NanoMalaysia introduces Bicep to promote use of biomass for sustainable agriculture

KUALA LUMPUR: NanoMalaysia Bhd (NMB) has introduced the Biomass Innovation Circular Economy Programme (Bicep), an initiative for sustainable agriculture by promoting the use of biomass waste materials from agricultural sources to produce high-quality advanced materials and products.

NMB CEO Rezal Khairi Ahmad said that BICEP was designed to be a game changer for the country, and in alignment with the 12th Malaysia Plan’s renewed focus on exploiting biomass economic opportunities.

Bicep leverages available local biomass to produce high-value nano-scale advanced materials with applications in healthcare, cosmeceuticals, construction and more.

Through Bicep, it will accelerate the development of a circular economy in Malaysia, considering the country’s status as the world’s second-largest palm oil producer and the largest contributor to the biomass industry.

NMB said that within the region, the biomass industry holds great potential in the Asia-Pacific biomass power market.

“This further reinforces the push for Malaysia to become a global and regional biomass hub and attract new technologies and investments based on the abundance of biomass resources as well as favourable policies in renewable energy,” it said in a statement on Dec 5.

Bicep is aligned with the main thrusts of the National Biotechnology Policy 2.0 (DBN 2.0), which consists of agricultural biotechnology and food security, healthcare and wellbeing as well as biotechnology in industrialisation and the circular economy.

Bicep is also compatible with the aspirations of the National Nanotechnology Policy and Strategy 2030 in the area of nanomaterials production “linking up to the food and agriculture jumpstart sector”. – Bernama