Education News

Walailak University and the corporate sector have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on research in the high-quality activated carbon industry made from wood and biomass.

Professor Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, President of Walailak University, and Dr.Sirisak Suk Sujataporn, Managing Director of Right Reactivation Public Company Limited, signed an MOU for collaboration to develop research in the production and export of high-quality wood and biomass activated carbon in Thailand. Besides, this occasion was also witnessed by Associate Professor Suraswadee Kulboon Korkua, Dean of Walailak University’s School of Engineering and Technology, Thani Jermwongrattanachai, PhD, Factory Director, Right Reactivation Public Company Limited, as well as executives from Chulalongkorn University's Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology via Zoom.

Associate Professor Suraswadee, stated that as green energy is being focused on currently, supercapacitors and batteries, as well as other electrical energy storage technologies, are in higher demand. The electrode material for which activated carbon is critical in achieving high-efficiency storage devices. Thailand currently imports supercapacitor quality activated carbon manufactured from pine sawdust and costs about 2,500 baht per kilogram. In 2020, the worldwide market value of supercapacitor grade activated carbon was worth over $200 million, with an expected annual growth rate of 10%.

She went on to say that Thailand is a country with a lot of biomass, such as rubberwood, eucalyptus, oil palm, bamboo, and coconut. As a result, we have a strong chance of producing supercapacitor-grade activated carbon on our own, lowering import prices and increasing the value of the wood and domestic biomass and complying with the circular economy while also increasing efficiency in the activated carbon business and adjacent industries. Besides, higher demand and pricing for rubberwood result in revenue generation for farmers, which is a synergistic advantage between agriculture and industry for long-term economic growth.

‘’Walailak University acknowledges the relevance of biomaterials and the synthesis of high-value biomaterials in the field of Petrochemistry and Polymers. Therefore, we established the Center of Excellence on Wood Science and Engineering and provided courses relating to biomaterials and the synthesis of high-value biomaterials under the School of Engineering and Technology. This is to research in the fields of wood and biomaterials technology. Continuous research and academic services were provided in the past, preparing us to develop into the industrial area. It also focuses on other initiatives that will have an impact on the local community's growth, as well as increasing the possibility of international rivalry,’’ concluded Associate Professor Suraswadee.

 

Rewritten by Akkapong Pakjan, School of Liberal Arts, the Division of Corporate Communication Cooperative Education student.


 


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