'Bamboo paper more economical than pulp'

'Bamboo paper more economical than pulp'

UBUD, Bali (JP): Amid continued newsprint shortages in
Indonesia, researchers say bamboo is an economical substitute for
softwood pulp in paper production.

In a lecture presented at the fourth International Bamboo
Congress here last week, Indonesian scientists Roehyati
Joedodibrata and Andoyo Sugiharto said that bamboo's performance
in paper-making experiments had been superior to that of pinus
merkussi, the indigenous softwood used as the raw material for
pulp production in Indonesia.

"Bamboo's fibers are as strong as the pinus merkussi and
bamboo does not need special soil to be cultivated," said Andoyo,
a researcher at the ministry of industry's institute for the
development of the cellulose industry in Bandung, West Java.

Bamboo's fast-growing qualities make it a cheaper alternative
to other types of wood, the researchers claim. Bamboo can be
harvested every four years, whereas pinus merkussi needs 15 years
before it can be harvested.

Further, whereas pinus merkussi only grows in certain, limited
areas, bamboo thrives naturally and abundantly in tropical, sub-
tropical, and mild-temperate forests.

There are 1,800 bamboo species in the world, of which
Indonesia boasts 120 species.

Other countries blessed with bamboo have capitalized on the
resource. In China and India, more than 300 paper mills make
profits from their bamboo-paper production.

Lack of research

Andoyo and Roehyati attribute the lack of similar production
in Indonesia to a lack of research on bamboo-based paper
production. "Most research is limited to unbleached craft pulp,"
said Andoyo. "However, bleached paper accounts for most of the
world's paper."

Indonesia currently has three newsprint producers, all of
which use long-fiber pulp as their raw material, in addition to
waste paper. The three companies -- the state-run PT Kertas Leces
and privately-owned PT Aspex Paper and PT Gede Karang -- import
most of their raw materials. Indonesia, which aims to be one of
the world's largest pulp exporters, produces only a small amount
of long-fiber pulp.

Long fibers are required to reinforce paper strength, and
bamboo's fiber is longer than that of most hardwoods, Andoyo
said.

Their research had also revealed that bamboo-based paper
production requires less energy and time, Andoyo said.

He added that, while pulp needs to be beaten to increase paper
strength, bamboo is more elastic than other materials, making
production more economical.

Minister of Information Harmoko said early this month that the
paper industry should develop technology which could reduce its
dependence on imported raw materials. He mentioned bamboo, rice
pulp and cane pulp as possible substitutes for the imported long-
fiber pulp and waste paper, the prices of which have been rising
sharply on the international market.

Initiatives

Kertas Leces, which currently produces only 3,000 tons of
newsprint per month, formerly used rice and cane pulp as raw
materials. However, because of commercial considerations, the
state paper company changed to imported long-fiber pulp and waste
paper.

Andoyo said he was optimistic that the discoveries regarding
the potential of bamboo as a substitute for long-fiber pulp would
lead to production initiatives by the ministry of industry.

In the 1970s, two bamboo paper mills existed in Indonesia.
But, after poor harvesting practices depleted the bamboo supply,
the mills were forced to close.

Roehyati, also a researcher at Bandung's institute for
research and development of cellulose industries, said that she
ceased conducting research into bamboo when the bamboo paper
industry disappeared.

Since the regeneration of bamboo forests, Roehyati decided to
continue her bamboo experiments in order to study its untapped
potential as an industrial commodity.

Roehyati said that bamboo's importance, to date, has lain in
its accessibility and affordability as the "poor man's timber",
heavily relied upon by rural communities.

When asked about middle-class disdain for bamboo and about the
current efforts to elevate bamboo's prestige, she remarked that,
for architecture, bamboo is a subsistence material rather than a
preferred material.

"Bamboo is cheap. When people don't use bamboo to build their
houses, it's not because of prestige. It is simply a question of
safety, and a house made of bamboo is easier to break into,"
Roehyati said.

Bamboo's uses extend beyond simple building materials, she
said. With further research, she added, bamboo could play an
important role in industrial production; its potential as a paper
substitute is merely one of a number of diverse possible uses.
(Dini S. Djalal/rid)