Thai Tech Pioneer Converts Waste Into Wealth

[webfact]

Thai tech pioneer converts waste into wealth

by Daniel Rook

BANGKOK, December 4, 2010 (AFP) - Paijit Sangchai drops a small piece of laminated paper into a jar of cloudy liquid which he hopes will transform his start-up into a multi-million dollar company and help revolutionise recycling.

"Now this is the fun part," he says a few minutes later, holding it under the tap to wash away soggy paper pulp and reveal a clear plastic film.

His Thai firm, Flexoresearch, has developed a series of blended enzymes that can recover pulp or fibre from laminated paper such as cigarette packets, stickers or milk cartons that were previously hard or impossible to recycle.

First one enzyme attacks the water resistant chemical coating the surface, then others take over and tackle the paper and adhesive layers.

The resulting pulp, he says, can be used to produce new paper products -- thus saving trees -- or turned into building materials that can be used as an alternative to asbestos, which is potentially hazardous to human health.

The technique, believed to be the first of its kind, also produces clean plastic that can be recycled and used to produce new products.

The firm was recently named one of 31 "Technology Pioneers" by the World Economic Forum, which said its products were "poised to reduce the use of asbestos in the developing world, positively impacting people's health."

Time Magazine described Flexoresearch as one of "10 start-ups that will change your life".

It is a rare honour to be bestowed on an entrepreneur in a country hardly renowned for its technological prowess.

In developing countries such as Thailand, laminated paper is usually thrown away, Paijit says.

"Most people burn it illegally and that causes toxic fumes which harm people's health," he tells AFP at his small laboratory in a science park on the northern outskirts of Bangkok.

"For people in developing countries who suffer from the fumes and don't know why they are sick ... it can help improve their lives," he adds.

And while developed countries like the United States are able to incinerate laminated paper such as fast food wrappers safely, they do not have any commercially viable way to recycle it either, he says.

"Every country uses laminated paper, in stickers and wrappers of food like McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. That's all laminated and people throw it away," he says. "I think this a global market."

Since winning the Technology Pioneer award -- previous recipients of which include Google and Twitter -- Paijit has been flooded with thousands of emails, mostly from venture capitalists interested in investing in his start-up.

But the affable company founder and CEO is not interested in borrowing more money or selling stakes to investors.

He is looking for people overseas who want to licence the technology, which is already attracting interest in countries including Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea and India.

"I want to work with people around the world to heal the environment," says Paijit.

It is a far cry from the days he spent experimenting with enzymes produced from mushrooms in a home laboratory after quitting a more than decade-long, well-paid career with a leading Thai industrial giant four years ago.

He invested his savings, then borrowed heavily from the bank, putting up his house as collateral to keep the project going and build a paper mill in eastern Bangkok.

At one point the firm was in debt to the tune of about 1.5 million dollars, but it has since repaid all the money and now employs 17 people.

And Paijit is already eyeing ways to turn other problems into profits, including a technique to turn used liquid coolant drained from refrigeration systems into oil that can be used in the construction industry.

"I make a profit from a problem. I convert waste into wealth," he says.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-12-04

[phiphidon]

Some good news at last. Congratulations to the guy and hope he succeeds in getting this approach adopted rather than burning the laminated paper waste.

[GooEng]

great!

wish the guy all success - homegrown green tech from thailand!

[AsiaCheese]

Congrats to the man -- great job! The next step is for the gov't to somehow introduce garbage separation at the source; can't really be all that hard, can it? Ask Sweden or Switzerland on how to accomplish that (happens to be two countries who do a great job at it that I have "live" experience with -- no doubt, there are many others too).

[jayjay0]

Great news.

A needful job well done.

There is no way of estimating the amount of good this will do the world. It is astronomical.:thumbsup:

[Xircal]

Did I see the word 'asbestos' somewhere in that report? Surely they don't use that stuff as a building material in Thailand do they?

[livingthedream]

I smell money to be made, stand aside 'politician' coming through !

[selftaopath]

Congrats to the man -- great job! The next step is for the gov't to somehow introduce garbage separation at the source; can't really be all that hard, can it?

Hell!! I'd be thrilled to have ANY govt/private trash pick up here in "rooster country." This along with education might cut down on the amount of trash blowing around after it is thrown out the door. But TIT so .... never mind.

[Traxster]

Congratulations Paijit.

Watch your back and keep clear of 'well meaning politician'

and people who 'only want what's good for you'.........

[asiawatcher]

Nice to see a dedicated man amidst so much corruption but you can bet the vultures are already circling trying to figure out ways to earn from this guy.

[uncletom]

Good for him and the new technology.

Now, I wonder if anyone can figure out how to recycle the Thai Government to have a productive end result.

uncletom

[GeorgeO]

As noted above, this will require a way of separating waste/recycleable materials.

I make a point of separating waste into (i) paper/plastic, (ii) glass, (iii) cans and (iv) kitchen waste. This results in only small amounts of waste (iv) which has to be disposed of quickly, whilst the other containers can be emptied every two to three weeks.

When these bags of recycleable items are full, they are placed outside the front of my driveway and, lo and behold, they disappear in minutes..!! There are obviously many people out there ready to take this stuff away and make a few satangs.

The only trouble is, if I happen to place this stuff out on the morning when the official waste collection service is due to call, everything simply gets thrown into the back and crushed together with the food waste!

There clearly have to be alternatives to this!

Edited December 5, 2010 by GeorgeO

[uncletom]

As noted above, this will require a way of separating waste/recycleable materials.

I make a point of separating waste into (i) paper/plastic, (ii) glass, (iii) cans and (iv) kitchen waste. This results in only small amounts of waste (iv) which has to be disposed of quickly, whilst the other containers can be emptied every two to three weeks.

When these bags of recycleable items are full, they are placed outside the front of my driveway and, lo and behold, they disappear in minutes..!! There are obviously many people out there ready to take this stuff away and make a few satangs.

The only trouble is, if I happen to place this stuff out on the morning when the official waste collection service is due to call, everything simply gets thrown into the back and crushed together with the food waste!

There clearly have to be alternatives to this!

I like your post but may be different place to place for what is taken.

We are we are in Chiang Mai and my wife does the same. Her intent is to help support the local people trying to survive on their mode of work and feel good that it is going to truly be recycled.

The people street collectors do not take everything. Example: Yesterday my wife left old magazines and bounded used paper out on the street. Next one of our neighbors left 4 big Beer Leo bottles next to our put out.

Result: Magazines and paper gone around 4 pm, today the 4 bottles of Leo Beer still sitting. The people don’t want to take the bottles because there is not enough resale for the hassle.

4 bottles = 1 baht. S0 40 bottles =10 baht, 400 bottles = 100 baht. Truly not worth it. If on motorcycle and carrying the weight around, it would cost you 10 baht to deliver 40 bottles or even more to find 40 bottles.

They don’t take all plastics either, but GeorgeO’s post is something all of us should take head to if we live in a place where it is feasible and in a house.

Note: The real garbage men here will take the recyclables if they are separated. The put the bags up onto the top of the truck and if no room tie them onto the sides. The do not take bottles either. They are immediately dumped. So I guess we all need to start drinki8ng beer from cans or plastic bottles. So the beer manufacturers need to start making a beer can the size of a big bottle.

Good post to read from GeorgeO to start my day out. Positive and thanks. Now to go find some garbageto go put out to make me feel the best!

uncletom