Articles: New Wealth Creation - AIM's BioHub Concept

Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) through the National Biomass Strategy Delivery Unit has started the BioHub Concept with a vision to create an Integrated BioHub Complex with multiple plug-and-play biorefineries and biochemical plants.

Ultimately, this will lead to a national model of circular economy and industrial symbiosis, and bring online a new stream of wealth creation.

The first wave of this BioHub development in Malaysia will focus on three potential states namely Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak, which account for around 80 percent of the available resources. Collectively, these three states are poised to be the Premier Bio-hub for this region. As a start, the Sabah and Sarawak Biomass Industry Development Plan (SBIDP) will spur and expedite the growth of this industry in Malaysia as a new wealth creation and pillar for sustainable economic growth for the nation.

AIM has identified potential partners interested to venture into downstream biomass activities in the three identified states. This collaboration will take 18-24 months before project commencement and will be implemented in stages as these are long term development projects.

Malaysia’s biomass industry includes palm oil, forestry and timber residues, municipal solid waste and others stand to deliver about RM30 billion in additional GNI, more than RM25 billion in investments, 60,000 higher value jobs, as well as help reduce the country’s CO2 emissions by 12%.

The National Biomass Strategy (NBS) is Malaysia’s blueprint for the development of biomass resources into a portfolio of sustainable high-value downstream activities (e.g. bioenergy, biofuel, biochemicals. The vision for the NBS is anchored by a BioHub concept that will be the guideline to a complete and holistic planning and development of various complementary clusters that serve as platforms for various waste streams in enhancing the economics of various projects.

Source/Web Link: https://innovation.my/aim_reporter/new-wealth-creation-aims-biohub-concept/

Articles: Investment Opportunity in Renewable Energy towards Circular Bioeconomy

Renewable energy has increased in importance in the green policies of major countries such as Korea, Japan and China. This has led to strong interest from industry players to look at Malaysia for sources of raw materials. From 2011 to 2016, a total of 226 biomass projects with investments of RM2.92 billion were approved by MIDA. Being a country rich in natural resources, there are huge opportunities for biomass-based investments to grow and prosper in Malaysia.

The energy policies have been evolving since 1975 and can be seen to move from utilisation of fossil fuels to more sustainable resources using Renewable Energy (RE) towards long-term sustainability for Malaysia.

Malaysia moves toward RE policies

• National Petroleum Policy (1975) – focused on efficient utilisation of petroleum resources to ensure the nation exercises majority control in the management and operation of the industry.

• National Energy Policy (1979) – to ensure adequate, secure and cost effective energy supply in order to promote efficient utilisation of energy and eliminate wasteful and non-productive usage.

• National Depletion Policy (1986) – to prolong the life span of the nation’s oil and gas reserves

• Four-fuel Policy (1981) – Aimed at ensuring reliability and security of supply through diversification of fuel (oil, gas, hydro and coal).

• Five-fuel Policy (2001) – encourage the utilisation of renewable resources such as biomass, solar, mini hydro, etc.

• National Renewable Energy and Action Plan (2009) – Enhancing the utilisation of indigenous RE resources to contribute towards national electricity supply security and sustainable socioeconomic development.

According to IEA Bioenergy, circular economy is restorative or regenerative by design. It replaces the ‘end-of-life’ concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates use of toxic chemicals that impair reuse, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and within this, business models. Circular economy is complementary to the renewable character of the bioeconomy and must facilitate the recycling of carbon after efficient uses.

Source/Web Link: https://innovation.my/aim_reporter/investment-opportunity-in-renewable-energy-towards-circular-bioeconomy-in-malaysia/

Articles: Malaysia's Shift towards Biomass Conversion Technologies

Malaysia continues to be a competitive location for biomass manufacturing projects. According to Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) report 2018, there are total of 111 potential business projects worth RM4.1 billion in the areas of green and sustainable sector. This indicates that investor confidence in Malaysia remains high despite the challenging global environment facing economic investment into Malaysia last year.

Malaysia has an abundance of waste from palm oil plantation, forestry, agriculture and other sources of biomass, which creates an opportunity for Malaysia to grow in this sector. Biomass can be converted into different forms by using various processes, the three main products are power or heat generation, transportation fuels and chemical feedstock.

Currently there are multiple international players looking at South East Asia. For the case in Thailand, Total Corbion PLA, a 50-50 joint venture between Total and Corbion start-up of its 75,000 tonnes per year PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) bioplastics plant in Rayong, Thailand. This bioplastic provides a valuable contribution towards the circular economy being 100% renewable and biodegradable and offering multiple environmentally-friendly waste solutions.

For the Malaysian case, the development of the first pilot commercial scale 2G-Sugar biomass conversion plant is on track and is scheduled to be operational in Segamat, Johor by 2021. This conversion technology will provide the most economic route to clean cellulosic sugars from biomass and produce cleaner sugars at higher yields than other biomass-to-sugars processes.

Source/Web Link: https://innovation.my/aim_reporter/malaysias-shift-towards-biomass-conversion-technologies/

Highlights: PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad enters into MOU for biorefinery offtake

1 August 2018 - Leaf Resources Limited (ASX:LER) is pleased to announce that PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG) and Leaf Malaysia have entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in relation to Leaf’s proposed biorefinery project in Malaysia. 
 
The MOU provides for, among other things, a study of chemical markets and commercially ready bio-technologies.  Subject to satisfactory findings in the study and the approval of PCG, the parties may pursue an offtake agreement for the fermentable sugars produced at the proposed Leaf facility in Segamat Johor Malaysia on terms mutually agreed by the parties and consistent with global project finance standards. 
 
Leaf Resources Managing Director, Ken Richards, welcomed the signing of the MOU, saying it is a good indication of the growing interest in the evolving renewable chemicals Industry.

Source/Web Link: http://leafresources.listedcompany.com/newsroom/1826457.pdf 

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