you use your sludge back and then that will produce energy, and that energy will be used by the industry itself including palm oil, and yet from palm oil you will again produce sludge.
“This is what we call a circular economy, and I hope the palm oil industry will look into it because that is where I believe our palm oil’s value will be recognised, including in the EU, if we have that ecosystem,” he added.
Furthermore, Abang Johari, who is also the Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, stated that he hopes what he has mentioned is one example of how Sarawak can innovate and produce sustainable products.
Among others present at the event were Sarawak Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, Sarawak Deputy Minister for Urban Development and Natural Resources Datuk Len Talif Salleh, Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) secretary general Dato Jonathan Chai representing SBF president Datuk Abang Abdul Karim Tun Openg, and Natural Resources And Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak Controller of Environmental Quality Peggy Ronin Edin. — DayakDaily
