And it is all in the fibres. The seaweed fibres are fine, of equal lengths and smooth. Wood fibres are, in contrast, coarse, of unequal lengths and thick.
“When you make paper from (seaweed pulp), you get very smooth paper with high opacity,” said Phang. “The paper from wood fibres is very coarse and you need to use fillers. With red seaweed, you don’t need a filler because the material contains some agar.”
Also, seaweed fibres contain hollow spaces internally, which makes them very absorbent. Thus, the fibres are especially good for making diapers. The material can also be used for making cigarettes, face-masks and speaker cones.
The seaweed project was identified by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia as one of 42 innovative business opportunities in 2012. A workshop was held in Universiti Malaya two months ago where 25 representatives from nine companies attended. The Science, Technology And Innovation Ministry was also involved.
“You has set up a factory in South Korea and he wants us to grow the seaweed here and send it to South Korea,” said Phang. “Right now he is the only one producing seaweed pulp.” In fact, You holds the patent in 41 countries.
You’s plan is to build a big pulp-making factory possibly in Sabah, next to the cultivation farm. The pulp will then be sold to whomever wants to make paper, diapers or cigarettes.
A gelidium seaweed grows wild in South Korea. Naturally, the question is, why cultivate it in Malaysia then? The problem, said You, is that there are four seasons in South Korea.
“During winter, the seaweed disappears like leaves in autumn,” said You. “It only grows from March to September because of water temperatures. The ideal temperature for growth is above 14°C. In a tropical climate, the seaweed can be cultivated all year round.”