On the 24th, Murim P&P, a comprehensive pulp, paper, and new materials company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Institute of Horticultural Science and Gyeongsang National University of the Rural Development Administration and announced that it will develop an eco-friendly freeze protection agent applying a new natural pulp-based material, Cellulose. The research on pulp and new materials will be applied beyond the existing pharmaceutical and bio industries to the field of eco-friendly agricultural technology.

Freeze protection is a new agricultural material that protects flowers from the cold by forming a thin protective film on the surface of fruit trees' flower eyes. Nanocellulose extracted from natural pulp produced by Moorim P&P will be applied to the freeze protection agent developed this time. Nanocellulose is a next-generation eco-friendly new material that divides cellulose fibers into nanometers in size (about 1 billionth of a meter) and has a fine fiber structure that provides excellent insulation and durability, such as protecting fruit flower eyes safely even in low-temperature environments.

Murim P&P expects to reduce the low-temperature damage rate of fruit farms by up to 20% if the freeze protection agent applied with high-functioning nanocellulose is commercialized. Starting with this agreement, the three organizations plan to promote commercialization by establishing a 'production-research-evaluation-supply' cooperation system that extends from research and development of frozen protection agents to demonstration and verification and mass production.

Murim P&P, the only company in Korea that produces natural raw pulp, provides a system for product development and mass production as well as supplying raw materials based on cellulose production facilities. The National Horticultural Research Institute will be in charge of demonstration and technology distribution for actual fruit farms, while Gyeongsang National University will conduct research such as performance verification and data acquisition.

"With this agreement, natural pulp-based cellulose will be applied to eco-friendly agricultural materials that respond to climate change, and it will be an opportunity to prove the infinite utilization and excellence of pulp," said Lim Gun-Murim, head of the research institute. "We will continue to develop new pulp materials in connection with various industries in the future to secure future growth engines."

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