9 dailyexpress YOUR LOCAL VOICE THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 Local Graphene is ideal for making condoms: CEO Mary Chin KOTA KINABALU: Graphene, which is made of pure car- bon, can be used to make condoms for more pleasurable in- timacy and high- quality gloves, among other nu- merous products, the recent Workshop on Business Opportunities in Optimisation of Plantations/Mills Residues via an Open Platform was told. Chief Executive Officer of NanoM- alaysia Berhad (NanoMalaysia), Dr Rezal Khairi Ahmad (pic) said these are two of the 18 graphene applications for which product development projects are being undertaken by companies in Malaysia under the National Graphene Action Plan 2020 (Ngap 2020). Ngap 2020 is the outcome of an exten- sive collaboration between the Malaysian Government, private sector companies, domestic and international research insti- tutes, and the academia to assess how Malaysia can benefit from the potential of graphene by exploiting its uses. “Based on a study, certain graphene can be used to make thinner condoms that the wearer may not even realise he is wearing one, certain graphene is for making stronger medical gloves and certain graphene is for producing higher-per- forming or cheaper plastics. “Graphene has a bright future. We can make crops grow faster with the use of Nanofertilisers (that is, smaller fertilisers), for example. It is applicable to the aviation industry, and one day, we may build aero- planes with graphene. “Graphene will enable the use of fast- charging, high-capacity batteries. And stronger plastics (enabled by graphene) can also be used in the automotive indus- try, and oil and gas sector, and for other high-value applications. “Once the 18 product development projects are completed, the next step is to go into commercialisation of these graphene applications,” he said in his pres- entation on Waste to Wealth: Palm Oil In- dustry as an Open Innovation Platform. The other 16 major graphene applica- tions are for electric scooter, flexible elec- tronics, electronic component, recycled rubber compound, high performance tyre, ultracapacitor, quantum cell, medical de- vice, automotive component, specialty rubber hose, base material for solar, nitrile glove, lubricants, Li-ion battery anode, electronic component and PVC-o pipes (under commodity plastics). On why Malaysia is venturing into only 18 out of the 28 graphene applications, Dr Rezal, who is trained as a nanotechnolo- gist, said the Government had come to the conclusion that Malaysia cannot do all. “We cannot simply pick numbers from thin air. Our study in 2014 (for Ngap 2020) shows that we should focus on commer- cialisation of graphene applications through only four jump start sectors. I can tell you these are Food & Agriculture, Elec- tronics, Devices & Systems, Energy & Envi- ronment, and Wellness, Medical & Healthcare. “Under the Ngap 2020, we focus on those graphene applications where Nan- otechnology has a place for inclusion or adoption. Which means there will be faster growth of crops, a greener environ- ment than before, longer lasting batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, tablets and notebook personal computers, and stronger plastics for food packaging, among other uses. For wellness, it is about personal care and nanotechnology may enable us to live longer. And we are look- ing into the possibility of how we can use nanotechnology to improve the transder- mal delivery of drug, among other aspects. “Similarly, the Ngap 2020 outlined the Government’s initiative in creating de- mand for graphene (going by industry) to strengthen Malaysia’s industries. Efforts are underway to create demand for five key application sectors, namely Lithium- ion battery anodes/ultracapacitors, Con- ductive inks, Rubber additives, Plastics additives and Nanofluids,” he explained. Examples of nanofluids are drilling flu- ids (for oil recovery), lubricants (automo- tive industry and coolants (automotive industry). To arrive at the choice of the five major application sectors, Dr Rezal said the deci- sion to prioritise these sectors was based on a number of factors like technical fea- sibility, economic viability, time to adop- tion (two to three years’ timeframe for commercialisation), and impact to Malaysia (within the 2020 timeframe). The nanotechnologist continued: “At the same time, we asked ourselves two per- tinent questions – Does Malaysia have the market size for 2020? What is its applica- bility to Malaysia? That was how we nar- rowed down to five technologically and economically feasible graphene applica- tions. “For example, why plastics additives? This is because the plastics industry in Malaysia is large, and graphene can en- able high performance plastics such as au- tomotive plastics, engineering plastics and commodity plastics (PVC, among oth- ers).” Calling on biomass owners and palm- oil millers to grab economic opportunities that abound in potential downstream ap- plications for graphene, Dr Rezal said a framework can be created on how to work with the relevant industry. “Go downstream. In fact, you can kill two birds with one stone. You produce graphene and can also own some products through joint ventures. It depends on your appetite and who your partners are. “For the rubber market zone for in- stance, while you make graphene, you can also make stronger tyres (enabled by graphene for cars and trucks) or rubber goods as industrial equipment or high- quality gloves that are thinner and tougher,” he suggested. Dr Rezal said graphene applications are made possible by nanotechnology, the branch of technology that deals with di- mensions of less than 100 nanometres. “Nanotechnology is a game-changing technology. Why go small, one may ask. It has to do with precision. Fineness or re- finement is the philosophy of Nanotech- nology. The whole idea of Nanotechnology is to add value to existing industries,” he said. At this juncture, the CEO alluded to the bold statement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2009 that Nanotechnology development must be given a new priority under the New Eco- nomic Model “so that Malaysia is not left behind in the field of Nanotechnology.” This led to the incorporation of NanoMalaysia in 2011 whereby the com- pany was appointed as the lead agency to execute the Ngap 2020. Urging Malaysian business owners and entrepreneurs to leverage on the useful properties of graphene, Dr Rezal described it as a “wonder material” which has supe- rior physical properties and could bring immense potential to intensify Malaysia’s economic growth via the manufacturing sector. “Use of graphene is a new engine of growth as it offers an array of new high- value industries as well as job opportuni- ties for existing industries,” he said. The workshop, organised by POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd, was to create awareness on graphene potential in Malaysia. There are two technologies for making graphene, said Dr Rezal: l The exfoliation or peeling off process, that is from graphite. l The methane cracking process whereby graphene is obtained from methane gas (from Palm Oil Mill Effluent or Pome) while hydrogen is a by-product. Graphene is commonly available in two forms – sheet (when graphite powder is mixed with water) and flakes. According to Dr Rezal, graphene is very pricey and prices ever quoted for this ma- terial is RM10,000 and even RM100,000 per kilogram. “Graphene may be traded as a com- modity. With Malaysia’s wealth of this nat- ural resource, we can have our own local supply chain or else we will be vulnerable to the economic giants,” he cautioned. S’wak to embark on transformation programmes: Adenan KUCHING: The Sarawak government will embark on a deliberate socio-economic, rural and performance and service deliv- ery transformation in the State, said Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem. He announced the formation of three committees to handle the three areas aimed to monitor closely and undertake intervention action plan in them. “This will mean my ministers and as- semblymen as well as the civil service will now have to perform and deliver with greater focus and urgency. “They will report to me every six months their key performance index (KPIs) and the progress of their respec- tive responsibilities and areas,” he said in his winding up speech at the State Leg- islative Assembly sitting here Wednes- day. He added at ministerial and depart- mental level, the civil service would con- tinue to report their scorecard which was implemented since 2013. On the socio-economic committee Adenan said it would be headed by his first deputy chief minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. “The committee is tasked to look into intervention in the development plan, in- cluding looking into areas of Federal funding, new economic development op- portunities, entrepreneurship and em- ployment opportunities. “It will also include the modernisation of agriculture, native customary right (NCR) land development, research and development and all other social and economic related matters,” he said. He said his second deputy Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing would head the Rural Transformation committee to study all areas of rural transformation such as public utilities and amenities, flood mit- igation, environmental issues and telecommunication connectivity. In addition, he said it would look after resettlements due to mega projects, rural transformation programmes, Penan af- fairs, social welfare matters and the de- velopment of rural schools, hospitals and clinics. “I would like to see the real statistics of all these rural infrastructure gaps and a five-year plan to address them,” he said. On the third committee on perform- ance and service delivery, he said it would be led by his third deputy Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg. “We will not do justice to the state if we only address the number and compo- sition of the civil service without actually looking at the quality of civil servants and all related matters. “Therefore I wish to reiterate that this committee is tasked to first look into de- volution of power and empowerment and immediate negotiation with the fed- eral government,” he said. Among others, he said it would man- age feedbacks, complaints and effective- ness of enforcement besides intervention programmes related to educational achievements of students especially poor students and scholarships. He said members of the three commit- tees would comprise cabinet members, assistant ministers and the state secretary and to be supported by a secretariat. “I would expect the first initial reports from the three committees by August 15, 2016,” he added. – Bernama S’wak to form masterplan for palm oil sector KUCHING: A masterplan for the palm oil industry will be formed to determine its future direction and sustained growth, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. Uggah, who is also State Modernisa- tion of Agriculture and Rural Economy Minister, said the industry was a very im- portant one to help speed up the state development agenda, contributing RM8 billion or about nine per cent to its total export value last year. “The masterplan will focus on three main areas. The first is to develop the in- dustry potential and addressing its inter- nal issues. “Of particular importance is the need to increase its productivity through adopting Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) and greater mechanisation and automation in field operations,” he said in his winding up speech for his Ministry at the State Legislative Assembly sitting here Wednesday. S’wak requests Federal to amend Territorial Sea Act KUCHING: Sarawak is to request the fed- eral government to amend Section 3(3) and 4 of the Territorial Sea Act, 2012 which Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said is not only unconstitutional but enacted without consultation with the state. In his winding up speech at the 18 th State Legislative Assembly Sitting here today, he said Section 3(3) of the Act stated that the state jurisdiction area would only cover not exceeding three nautical miles measured from low water line. “The State government is unable to see any justification as to why for the nation (Malaysia), the breath of the territorial sea is 12 nautical miles but for Sabah and Sarawak, it is only three nautical miles. “Moreover, no justification has been of- fered as to why in times of Emergency its territorial waters should be 12 nautical miles but where there is no Emergency, the breath of its territorial waters should be limited to only three nautical miles,” he said. He said with this reduced width limit, the State right to fisheries, marine and mineral resources, tourism sites in marine areas and others would be confined to only three nautical miles off its coastline. Adenan said if the Federal government wanted any state land for Federal purpose, it had to comply with the provisions of chapter 4 Part VI of the Federal Constitu- tion. He said when the Proclamation of Emergency 1969 was still in force, the Yang Di Pertuan Agong made the Emergency (Essential Powers) ordinance No 7 of 1969. It came into force on August 10, 1969 to prescribe the limit of Malaysian territorial waters as 12 nautical miles from the coast- line. When this proclamation was annulled by both Houses of Parliament in 2011, Par- liament passed the Territorial Sea Act 2012. According to the Preamble of the Act, it was passed because the Emergency (Essen- tial Powers) Ordinance No 76 of 1969 had, by virtue of Article 150(7) of the Federal Constitution, ceased to have effect six months after the annulment of the Emer- gency Proclamation, he said. Therefore, he said, there was no law which stipulated the breath of the territo- rial sea of Malaysia. Adenan also said the State government was never consulted before this Act was passed in parliament. – Bernama 1,000 villages still without road access: Masing KUCHING: About 1,000 villages in Sarawak cannot be accessed by road ac- cording to a study, the State Legislative As- sembly was told Wednesday. Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said an estimated RM24.8 billion was needed to construct up to 4,402 kilometres of road to connect these villages. In a winding-up speech, he said the construction of these roads would have to be executed in phases due to limited funds available. “Areas requiring our attention will be prioritised based on their viability, need and urgency,” said Masing, who is also Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation. Damaged: A bird’s eye view of the degrading forest in Ulu Tembeling. Declaration vows to save Pahang’s natural heritage JERANTUT: “We can take the effort, but there is not much that we can do except instil greater awareness on the public and the authorities to join hands in preserving the nation’s treasures. “The Ulu Tembeling Declaration is an- other testament that we are serious in doing something while we can. Before everything is gone,” commented Khaidir Ahmad, the chairman of the Pahang chap- ter of the Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka). Khaidir said this at the end of the three-day two night expedition to save the water catchment area in Ulu Tembeling, in late May. The expedition grouped 150 people made up of environment experts, academicians, activists from NGOs repre- senting nature and environment, locals and the media. More than 50 four-wheel drives were used to ferry the group using logging trail to see for themselves the environmental destruction there. The rivers in Pahang have been getting shallower. The media has been highlight- ing this since 2015. The explanation provided by some that this is due to El Nino is unacceptable to nature’s advocates who were sure that there were other factors contributing to this problem. In Sungai Tembeling, a major artery for Sungai Pahang, sand banks could be seen as the river snakes its way downstream. It is hard to believe this is the river where its depth once was higher than the height of an average adult! The locals could no longer use boats to get to Kuala Tahan like they used to do previously. In several stretches, the boats had to be carried across as the river be- came too shallow. As connectivity through the river has been disrupted, Ulu Tembeling has lost its tourism potential as well. Previously lo- cals earned some income by operating chalets, providing tour services and sell- ing local produce and products. The gravity water supply for the three villages there has stopped flowing. The water pressure has gone down and the water only reaches several locations be- cause the streams have been covered with earth due to logging. Today there are villagers who have to fetch water from the river for their daily use, unlike previously where they enjoyed the luxury of water flowing close to their home. The first point stressed by the declara- tion is that the shallow rivers are not due to El Nino but due to unbridled logging and clearing of forests in Ulu Tembeling. The declaration also stated that the fate of Sungai Tembeling and Sungai Pahang indicated a ‘National Water Disaster’ espe- cially looking at the fact Sungai Pahang is the longest river in Peninsula and the one that provides water for people. A representative of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman noted that logging has made the area vulnerable to soil erosion. “The receding rivers could also con- tribute to floods as they will no longer be able to accommodate higher volumes of water,” he added. Wong Teck, Chairman of Himpunan Hijau who concurred with Meor Razak said “we cannot blame El Nino and in the same time destroy our water catchment areas. If Sungai Pahang can face this prob- lem, how about other rivers in the coun- try?” Looking at the situation now, the dec- laration urged the state government to stop immediately all logging activities in Sungai Tembeling and around the seven rivers upstream - Sungai Kembir, Sungai Kanchin, Sungai Pengau, Sungai Sepia, Sungai Neriak, Sungai Lempah and Sun- gai Tekai. The declaration also demanded that the ongoing logging and future plans for logging around Gunung Dulang and Gu- nung Aais be stopped immediately. “We also request that the government gazettes and carries out remapping to designate this place as a fully protected area under the water catchment category,” said Khaidir. For areas that have been cleared, the Ulu Tembeling declaration demanded that palm oil cultivation by Pahang Devel- opment Corporation be stopped and the areas replanted with the original jungle trees. The fifth item of the declaration de- manded that Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) investigate the en- forcement officers for dereliction of duty. Khaidir emphasised from his 30 years of study, the logging activities earmarked in maps are not the same like what was going on the ground. He is also frustrated with the classifica- tion of the laws regarding the encroach- ment of areas beyond where logging is permitted because it is not classified as il- legal logging but as ‘logging beyond limit’. The declaration also demanded that the Pahang state government widened the ‘river buffer zones’ at all logging areas to 50 meters from both sides of the river banks. The declaration also wanted the na- tional constitution to empower both the federal and state government in manag- ing forests and rivers. Peka has been working to get an ap- pointment with Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. Peka wants the declaration delivered by hand to the Menteri Besar as soon as possible. “We are willing to work with the state government to discuss on the steps that could be taken for the benefit of our jun- gles,” said Khaidir. It is still not known when Peka will be able to meet the Menteri Besar but until then Ulu Tembeling’s fate will be hanging in balance. – Bernama