Palmholz Co., Ltd. supports the effective use of OPT (oil palm trunk; oil palms are a common crop in Malaysia and other countries).

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Palmholz is a company that supports effective use of unused OPT resources

Palmholz Co., Ltd. has technologies and patents for transforming oil palm trunk (OPT), an unused resource seen as lacking value since it lacks the strength to serve as a construction material, into high value-added wooden products.

Many of these technologies were originally developed as part of pressurizing technology as part of research into increasing the strength of cedar(Sugi), which became an issue due to its limited applications after harvesting as many such forests were planted in Japan after WW2.
By compressing cedar, which was inappropriate for flooring applications due to lack of strength, it increased wear resistance strength enabling use as flooring. This patented technology was researched and developed by our predecessor, My Wood Two, Co., Ltd.

local_libraryOil Palms

Oil palms are a kind of palm tree planted in vast number as part of the national policies of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Columbia. It is famous as the plant from which palm oil is extracted. The fruits and shells of oil palms are used for cooking oil, but up to now the trunk was not usable. Oil palms produce less fruit after reaching 25 to 30 years so they must be harvested, and new trees are planted. Unused OPT resources were buried in soil leading to issues of soil contamination.

Palmholz has researched applications for these unused OPT resources.

Oil palm continues to be used for the parts other than the trunk. The white portions of the fruit (the flesh) are a valuable oil used in cosmetics and cooking oil. The fruits are available as generic cooking oil at supermarkets and other vendors. The dark part of the fruit is used in bioethanol. Empty fruit clusters of fiber after harvesting the fruit are used as a paper packing material.
However, the trunk has low strength and when left after harvesting it rapidly rots due to it high starch and sugar content. Applications had been difficult to find and the only way to dispose of it was to bury it. By burying these trunks in the soil, it caused many kinds of bacterial growth leading to soil contamination and environmental issues today.
We began research into methods to use OPT resources to prevent damage to the natural environment from these unused materials.

When starting research, we gathered specialists that researched cedar pressurizing technology at our predecessor research company based on investment by government agencies, My Wood Co., Ltd., to form TEAM Palmholz.
As a result of this research over years, many patents and know-how related to OPT were obtained to establish OPT pressurizing technology.

TEAMパームホルツ TEAMパームホルツ

Team Palmholz is a group of people who have been providing joint development and technical guidance to Palmholz since its predecessor companies, Mywood Co., Ltd. and Mywood Two Co., Ltd.

OPT Applications

With the success of our research, it is possible to treat OPT for making wood products, transforming this unused material into a valuable resource. And that’s not all. Over years of research we used separating and sorting of the OPT structure creating research into new plastic filler, livestock feed and more.

Wooden Product Applications

Wooden products can be used as materials for construction, furniture, and exterior products. The self-adhesion functionality is insufficient adhesive strength for supporting outdoor use, but we succeeded in developing exterior wooden products that can withstand outdoor use by adding agents made from natural materials.

Vascular Bundle Applications

Vascular bundles are part of the internal structure of OPT used for transport of moisture and nutrients. Mixing it with polypropylene promotes elimination of plastic use. Reducing plastic use by even small amounts is expected to contribute to solving issues such as marine plastic.
Tests of mixing vascular bundles in polypropylene resulted in 16% higher bending strength, 1.5 times the tensile elasticity, and 17 degrees higher temperature of deflection under load compared to pure polypropylene, heightening expectations for use as a plastic filler.
Please see the test resultsdescription for yourself.

Parenchyma Application

Parenchyma is the part of a plant that takes up most of its material including stems and roots. It can be used as feed for livestock.
When tested with chickens, there was no change to the meat quality between chickens given normal feed and those given feed with 50% parenchyma. This study was shown by the Aichi Food Research Center. When used as chicken feed, it is expected to lower costs for poultry farmers. It was also recognized as being useful as a mushroom bed for cultivation.

Partnerships

Oil palm trunk (OPT) is used for wooden products that are friendly to people and the global environment that do not use petrochemical materials enabled by the technology of Palmholz Co., Ltd.
Many schools, city halls, gymnasiums and libraries have used this material for floors, tables, interior for traditional inns, bridges for ponds in gardens, bench materials and other indoor and outdoor applications enabling verification of the safety and reliability of these products.
In order to develop business applications of OPT we have established a stable supply chain for OPT, supported mass production technologies for OPT wooden products, researched and developed manufacturing using OPT, built up production of oil palm with the purpose of sales of products using OPT and established an operating corporation in Malaysia (scheduled for 2025), there OPT use may become an issue.
We are on the lookout for business partners who want to develop OPT projects with our operating corporation.
If you are interested in the applications of unused OPT resources and would consider partnering with our operating company to develop OPT businesses, contact us using our inquiry form.

Partnership Information

  • Malaysian Oil Palm Farmers

    Malaysian Oil Palm Farmers

    To create business applications of OPT, it is necessary to take efforts to ensure consistent supplies of large amounts of OPT. That is why we are recruiting oil palm farmers that can partner with wood working companies with an interest in developing applications for unused OPT resources.

  • Malaysian Plywood Manufacturer

    Malaysian Plywood Manufacturer

    OPT has lots of starches and sugars so rot sets in unless treated within 24 hours of harvesting causing a loss of value as a resource. That is why we recruit plywood manufacturer that can form partnerships with oil palm farmers. We provide the necessary systemization for high value-added wooden product manufacturing technology and production.

  • Investors

    Investors

    Research and development for business applications and effective use of OPT requires funds.
    That is why we recruit investors able to perform ESG investment and interested in projects contributing to achieving OPT applications, environmental conservation, and SDGs.

  • Companies with Wooden Product Mass Production Technology

    Companies with Wooden Product Mass Production Technology

    We are able to make OPT wooden products with different strength and treatment method depending on application due to research and development in OPT high value-added wooden product technologies and pass it on to Malaysian wood treatment companies, but we lack experience in mass production.
    That is why we are looking for companies holding wooden product mass production technologies that can support local mass production.

  • Companies Interested in Creation and Sales of Products Using OPT

    Companies Interested in Creation and Sales of Products Using OPT

    OPT complex material is a natural wooden product that retains the feeling of the wood even when used as a core bonded with a surface of a cultivated tree such as cedar or acacia.
    That is why we are looking for companies interested in product creation and sales using wooden products.
    In addition to use of OPT for wooden products, it can be used for a variety of applications including as a material for promoting reductions in plastics, as animal feed and as a mushroom bed for cultivating.

  • Companies Implementing Construction Using Natural Materials

    Companies Implementing Construction Using Natural Materials

    OPT complex material is a wooden product that is environmentally friendly, using no chemical substances in its preparation. Construction involves use of metal such as steel or screws. We are looking to develop processes including construction that use completely naturally sourced materials.
    We are looking for companies that perform construction with natural materials.

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