World first date palm MDF plant project starts in Egypt

The project involves collaboration with WESER Industrie- und Anlagentechnik GmbH, an engineering, procurement and construction specialist, as well as the Egyptian EPC contractor MT Mixers for the customer National Service Projects Organization (NSPO).

The HDF/MDF facility is being built in the Toshka region and is scheduled to produce its first board in the fall of 2025. Work began on site in April of this year.

The plant will cover an area of 400,000m², with Dieffenbacher’s scope of supply starting with a Maier chipping line (Maier Drum Chipper with extra-large infeed cross-section specially designed for high-volume material, a feeding belt conveyor, a vibration dosing table and an integrated Maier Rechipper). 

It also includes chip cleaning, the refiner, dryer and air grader, glue preparation and dosing, the forming line and forming station, a CPS+ continuous press with Press Emission Control System, the raw board handling and the sanding line, strapping line and pneumatic systems. Additionally, Dieffenbacher will take care of the plant’s automation and electrics.

The contract also includes a 29 MW energy system consisting of a solid-fuel fired steam boiler and a thermal oil heater. 

“This is the first time since the acquisition of the former BERTSCHenergy in January 2023 that we have integrated a Dieffenbacher Energy solution into a project of our Wood business unit,” explains Stefan Zipf, head of the Wood business unit at Dieffenbacher. 

“Our Austrian and German energy experts from Bludenz and Eppingen have worked closely together to provide NSPO with a customized solution perfectly suited to the special requirements of burning palm waste.” 

The 125,000m3 plant will use date palm fronds from an adjacent 40,000-acre date farm and will create around 500 new jobs.