Start clear for the "green product": Assembly commences at Wood Technology Co. (WOTECH)
The new plant is considered an important step in Egypt's government initiative to use rice straw in a value-adding, CO2-reducing, and sustainable way. WOTECH, founded from companies in the Egyptian oil and gas industry, is taking on a pioneering role here and is positioning itself in the areas of environmental protection and resource efficiency with the new Siempelkamp plant at the Idku location near Alexandria.
WOTECH is building a complete plant in Idku with local supplies. The Siempelkamp Group is providing the essential scope of supply. Starting with the rice straw supply, this includes the secondary sizereduction, separation, conveyors, dosing units, refiner, dryer, energy plant, gluing, and sifter. The forming and press line is supplied with an 8' x 48.7 m ContiRoll®. The scope of the order also includes a cooling and stacking line, a sanding line, and a packaging line. Siempelkamp is also responsible for the overall planning.
"In the context of the pandemic-related impediments, we succeeded together with WOTECH in safely planning the MDF plant - this partly via digital media, which we used significantly for planning and plant design. Since the third quarter of 2021, personal contacts on site have been possible again, and we welcome the start of assembly, which could also take place on January 07 due to the pandemic," says Roland Peltzer, senior project manager at Siempelkamp. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2022.
The new MDF plant is designed for an annual production of 205,000 m³, the board spectrum covers 3 to 40 mm. By using the annual plant rice straw, it opens up new perspectives for a raw material that would otherwise be largely incinerated as a waste product. It also closes the gaps caused by insufficient local wood resources. The panels produced primarily benefit the furniture industry in the local or Arab region. Here, the "green product" meets demand fed by changing consumer awareness. "These boards meet the demands of today's generations, who are increasingly sensitive to environmental protection and sustainability in their purchasing behavior. Produced without formaldehyde and in a resource-efficient way, the board made of rice straw realizes reduced CO2 emissions and thus - combined with Siempelkamp's mature technology - is an ideal alternative to boards made of classic wood resources," describes Jürgen Philipps, spokesperson for the management board of Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH.
