Staff of Curtin Malaysia and OCIM visit each other’s facilities

Miri – 18 February 2022 – A group of five academics from the Faculty of Engineering and Science at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently visited the OCIM polycrystalline plant at Samalaju Industrial Park to learn more about the plant’s facilities and operation.

They were led by Associate Professor Wong Kwong Soon, Head of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, and Ir. Dr. Lim Chye Ing, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and chair of the faculty’s Industrial and External Relations Committee.

OCIM is part of the OCI company of South Korea, a leading global green energy and chemical company founded in 1959. The OCIM facility at Samalaju Industrial Park, about 140 kilometres from Miri, produces 30,000 metric tonnes of polysilicon annually for the global market and this equates to 10.0 GW of solar power generation.

Their visit was reciprocated by a visit by seven OCIM staff led by Deputy Plant Manager Kim Ki Sub to the Sarawak Biovalley Pilot Plant (SBPP) and Faculty of Engineering and Science laboratories at Curtin Malaysia soon after.

The visit was intended to give them a better understanding of the industry-relevant research conducted at the university, as well as lab testing services provided to industry, in addition to discussing possible research collaboration between OCIM and Curtin Malaysia.

On hand to receive them were Dean of Research and Development and Director of the Curtin Malaysia Research Institute, Professor Ramasamy Nagarajan; Chief Operating Officer and Interim Director of the SBPP, Ir. Pieter Willem Pottas; Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Freddie Panau, and other staff of the Faculty of Engineering and Science.

The SBPP is a purpose-built biotechnology research facility completed in 2019 a cost of RM60.6 million. It is owned by the Sarawak state government and managed, operated and maintained by Curtin Biovalley Sdn. Bhd. (CBV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Curtin Malaysia.

The state-of-the-art facility provides opportunities for researchers from academia and industry to capitalise on Malaysia’s rich potential in valuable products from indigenous plants and planted crops by harnessing the biosynthetic capabilities of microorganisms for products such as chemicals, inocula and biological control agents.

In addition, Curtin Malaysia’s industry-certified engineering and science laboratories are available to industry partners for specialised lab testing of raw materials and products.

The Curtin Malaysia academics and OCIM staff at the OCIM polycrystalline plant at Samalaju.

OCIM and Curtin Malaysia staff pose for group photo at the Sarawak Biovalley Pilot Plant.