Valmet recently announced that the winner of its Tissue Technology Award is Abdus Salam, Graduate Student from North Carolina State University (USA). The award, which includes a prize amount of USD 25,000, was presented to Mr. Salam at the Tissue World Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
The focus area for the award this year was environmental efficiency. Mr. Salam is awarded for his work on modified hardwood pulp for tissue production.
"I greatly appreciate the award committee's selection of my research for Valmet Tissue Technology Award of 2015," said Mr. Salam. "This is my first international award which has truly inspired me to develop new products and ideas for tissue and paper towel applications. I believe the research developments related to modifying hardwood pulp can significantly contribute to the personal health care sector as well as the global economy."
The objective of Mr. Salam's work has been to develop a method to provide unique tissue characteristics using only natural materials. By modifying hardwood pulp, it can be cross-linked with a biodegradable product to greatly improve absorbency properties. The modified fibers are elastic, very soft, highly porous and durable, and also have microbial properties.
"We are constantly searching for new innovations to make the tissue process more sustainable and environmentally efficient," said Anders Björn, Vice President, Tissue Mills business unit, Valmet. "Mr. Salam's innovation is well in line with our strategy and shows how biomaterials can be utilized to add new and improved properties to tissue products. This is an excellent example of how scientists and the academic world can contribute to the important work of developing sustainable solutions for the future of tissue-making."
