'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)