Date palm OSB production starts in UAE
14 March 2022Desert Board branded OSB production has started in the UAE with help from technology provider Dieffenbacher
Al Talah Board from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), has produced its first “Desert Board” branded OSB products made using recycled date palm tree waste.
The factory produced its first board on December 14 with a Dieffenbacher plant, which will use about 15% of the 500,000 tonnes of palm waste generated yearly in the UAE to produce 120,000m³ of OSB per year.
Al Talah Board contracted with Dieffenbacher in 2019 to create the OSB plant, which will help keep slow-to-biodegrade palm waste out of landfills and industrial composting pits. Dieffenbacher’s scope of supply included the strand production, drum dryer, screens and material recovery equipment, gluing system, forming station and forming line, CPS+ continuous press with press emission control system, the raw board handling and electrics and plant automation.
“Eighteen years ago our chairman Hatem Farah envisioned using our country’s abundance of palm trees to produce sustainable building products,” said Mazen Dukmak, business development manager at Al Talah Board.
“We are the world’s first company to use recycled palm waste to produce premium quality OSB. We made this happen with the technical collaboration of Dieffenbacher, their production know-how, and because of their expertise in the field of alternative raw materials.”
In the past, Mr Farah has said Al Talah was adding to the circular economy through sustainable resource recovery.
Palm waste has often been sent to landfill or burned but the fibre has a reputation for durability and strength.
