Pulp & Paper: A Sustainable Industry

Kevin C. Burk Environmental Engineer Clearwater Paper Corporation P.O. Box 727, McGehee, AR T F

What is papermaking? Papermaking is the process of taking a fiber source such as wood, cotton, or some other fibrous material, arranging those fibers in solution onto a screen, & removing the excess water by adding pressure and heat. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/papermaking Inventors.about.com

Q: What is the breakdown of fresh and recycled fiber used for making paper in Canada and the United States? A: Fresh sources supply 69 percent and recycled sources offer 31 percent of the total fiber input used in making paper. –

What is the papermaking cycle?

Q: Will recycling paper help save the tropical rain forests? A: The trees that grow in the tropical rain forests are rarely harvested to make paper. The deforestation occurring in the tropical rain forests is mainly due to population pressure. In the world's under-developed nations, more than 90 percent of the deforestation occurs because of the demand for increased agricultural land and/or firewood. –

Q: Would we run out of fiber if we maximized recycling? A: Yes. Recycled fiber breaks down with each use so without continually adding fresh fiber; we would not be able to maintain our use of different paper products. –

Q: How many trees are planted each year in the U.S.? A: Over 2 ½ billion trees are planted in the U.S. each year. The forest community plants over 1 ½ billion of these trees; that's an average of 4 million new trees planted every day by the forest community. Millions more trees regrow from seeds and sprout naturally. –

“It is very likely that more people live in closer proximity to more wild animals and birds in the eastern United States today than anywhere on the planet at any time in history. This region’s combination of wild animals, birds and people is unique in time and place, the result of a vast but largely unnoticed regrowth of forests, the return of wildlife to the land, and the movement of people deeper into the exurban countryside.” – Jim Sterba, Nature Wars

A: The forest products industry has found uses for almost every part of a tree, so virtually all of the tree is used. For instance, lumber and building products can be made from the trunk, primarily from large trees whose diameters are greater than 8". The remaining wood is recovered in the form of trimmings and wood chips, and is used to make paper. The natural chemicals within the wood chips are recovered and made into useful products such as turpentine, plastics, food flavorings, and photographic film. The bark of the tree is ground or chipped to make garden mulch, or it can be burned in a furnace to generate energy to run a paper mill. Leaves, needles, and small branches are generally left in the forest to replenish the soil by adding valuable organic matter. This also helps to hold water and prevent excessive run-off on the forest floor. – Q: How much of a harvested tree is actually used? Is any part wasted?

Why do we recycle paper?

The other side of Papermaking: Isn’t papermaking resource intensive?

policies "Our customers—and the consumers they serve—care about the quality of the products they use. They also care about the manner in which those products are made. They want to know that the raw materials and manufacturing processes we use are sustainable environmentally and socially. They want to know that we are mindful of the future in every respect and that we are committed to continuously improving sustainability companywide.“ Linda Massman President and CEO

DIGESTER WHITE LIQUOR (NaOH + Na2S) BLACK LIQUOR RECOVERY GREEN LIQUOR (Na2CO3) CAUSTICIZING Steam Electricity LIME KILN CALCIUM OXIDE (CaO) LIME MUD (CaCO3)

So what does the future hold?

The Lime Kiln Flash Dryer

Questions?