Pulp & Paper Canada May-June 2011 by Annex Business Media

May/June 2011

QUEBEC

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builds on innovation Domtar, Tembec in forefront of revival

Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40069240

Plus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Fibre Supply for Biorefining

JOURNAL OF RECORD, PULP AND PAPER TECHNICAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA FATEHI: Charge Density of Cationic Additives

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Cost of biomass at the mill gate ($/bdt)

140

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A Business Information Group Publication ON-LINE EDITION ISSN 1923-3515

FEATURES

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100 80 60 40 Woody residues Hardwood Softwood Agricultural residues

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MAY/JUNE 2011 Vol. 112, No. 3 PRINT EDITION ISSN 0316-4004

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BIOMASS INFLUENCES PROCESS SELECTION

DISSOLVING PULP OUTLOOK

CASCADES MODERNIZATION

Quebec Rebuilds Quebec’s forest industry may never recover to its previous size, but vitality is returning as leading companies turn to new products and new markets.

Our cover image shows the NCC pilot plant under construction at Domtar’s Windsor, Que., pulp and paper facility. Biomass, Bioenergy, Bio-mess Bioenergy projects, be they for biofuels, electricity or pellets, will undoubtedly compete with pulp and paper for fibre resources. How is that competition playing out in Canada? Biomass Availability and Process Selection for an Integrated Forest Biorefinery By Hakim Ghezzaz and Paul Stuart The profitability of several biorefinery technology configurations was evaluated using techno-economic methods. For the case study mill, the profitability of thermochemical processes was strongly dependent on access to abundant low-cost biomass feedstocks. For biochemical processes, the quality of biomass strongly affects profitability. Protecting their Pensions A group of pensioners in Ontario is determined to educate themselves and lobby politicians about the precarious position of pensioners in the case of bankruptcy.

IN EVERY ISSUE

Dissolving Pulp Draws Renewed Interest Why the sudden interest in dissolving pulp? At least seventeen mills around the world have announced expansions or conversions. The reason: A high-value product for a growing market.

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Editorial News Technology News Classified Ads

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Importance of Charge Density of Cationic Additives on Increasing Paper Strength By applying various dosages of C-starch or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.5 meq/g, both the bulk and tensile strength of the papers made of refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP were improved. By P. Fatehi (Dept. of Chemical Eng. and Limerick Pulp and Paper Centre, University of New Brunswick)

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MISSION STATEMENT:

To promote the pulp and paper industry in Canada by publishing news of the people and their innovations in research, technology, management and financing, as well as forecasts of future trends. Authorized to publish papers of the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada, which are identified by the symbol Serving the industry since 1903.

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EDITORIAL

Beware buyers

here are indications from a number of sources that there continue to be buyers interested in Canadian mills, mostly to secure access to fibre. Already, Paper Excellence has bought four mills in Canada since last spring. The pulp from those mills is, by and large, being sold to sister companies of Paper Excellence in Asia. We can expect more of that kind of activity. In a recent interview with the paper sales branch of Asia Pulp & Paper, a sister company to Paper Excellence, an APP executive suggested to me that asset purchases in North America would be likely. At the PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Forest Products conference in May, Chad Wasilenkoff, another recent buyer of Canadian assets, argued that “fibre security will be the most critical issue in our industry going forward.” Wasilenkoff is the CEO of Fortress Paper, which purchased the Thurso, Quebec mill to convert to dissolving pulp production. Looking at long-term global trends, he noted that the combination of population growth and a growing middle class, plus the loss of cropland to urbanization, will create strong pressure to use arable land for food production, not for production of industrial feedstocks, such as cotton or cellulose. His company, says Wasilenkoff, is looking to invest downstream and secure a fibre supply. The aforementioned examples don’t even consider the potential competition for fibre from bioenergy projects. A recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Growing the Future, acknowledges that there is a battle brewing over fibre. The report explains that the EU is headed for a fibre deficit of 200-260 million cubic metres by 2020, if current government energy policies continue. Likewise in China, where rising demand and a lack of wood led China to import more than 100 million cubic metres on a round wood equivalent basis last year. See page 16 for more insight on how the competition for fibre will play out in Canada. New methods of accessing available fibre may emerge in response to the growing pressures. PwC sees international fibre exchanges and the emergence of a new biomass aggreCindy Macdonald gation industry as two possibilities. Editor

Correction

There were two omissions in our PaperWeek Canada coverage that I would like to correct. First, on the Douglas Atack award-winning paper, Saving Electrical Energy by Alkaline Peroxide Pretreatment of TMP prior to Low Consistency Refining, David Kuan of UBC should have been listed as one of the authors. Second, the success of the International Forest Biorefinery Symposium, which ran concurrently with the PAPTAC conferences during PaperWeek, was a direct result of the hard work and leadership of Jean Paris and Mariya Marinova of École Polytechnique in Montreal. Thanks to Jean and Mariya, and congratulations to David. 4

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

EDITORIAL Editor CINDY MACDONALD 416-510-6755 cindy@pulpandpapercanada.com Sustaining member, Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada; Member, Canadian Business Press and Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Contributing Editors HEATHER LYNCH ADVISORY BOARD Richard Foucault Greg Hay Dr. Richard Kerekes Barbara van Lierop Dr. David McDonald Dennis McNinch Dr. Yonghao Ni Bryant Prosser Dr. Paul Stuart Ross Williams

Indexed by: Canadian Business Periodicals Index; Abstract Bulletin, The Institute of Paper Science and Technology; Materials Science Citation Index

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INDUSTRY NEWS Prince Albert mill reopens, begins conversion to dissolving pulp PRINCE ALBERT, SASK. — The Prince Albert Pulp Mill is open for the first time in five years and moving toward a full restart of pulp operations. Except this time the mill will be making dissolving pulp instead of kraft. Paper Excellence has finalized its purchase of the facility in Prince Albert, Sask., that had been shut down since 2006. Paper Excellence will be investing more than $200 million to convert the mill to produce dissolving pulp. At least 200 direct jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs will be brought back to the community as the mill restarts. Paper Excellence’s Canadian vicepresident of operations, Ed Roste, noted that Paper Excellence targeted a restart timeline of 12 months, ensuring that the mill is operational by the second quarter of 2012. The company has begun hiring for key personnel in Prince Albert. Engineering contracts are being negotiated, as are key equipment purchases. The new timeline for restarting the mill will require major forest harvest activity no later than late fall this year. Roste said discussions are advancing well with

International Pulp Bleaching Conference pairs with PEERS event

NORCROSS, GA. — The 2011 International Pulp Bleaching Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, October 5-7. This event is held every three years. This year’s event is hosted by TAPPI. It will be co-located with another pulp and paper industry conference, PEERS. Dr. Jean Bouchard, principal scientist at FPInnovations, will be the 2011 Conference Chairman. In addition to the conference program, there will be a mill tour scheduled for Weyerhaeuser Longview’s bleach plant, featuring a Lurgi generator and an adjacent Solvay peroxide plant.

Cascades invests $3.5 million to modernize molded pulp plant

KINGSEY FALLS, QUE. — Cascades executives were on hand in early April to inaugurate a new machine used in the

industry and First Nations partners, government and a number of support operations. “Saskatchewan has been a great place to operate with our mill in Meadow Lake,” Roste said. “We are very excited to revive the Prince Albert pulp mill as part of our ongoing and long-term commitments to our forestry operations in Saskatchewan and Canada, and we thank the premier, the minister and the Saskatchewan government for their strong support.” Commitments made by the provincial government include provision of an adequate fibre supply, a clean biomass power purchase agreement with SaskPower, an agreement to maintain the existing environmental liability for a period of time when the mill operated as a Crown Corporation prior to 1986, and new pension plan agreements that respect the obligations to previous employees. The government will also provide $500,000 per year towards training of mill operators during the mill’s first two years of operation. (See page 38 for an update on the dissolving pulp market.) manufacturing of moulded pulp products at the company’s Forma-Pak plant in Kingsey Falls, Que. The modernization of the plant required an investment of more than $3.5 million. Begun in 2010, the work has led to the installation of a new machine as well as the automation of existing equipment. A project to secure the machines was also implemented to improve employee safety. Mario Plourde, chief operating officer, explains that since the plant is located in the heart of the city of Kingsey Falls, the plant is limited in terms of space. “Rather than expand, we’ve completely redesigned it to accommodate more equipment and increase its efficiency.” These changes will increase the plant’s production capacity by 40%. Significant gains in product quality have also been achieved, particularly with respect to finishing and packaging. As such, automation will allow for increased packaging

Cascades executives Alain Lemaire, president and CEO (left), Mario Plourde, COO (centre), and Christian Tisluck, plant manager, Forma-Pak, celebrate the modernization of the plant in Kingsey Falls, Que. Photo courtesy Cascades

rigidity and, as a result, will permit up to 20% more products on trucks. Cascades Forma-Pak manufactures 100% recycled moulded pulp products. The plant specializes in egg filler flats as well as cup carriers used for beverages by quick service restaurants.

Acquisitions continue: Paper Excellence buys Northern Pulp Nova Scotia

ABERCROMBIE POINT, N.S. — Paper Excellence has extended its network of mills in Canada to the East Coast with the purchase of Northern Pulp Nova Scotia. Specifically, Paper Excellence Canada Holdings Corp. of Vancouver, B.C. has reached an agreement to acquire Northern Resources, the parent company of Northern Pulp Nova Scotia and Northern Timber, Abercrombie Point, Nova Scotia. “The agreement is good news for the company’s 230 employees, 400 timberlands contract employees, suppliers and community and business partners as it strengthens the mill’s economic position over the longterm,” says Wayne Gosse, president and chief financial officer, Northern Resources. “A strong demand for the mill’s product globally presents a great opportunity for the mill to be part of a large international network of pulp mills and to diversify and expand its markets.” Northern Pulp produces 275,000 tonnes per year of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp.

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Green Transformation Program Federal government invests $88 million in mill upgrades

OTTAWA — The Government of Canada announced on March 14 a series of investments in the forest products sector totalling $88 million, under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program and Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program. The AV Group will receive $24 million from the two programs, some of which will be used for a biogas plant at Atholville. “This funding allows us to invest in projects right away which will decrease our use of energy, reduce our emissions and support jobs at both of our facilities,” said Shankar Ray, president and CEO of AV Group. “We are also very happy to be working with the federal government and FPInnovations to establish a state-of-the-art biogas plant at our Atholville facility.” PPGTP funding for the Nackawic facility will be used to purchase equipment to increase energy efficiency. Canfor Pulp’s Northwood Pulp mill is installing a process control system, with the assistance of federal and provincial funding. The company will receive $2.5 million under the Transformative Technologies Program. Other funding for the project includes a $2.1-million contribution from the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands, bringing the total

funding to $4.6 million. In addition, Canfor Pulp will invest an additional $4.4 million in cash and in-kind contributions. “This project will build on Canfor Pulp’s leadership in the northern bleached softwood kraft market through the installation of ‘real-time’ testing systems for our woodchips, pulping process and final pulp products,” said Robert Dufresne, general manager, Northwood Pulp mill. “This will allow Canfor Pulp to optimize the value chain and ensure that the raw materials and finished pulp products are matched to the customer’s end use.” Cascades’ Norampac mill in Cabano will receive $3 million under the PPGTP. The funding will be used to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and the particulate matter emissions from its two biomass boilers. For the East Angus mill, Cascades will receive $3.1 million under the PPGTP. This funding will allow Cascades to build a modern pulp recycling facility, substantially improving the environmental performance of the mill. “The East Angus mill is one of the oldest in Canada, and the federal government’s support provides real help for upgrading the equipment, but most of all for maintaining quality jobs locally,” said Mario Plourde, chief operating officer of Cascades.

Gosse says Paper Excellence Group has a good track record in Canada in terms of business leadership, labour and First Nations partnerships, and environmental stewardship. Paper Excellence owns four other mills in Canada: Meadow Lake and Prince Albert in Saskatchewan and Howe Sound and Mackenzie in British Columbia. “We have been impressed by Northern Pulp’s operations, employees, and the quality of stakeholder relationships and partnerships,” says Ed Roste, vice-president operations, Paper Excellence Canada. “The Northern Resources team will continue to

operate the mill and land holdings under the Northern Pulp name, and there are no job impacts as a result of the transaction. Northern Pulp was sold by Neenah Paper three years ago. Since then, Northern Pulp’s workforce has improved efficiency and productivity and local management has worked closely with stakeholders to stabilize the business. A $1-million investment in R&D, the acquisition of 422,000 acres of forest land for active management, and a commitment to work with Pictou Landing First Nation on economic development have been instrumental in the mill’s resurgence.

Nanaimo Forest Products’ Harmac Pacific Mill will receive $9 million under the PPGTP for three capital improvement projects. In Témiscaming, Que., Tembec will receive $975,000 from the PPGTP to improve the environmental performance of the mill. Smurfit-Stone Corporation’s mill in La Tuque, Quebec, will receive $24 million under the PPGTP.

Fibrek invests PPGTP funding in cogeneration project

SAINT-FÉLICIEN, QUE. — The Fibrek mill in Saint-Félicien, Que., will receive $6.1 million under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. This funding will allow Fibrek to install five electrical motors that will increase its green energy production capacity by approximately six megawatts. It is expected that this project will also help save enough energy to power more than 1,700 homes. “This timely help from the federal government is an incentive toward the completion of a very important project for Fibrek’s cogeneration facilities in Saint-Félicien,” said Pierre Gabriel Côté, president and CEO of Fibrek. “This project will allow us not only to increase our leadership in the production of green energy, but also to improve our mill’s competitiveness.”

Carbon footprint of a single newspaper equals one kilometre in a car

FINLAND — A Finnish study has concluded the greenhouse gas emissions produced by a single newspaper during its entire life cycle correspond to a car journey of approximately one kilometre. About half of those emissions are attributed to the electricity and heat required in the production process. These data are taken from a recent study on the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of newspapers, magazines, books, and advertising leaf-

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May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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INDUSTRY NEWS Construction begins on Point Tupper biomass cogeneration facility

lets. The case studies published by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland were based on a life cycle assessment that followed print products from cradle to grave: fibre supply, paper production, printing, transport, use, and recycling and waste management. The carbon footprint is a useful indicator of climate impacts. It measures the greenhouse gases produced during the life cycle of print products. The carbon footprint of newspapers mostly comprises emissions caused by the electricity and heat production required for making the product as well as greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transport. Emissions resulting from the use of purchased electricity in paper production and printing are responsible for approximately 50% of the carbon footprint of a typical Finnish newspaper. If the purchased electricity required for the production of the newspaper was “green” electricity, the carbon footprint of a typical Finnish newspaper would drop by approximately 40%. The carbon footprint of an annual volume of daily newspapers amounts to approximately 75 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents and that of a single newspaper to approximately 210 g. The carbon footprint of an annual volume of daily newspapers is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a car journey of 456 kilometres. The carbon footprint of an annual volume of weekly magazines is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a journey of 45 kilometres by a car. The contribution of newspapers, books, and other paper products to the climate impacts of consumption by Finnish households in 2005 was small (approximately 1%). The biggest climate impacts of consumption by Finnish households were attributable to housing (28%), food products (16%), and transport (13%). 8

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

The Cape Breton Post reports that construction is underway on a $200-million biomass cogeneration facility that will see waste wood burned to produce electricity at NewPage’s Port Hawkesbury (Point Tupper) mill site in Nova Scotia. The project received approval last fall. Since then, NewPage has been at work ordering the necessary equipment, most notably a steam turbine generator from Mitsubishi Power Systems which will weigh 180 tonnes, be five meters wide, and 20 metres long. “Our objective is to get everything done this construction season so we’ve got everything weather-tight for the winter, so when the turbine comes in next spring we’ll be doing a lot of piping work and things like that in the turbine building itself,” project manager Donald Dodds told the paper. That component and the supporting work, such as construction of a pump house that will take water from the Strait of Canso to the turbine, will cost about $93 million. Improvements are also being made to the existing 27-year-old boiler, which Nova Scotia Power bought from NewPage as part of the deal for $80 million. Efforts are also underway to ready the mill’s woodyard, including construction of a silo to hold wood chips, which will have a diameter of 30 metres, The Cape Breton Post reports. A new transformer is also on order, which will allow the mill to supply electricity to Nova Scotia’s grid.

Tembec puts its pulp and chemicals to use in unique structural composite

TEMISCAMING, QUE. — Tembec will build a pilot plant for the development of a high performance structural product known as Next Generation Sustainable Fibre. This project is based on an innovative, Tembec patented process that will use Tembec’s pulp and lignosulfonates within a modified phenolic resin to produce a structural material with unique strengthto-weight and durability characteristics. “The Next Generation Sustainable Fibre initiative recognizes the growing demand for environmentally-friendly,

Both federal and provincial governments contributed to Tembec’s Next Gen fibre project. Photo courtesy of the Temiscaming Contact.

lightweight structural composites suitable for applications in such areas as infrastructure and engineered components,” said Randy Fournier, senior vice-president, chemical products and kraft pulp. (Both the pulp and lignosulfonates will come from FSC-certified forests.) “Our initial end-use application will be a railway tie for environmentally sensitive areas, with other applications such as automotive components, land and marine transportation infrastructure, and electrical energy generation and transmission infrastructures to be assessed.” The cost of the pilot plant is estimated at approximately $8.4 million, with the majority of the funding being provided equally by the Quebec and federal governments. Tembec is a large, diversified and integrated forest products company with operations in Canada and France.

Nanocellulose and bioactive paper research at UQTR receives $2.2 million

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QUE. — Researchers at the Université du Québec à TroisRivières campus have received funding totaling more than $2.2 million from various organizations to further research into nanocellulose and bioactive paper. The amount is assigned to three professors working within UQTR’s pulp and paper research centre, who will investigate the industrial properties of these materials. Patrice Mangin, a professor with UQTR’s department of chemical engineering and director of the Centre intégré en pâtes et papiers (CIPP), has received $961,000 for the development of packaging and printing papers incorporating nanocellulose, nanopigments pulpandpapercanada.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Announcing the research grants are: (clockwise) professor Claude Daneault, professor Sylvain Robert, and professor Patrice Mangin, with vice-rector Lucie Guillemette. Photo courtesy of UQTR.

and mechanical pulp. Approximately $400,000 of the funding comes from ArboraNano, the nanoproducts research network. The other portion of the funding is provided by pulp and paper industry supplier GL&V and an industrial partner whose identity remains confidential. Mangin will explore the use of mechanical pulp rather than chemical pulp for the fabrication of printing and packaging papers. Because of the decreased demand for newsprint, there is unused mechanical pulp capacity in the industry.

Briefly… Production of coated paper at Kruger’s Wayagamack mill was halted for eight days in early April. The shutdown reduced the mill’s total coated paper production by 6,000 tonnes To support President Obama’s goal of reducing America’s oil imports by one-third by 2025, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) jointly announced up to $30 million over three to four years that will support research and development in advanced biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products Consulting engineering firm BBA has reached an agreement to integrate the technical services and professional expertise offered by Top Control into its operations. Based in Quebec City, Top Control specializes in process and advanced control optimization. 10

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

Biochemistry professor Claude Daneault received about $500,000 from NSERC to develop a manufacturing process for nanocellulose incorporating ultrasound. This technique would produce nanocellulose in an alkaline environment, rather than an acid one. UQTR reports that some businesses have already expressed an interest in this procedure. Professor Sylvain Robert, of the biochemistry department, received a grant of $167,000 to model nanocellulose, specifically its iridescent properties. Mangin also received $565,000 (over 5 years) to demonstrate the production feasibility of bioactive paper. This will allow Mangin and his team to move this project to a precommerical phase.

Mountain pine beetle could move east via jack pine

CALGARY — The mountain pine beetle is on the move — not just from one tree to another, but across tree species. A group of researchers funded in part by Genome Alberta have conclusive evidence that the mountain pine beetle is now invading jack pine. The usual host for the mountain pine beetle is the lodgepole pine, and now that the beetle has crossed over to another host, it is poised to move east across the boreal forest. It has long been suspected that the beetle was invading hybrid tree species, but using newly developed DNA genotyping and location data, the University of Alberta team found that pure jack pine are now being attacked by the beetle and

the blue-stain fungi the beetles injects into the tree. The discovery was largely due to the work of U of A molecular ecologist Catherine Cullingham, first author of a paper published online in the journal Molecular Ecology. U of A researcher Janice Cooke points out that jack pine “is the dominant pine species in Canada’s boreal forest. Its range extends east from Alberta all the way to the Maritime provinces.” The infected area of north-central Alberta is a gateway area into the boreal forest. “Forest managers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario are going to have to be cognizant of this potential and the potential impact on their forests,” said Cullingham. The current mountain pine beetle outbreak has affected more than 14 million hectares of forest land in Western Canada. It is the largest outbreak documented since record taking began 125 years ago.

Forest sector deals in 2010 shaped by restructuring and divesting non-core assets

VANCOUVER — The majority of Canadian and U.S. deal-making in the forestry sector in 2010 involved pulp and paper companies in or coming out of bankruptcy protection and further consolidation is expected in 2011, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ annual global forest, paper and packaging deals report Branching Out. In 2010, there were 15 Canadian deals worth US$1.8 billion, more than half of the value of all North American transactions. North American deal numbers rose 47% in 2010 to 66 deals worth US$3.2 billion. “On a positive note, deal activity in North America revived after a virtual collapse the previous year,” says Frédéric Bouchard, national transaction forest, paper and packaging leader, PwC. “However, distress lay behind many of the 2010 deals as many Canadian and U.S. pulp and paper producers had to seek bankruptcy protection in recent years amidst declining demand.” Companies that have not been in bankruptcy proceedings have been busy rationalizing their operations with closures, smaller divestments and repositioning. Deal momentum is returning to pulpandpapercanada.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS People… Olson takes charge of UBC Pulp and Paper Centre

VANCOUVER — Dr. James Olson, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the new director for UBC’s Pulp and Paper Centre. An expert in the application of physics and fluid mechanics to problems associated with the pulp and paper industry, Olson’s current research includes reduction of energy used in mechanical pulping, modelling turbulent fibre suspensions, and high-performance energy-efficient equipment design. He currently leads a $2.4-million, five-year university-industry NSERC collaborative research program with BC Hydro, FPInnovations, B.C. mechanical pulp producers, and suppliers focused on reducing energy consumption in that sector. This research recently demonstrated a technical potential of 20% energy savings through the development of several innovative technologies. Olson will serve as director of the Pulp and Paper Centre until December 31, 2015.

Dunford named Forester of the Year by ABCFP

John Dunford, RPF, Tolko Industries Ltd.’s manager, forestry and sustainability, has received the 2010 Professional Forester of the Year award from the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP). the forest, paper and packaging sector and is likely to continue for 2011 and into 2012. Key themes underpinning this are: consolidation (long awaited in Europe), security of fibre supply, geographical diversification into new, growth markets, and repositioning of product and operational portfolios. The Asian fibre deficit, most notably in China, will be a continued force behind outbound acquisitions of foreign fibre resources by Chinese and other Asian companies. pulpandpapercanada.com

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John Dunford, left, receives his award from Rick Brouwer, RPF, president of the ABCFP.

“Congratulations to John on receiving this recognition for his outstanding contributions to the betterment of British Columbia’s and Canada’s sustainable forest management,” said Randy Chan, vice-president, environment and forestry, Tolko. “We are very pleased that the benefit of John’s energy and leadership extends beyond our organization.” Dunford serves as chair to Canada’s CSA Sustainable Forest Management User Group and is one of the founding directors of Programme for the Endorsement of Certification (PEFC) Canada.

Four researchers recognized for work on refining intensity

The Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award 2011 has been granted jointly to Keith B. Miles, Dr. Marc J. Sabourin, and Dr. William C. Strand for their work on how to control mechanical pulp quality as well as energy consumption, utilizing the concept of refining intensity directly or indirectly. Their contributions have in total greatly advanced understanding of how to optimize the efficiency of the TMP refining process. The award will be presented on June

Kadant offers wet end water studies

Kadant Johnson Systems has expanded its audit services for dryer systems to now include water management studies for the wet end of the paper machine. The wet end water system audit service consists of a comprehensive evaluation of paper machine water systems, showering, and white water reuse. “We are very encouraged by the positive responses that we have already received to this new offering from paper mills that are trying to reduce

28, 2011, at the International Mechanical Pulping Conference in Xian, China. Keith B. Miles worked at Paprican (today FPInnovations), in PointeClaire, Que., from 1968 until his retirement in 2010. He published many early pioneering studies on the fundamental mechanisms in chip refining and developed a breakthrough theory of steam and pulp flow in the refining zone. The concept of refining intensity, which today is generally accepted, emerged from his work. The Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award was made possible through a donation from the Sunds Defibrator Company, currently part of Metso.

Langevin leads Cascades Specialty Products Group

Cascades Inc. has appointed Luc Langevin president and chief operating officer of the Cascades Specialty Products Group (SPG). This group produces industrial packaging, consumer packaging, and specialty papers, and performs recovery and recycling. He fills the position vacated by Mario Plourde, who was recently promoted to COO of Cascades Inc. Since 1995, Langevin has occupied management positions within the Cascades Specialty Products Group. He was plant manager for two years and has been general manager for the past fourteen years. energy and water consumption,” said Ken Hill, president of Kadant Johnson Systems. “Because paper drying and water systems are two primary areas of steam use during paper production, the addition of water system audits to our product line offers our customers greater insights into total paper machine steam use and was a natural extension of our dryer and steam system audit services.” The wet end optimization studies are offered in Canada by Kadant Canada. May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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COVER STORY

Quebec embraces

new directions for recovery Quebec firms are turning to new products and new markets to pull out of the malaise that has afflicted the entire forest products industry for the last five years By Carroll McCormick

he distinct society is counting on distinct products to reinvigorate its forest industry. Successive blows have rocked Quebec’s lumber and pulp and paper sectors over the past five years. Guy Chevrette, the man who led Quebec’s forest industry association for most of this period, called the situation a crisis. In May 2009, Chevrette calculated that the forestry crisis, at that point, had led to the permanent or temporary loss of 40,000 jobs, direct and indirect, half of which were lost during 2008. Then AbitibiBowater began its restructuring, and more mills were closed. In 2005, in the early days of the crisis, Quebec was home to 47 pulp and paper facilities. Between 2008 and 2011, nine of those were closed. Among the people still employed in the pulp and paper industry, many have taken pay cuts. During his farewell tour prior to stepping down as the association director in Dec. 2010, Chevrette forecast that recovery would take hold within two years. But change, not recovery, characterizes the 12

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PULP & PAPER CANADA

May/June 2011

foreseeable future of Quebec’s pulp and paper industry. A recovery implies a return to the status quo, the good old days, former production levels. By these yardsticks, a recovery in Quebec’s pulp and paper sector is not happening and perhaps never will. But by other measures – consolidation, adaptation and innovation – the industry may slowly be coming out of the woods. AbitibiBowater emerged from creditor protection last December with a far smaller debt load, but also five fewer mills and 4,000 fewer employees. It rejoined the party in a collapsed North American newsprint market: In 2010 the demand for newsprint in North America was just 5.3 million tonnes, compared to 13 million tonnes in 2000. An above par Canadian dollar and once-again incendiary fuel costs are a toxic frosting on a fallen cake.

AbiBow turns to exports

The company’s strategy, one of using lemons to try and make lemonade, is to confine its attentions to its most efficient mills and export its production to more

receptive markets. “Here is the picture now. We need to be more competitive by investing in our better mills and be mindful of our cost structure. The ones with the best cost structure will be the ones to survive,” says Richard Garneau, AbitibiBowater’s CEO since early this year. Garneau has his sights set on Brazil, India, China and Eastern Europe, where the newsprint market is up. “The better way to better position Quebec mills is to seek out export markets. We are not positioning our Quebec mills, except for Amos, to maintain newsprint capacity for North America,” notes Pierre Choquette, AbitibiBowater’s director of public affairs for Canada. To these ends AbitibiBowater has, for example, permanently closed a paper machine in its Baie-Comeau mill and is investing $4 million to improve the quality of paper in the mill’s three remaining paper machines. All of the mill’s production will be exported. “We are investing in our Baie Comeau mill to meet the requirements of our customers abroad,” Choquette says. pulpandpapercanada.com

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COVER STORY back on stream. Still, by February 2011, she says, “We were still at $960/tonne — quite high and lucrative.” Looking forward, she adds, “On the positive side I would tend to focus on NBSK. It may have a second wind because of capacity closures, newer applications, and growth in emerging markets. Very little new capacity will come on stream in the next five years. I personally think the premium for NBSK will stay high vis-à-vis southern hardwood bleached kraft pulp from eucalyptus. This is something that the industry hadn’t been expecting a few years ago.” On the down side, Mohr observes, “The rate of growth of demand for most writing and printing paper is not very high anymore. The papermaking side of the business has consolidated in the past decade. It probably will continue to consolidate in North America for some time. This is not a growth industry.” The nanocrystalline cellulose pilot plant under construction at Domtar will be a world first, and a crucial step in developing a market for this promising material. Photo courtesy Domtar.

The Baie-Comeau and Clermont mills are near deepwater ports, making them logical choices for deliveries to export markets. Patrice Mangin, the new chairman of the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTAC), notes that it costs from $120 to $150/tonne to export paper. “We start with a handicap,” he says. Rather reluctantly, he predicts, “I agree that we need to cut costs to be competitive, but if we don’t develop new products, AbitibiBowater will not be viable in the long run. If you want to sell your newsprint abroad, you will not be cost-competitive: the cost of [transportation] is rising. We must survive short term, but we must develop new products, value added products. Selling newsprint is not cost-competitive.”

Pulp outlook strong, paper grades weak

The status of other traditional markets is a mixed bag. There is evidence of a recovery in packaging and sanitary-grade tissue, even though a recovery for publication grades of paper is at least six months pulpandpapercanada.com

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away, according to Mangin. “The Quebec recovery was supposed to happen by the second quarter of this year. The Conference Board of Canada has revised its position and says now it will happen in the first quarter of next year.” Choquette notes that the market for grades for flyers and inserts is being maintained, but on the other hand, he says, “Directory papers are going down big time. Some book grades are going down. Demand for some grades, such as directories, will not come back.” The February, 2010 earthquake in Chile shut down most of its pulp industry and stopped pulp deliveries to Europe and Asian markets, according to Patricia Mohr, vice-president of economics and commodity market specialist, Scotia Capital. For pulp producers elsewhere, however, these vibes were positive. “You had a panic in the pulp market with buyers scrambling to buy pulp,” Mohr observes. Pulp prices delivered into the US hit a record high of $1,020/tonne in June and July 2010, then fell off somewhat once pulp producers in Chile got

Move forward in non-traditional markets

Listening to Mangin and other industry leaders, one could conclude that the industry must wean itself off of traditional products and develop new value-added products. “The pulp and paper industry – the traditional one — can’t keep moving like it has,” says Mangin. “My viewpoint is that we have new products, like nanocrystalline cellulose [NCC], that are emerging step by step. People are developing these products. At the same time FPInnovations is looking at the market and people – looking for customer bases: any products that can include new [i.e., ingredients] or replacement products.” The poster child for this hopeful new future for the pulp and paper industry is NCC. After years of research, FPInnovations and Domtar announced last July a partnership that brings together FPInnovation’s technical knowledge and Domtar’s operational expertise to build the world’s first commercial-scale, one tonne/day NCC plant at Domtar’s Windsor, Que., mill. It is scheduled for completion in early 2012. In the announcement for the NCC plant, John D. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Domtar said, “The remarkable properties of nanocrystalline cellulose and a wide range of potential applications speak volumes May/June 2011

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Photo courtesy AbitibiBowater

COVER STORY

AbitibiBowater is shipping most of its newsprint to overseas markets.

about the commercial potential of new fibre-based products that go beyond traditional pulp and paper applications.” NCC is most certainly no short-term salvation for the industry, but the industry has no choice but to hitch its wagon to racy new horses like this. “If we don’t start investing now we won’t be there. We need to pull our act together now and invent,” Mangin says. Tembec, a Quebec producer with a history of developing specialty products, is doing just that. The company announced in April that it will build a pilot plant for the development of a high

automotive components, land and marine transportation infrastructure, and electrical energy generation and transmission infrastructures to be assessed.” The cost of the pilot plant is estimated at approximately $8.4 million, with the majority of the funding being provided equally by the Quebec and federal governments.

Repurposing existing assets

AbitibiBowater was unable to find buyers for any of the mills it closed, but Fraser Papers was able to sell its mothballed Thurso, Que., mill to Fortress Paper for $1.2 million. Fortress then located

“The better way to better position Quebec mills is to seek out export markets.”

— Pierre Choquette, AbitibiBowater

performance structural product known as Next Generation Sustainable Fibre. This project is based on an innovative, Tembec-patented process that will use Tembec’s pulp and lignosulfonates within a modified phenolic resin to produce a structural material with unique strengthto-weight and durability characteristics. “The Next Generation Sustainable Fibre initiative recognizes the growing demand for environmentally-friendly, lightweight structural composites suitable for applications in such areas as infrastructure and engineered components,” said Randy Fournier, senior vice-president, chemical products and kraft pulp. (Both the pulp and lignosulfonates will come from FSC-certified forests.) “Our initial end-use application will be a railway tie for environmentally sensitive areas, with other applications such as 14

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May/June 2011

and brought in some equipment – at another bargain price – which it is using to transform the mill into a 200,000-

tonne/year producer of dissolving pulp, which is an ingredient in rayon. Fortress is reportedly sinking $153 million into the Thurso transformation. Quebec has lent $102 million to the project and there is another $25 million available in credits from the federal government’s Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. Mangin is more appreciative of the Quebec loan than he is of the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program monies, which the federal government has been handing out for projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions; e.g., $6.1 million to Fibrek’s Saint-Félicien mill to install six megawatts worth of electrical motors. “I am very critical of the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program,” Mangin says. “A good portion of the money, let’s say about 20%, might have been better put into developing new products. For developing new products, why doesn’t the government put the money up front and we do the research and innovation? We need money for demonstration projects, to develop new products and market them. “For instance, I came back from Europe with a new way to make waterproof paper more cheaply. But where is the money to demonstrate it? The industry does not have the money. The government should be helping us to make the demonstration plants. Market-level loans … haven’t been there. You have no idea how difficult it is to get $2 million for a pilot [plant] for

Pulp & Paper Capacity Closed Since 2008

Recent Announced Investments

AbitibiBowater, Beaupré AbitibiBowater, Belgo (Shawinigan) AbitibiBowater, Dolbeau AbitibiBowater, Donnaconna AbitibiBowater, Gatineau Cascades, East Angus (boxboard) Domtar, Lebel-sur-Quévillon Kruger, Trois-Rivières (partial closure) Kruger, Wayagamak (partial closure) Smurfit-Stone Container, Matane Smurfit-Stone Container, Pontiac (Portage-du-Fort)

AbitibiBowater, Baie-Comeau Cascades, East Angus Cascades, Forma-Pak Kingsey Falls Cascades (Norampac), Cabano Cascades, Tissue Group, Lachute Domtar, Windsor Fibrek, St-Félicien Fortress Paper, Thurso Smurfit-Stone Container, La Tuque Tembec, Matane Tembec, Temiscaming

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COVER STORY biodiesel fuel. It is even worse for a $25 or $30-million demonstration plant.” Or as Choquette puts it, “The recession reduced the financial backbone to create new products. The recession, the US dollar … created an environment where it was impossible to invest.”

duction, and vice versa. The [Domtar] plant will serve to build the market, identify products and customers, and hopefully lead to newer and bigger things in the future.” In general though, Browne says of the bioeconomy, “There are some quick hits

“The papermaking side of the business has consolidated in the past decade. It probably will continue to consolidate in North America for some time. This is not a growth industry.”

— Patricia Mohr, Scotia Captial

NCC is an example of a material that suits the bioeconomy, a marketplace in which wood components are transformed into new, higher-value products that can compete with ever more expensive petroleum-based products. There is currently no market for NCC, says Tom Browne, program manager, biorefinery, mechanical pulping, FPInnovations, but, he insists, “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg thing: there is no market because there is no pro-

to be had, but no wholesale replacement of existing revenue streams yet — the existing product lines remain critical.”

What will become of Quebec’s greatest asset?

Another potential blow to the Quebec industry is waiting in the wings: the province’s forestry laws are being revised. “The most significant change will happen in 2013 with the new forestry regime. We still fear that the new regime

will make our costs go up,” says AbitibiBowater’s Choquette. “From our perspective we are seeing the creation of a new structure and someone will have to pay for that. This must impact our cost structure.” On the other hand, Browne points out, “In Quebec there is a lot of hydro power and a varied wood supply that is different in Quebec than in Ontario.” It might seem that Quebec’s P&P industry could not possibly regain its former size, but, notwithstanding the loss of mills, harvesting equipment, effluent treatment plants, operating permits, rail and road connections, electrical and natural gas pipeline connections, Browne thinks otherwise. “I think the only limit is the size of the sustainable annual allowable cut. We are sitting on a large, renewable, sustainably managed resource that will never compete with food. No one will ever get rich growing corn in the boreal forest. The world is slowly waking up to the fact that this resource will be extraordinarily valuable in the future.” PPC

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PULP & PAPER CANADA

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MARKET TRENDS

Biomass, bioenergy, bio-mess Many of the biomass projects being announced now may never come to fruition, but those that do will put pressure on the price for pulp wood over the next decade.

hile the demand for some types of paper will decrease in the next decade, the many other uses for wood fibre will lead to dramatic increases in global demand for this resource, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers The idea of bioenergy competing with pulp and paper for access to wood fibre is looking more likely as government policies favoring renewable sources gain ground, and global population growth creates more demand for goods and food. There isn’t likely to be any imminent battles over fibre in Canada. In recent years, we’ve cut less than our annual allowable cut and the annual harvest has dropped to its lowest level in 19 years, going from a sustained high of about 1 million m3 per year to 0.681 million m3 in 2008. However, once the U.S. housing starts revive, Canadian sawmills ramp up their production, and the B.C. beetlekilled wood peters out, conditions will be different.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Canadian Forest, Paper and Packaging Leader Bruce McIntyre explains the global situation: “Companies from a diverse array of industries — energy, utilities, chemicals and potentially many more as biomaterials evolve — will compete with forest, paper and packaging companies for control of forests, or at least access to their fibre, and the best economic use of the resources they provide.” As a result, demand will outpace supply and increasing competition for fibre will be a key factor of future supply chains. In the EU for instance, 340-420 million m3 of woody biomass per year is forecast to be needed solely for energy purposes by 2020, if current government policies continue. That level of demand could lead to a forest fibre deficit of 200-260 million m3 by 2020, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. That deficit is roughly equal to Canada’s annual allowable cut.

Pellets now, biofuels later

Specialized equipment can bundle logging waste for bioenergy applications. Photo courtesy John Deere.

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

In the bioenergy sector, two very different timelines are at play. A global market for wood as a solid fuel, i.e. pellets, has been established. Much of the strength of this market derives from EU policies favoring renewable sources for fuel, heat and power. This market already has its supply chain entrenched in the North American forest products scene. However, another form of bioenergy, liquid biofuels from cellulose, is still mostly in the pre-commercial stage of development, and won’t be a major consumer of fibre for another ten years, according to a recent study published by

By Cindy Macdonald, editor

Forisk Consulting and the Schiamberg Group. The impact of a wood-based transportation fuel industry on U.S. timber markets appears minimal, the authors conclude. The effect on wood raw material markets represents just over 3% incremental wood use relative to the existing U.S. forest products industry. But while the additional wood demand may only be 3%, wood supply is highly location-specific, and that has the power to disrupt supply for existing pulp and paper facilities. Another implication for the forest products supply chain is that the pulp and paper industry uses green wood and buys by the tonne, the energy industry wants dry wood and buys by energy content.

Biopower in Canada

In northern Ontario, the provincial electrical utility, Ontario Power Generation (OPG), is proceeding with the conversion of the Atikokan Generating Station from coal to woody biomass. If the necessary approvals are granted before autumn, construction for the changeover would begin in the spring of 2012. Current estimates are that the facility will use about 90,000 tonnes of biomass per year. That represents roughly 1% of the 31 million m3 allowable annual wood harvest in Ontario. “The use of biomass on this scale is an industry first and will generate a lot of attention, around the world,” Jane Todd, program manager for OPG’s Northwest Fossil division, told the Atikokan Progress in March. Also in Ontario, a biofuel project in pulpandpapercanada.com

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BEING SMART WITH YOUR POWER IS SMART BUSINESS.

There’s no doubt about it: big energy can cost big money. That’s why smart businesses don’t pay for wasted power. And that’s why we help BC pulp and paper mills make great energy management a part of doing business, every single day. To find out more about our expert resources and major financial incentives call 1 866 453 6400 or visit bchydro.com/industrial. A11-226

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MARKET TRENDS White River is currently under consideration for a proposed wood supply of 1.1 million m3 per year of Crown timber. Rentech, Inc. announced that its proposed Olympiad Renewable Energy Centre is in the running for a wood supply composed primarily of forest waste and unmerchantable species. The material would be used to produce renewable RenJet®, Rentech’s clean certified lowcarbon jet fuel. The Olympiad Project, scheduled to be in service in 2015, uses the company’s Rentech-ClearFuels biomass gasification system and the Rentech Process to produce approximately 85 million litres of RenJet fuel, plus 43 million litres annually of renewable naphtha, a chemical feedstock. Farther west, in High Level, Alta., Tolko and Ensyn Corp. are building a rapid pyrolysis plant that will be integrated with Tolko’s sawmill. Using dry sawmill residue, the 440 t/day Ensyn RTP® pyrolysis unit will produce pyrolysis oil for the production of electricity and heat, as well as phenolic chemicals used in the manufacture of wood panels.

Pellets and biofuels compete for round wood

The Canadian wood pellet sector is facing some challenges. Worldwide supply is growing faster than demand, with huge new plants underway in the U.S., Russia, Norway and Brazil. As of late 2010, 20 new plants were in various stages of planning or construction in Canada.

340-420 million m3 –

The sector is strongly export oriented; the Canadian domestic market is virtually undeveloped. Biomass energy can’t compete with low natural gas and coal prices in North America. As well, says Gordon Murray, executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, the weak renewable energy lobby in Canada is being outmuscled by traditional energy interests (oil, coal, and natural gas). Looking ahead, Murray notes that economies of scale are increasing as plant sizes move into the range of 500,000 tonnes and over. These larger plants are increasingly using round wood as a feedstock. Resource availability is crucial for bioenergy projects, says Brooks Mendell of Forisk Consulting. According to a Forisk report in March 2011, 445 wood-using bioenergy projects had been announced in the U.S. All of these are competing in some way with the pulp and paper sector for resources. But, Mendell predicts up to 50% of the announced bioenergy projects in the U.S. will fail. Mendell’s group screens projects based on: • technology (proven or unproven, is it operating at scale?); • status (is project under construction or operating, does it have permits, contracts, agreements?); • type of wood raw material needed. Using their screening process, Forisk expects 292 of the announced projects to succeed, so the expected additional demand for biomass is 68.5 million tons/year.

amount of biomass per year forecast to be needed for energy by 2020 in the EU ((Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers) 141.29 million m3 – Canadian wood harvest, 2008 (Source: National Forestry Database, Canadian Council of Forest Ministers). 3 100 million m – China’s roundwood equivalent imports in 2009 (Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers) 1.1 million m3 – forecast annual biomass consumption of Rentech’s biomass-to-jet fuel project in White River, Ont. (Source: RenTech) 1.3 million tonnes – annual production of Canada’s 33 wood pellet plants (Source: Wood Pellet Association of Canada) 90,000 tonnes – forecast annual biomass consumption of Ontario Power Generation’s Atikokan generating station (Source: OPG)

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

Bioenergy is not new

Of course, the pulp and paper industry was a producer and user of bioenergy well before biofuels and pellets entered the arena. Think black liquor and “green” electricity. Now there’s an opportunity for an extension of that cycle, without the need for any additional biomass. A demonstration plant in Thunder Bay, Ont., is now producing lignin pulled from the black liquor of AbitibiBowater’s Thunder Bay kraft pulp mill. The demo is a partnership between FPInnovations, the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio Economy (CRIBE), Natural Resources Canada, and AbitibiBowater. The lignin demonstration plant ties directly into the black liquor stream of the mill. When fully operational, it will produce up to 100 kg of lignin per day, which will be shipped to a network of R&D labs across Canada that are developing novel uses for wood products. Metso’s Lignoboost process serves the same function on a larger scale. The LignoBoost pilot plant operating near the Bäckhammar mill in Sweden takes 5-20% of the mill’s black liquor, precipitates the lignin from it, and returns weak black liquor back to the pulp mill. Lignin from this facility has been used as a solid, dry fuel, mixed with oil to burn, and used as the basis for carbon fibre.

The battle for fibre

The PricewaterhouseCoopers report, Growing the Future, suggests that new methods of accessing available fibre may emerge in response to the growing pressures. PwC sees international fibre exchanges and the emergence of a new biomass aggregation industry as two possibilities, but there may be others as well. “Technologies can help, but those businesses that control, or have secure access to, competitive sources of fibre will be the best positioned for growth,” says PwC’s McIntyre. So while the fight for biomass may not happen within our borders, its repercussions will rock the North American pulp and paper industry. PPC pulpandpapercanada.com

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BIOREFINING

SPONSORED TECHNICAL PAPER

Biomass Availability and Process Selection for an Integrated Forest Biorefinery By Hakim Ghezzaz and Paul Stuart NSERC Environmental Design Engineering Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal

ABSTRACT: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the availability and quality of biomass on the choice of promising biorefinery product-process configurations, for an existing integrated pulp mill at the early design stage. Biomass available around the case study mill was identified and biomass supply curves were developed. The profitability of several biorefinery technology configurations producing different bioproducts was broadly evaluated using classical techno-economic methods. For the case study mill and under the used assumptions, the results show that the profitability of thermochemical processes is strongly dependent on access to abundant low cost biomass feedstocks. The after-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the fast pyrolysis process option was found to be higher than 28% for large capacities when woody residues are used. For biochemical processes, the quality of biomass strongly affects profitability. Hardwood seems to be the most suitable feedstock for the considered biochemical process options. The IRR of ethanol and phenol-formaldehyde resin co-production using the organosolv process is higher than 26% for large capacities.

he integrated forest biorefinery (IFBR) has been identified as one of the most promising means for pulp mills to improve their sustainability and to develop their activities [1-3]. Several biorefinery process configurations have been proposed for the treatment of different types of lignocellulosic feedstocks and for the production of either large-volume commodity products or small-volume specialty chemicals. To implement a biorefinery, pulp mills will face a high number of choices related to the large number of possible biorefinery process options, potential bioproducts, pretreatment and treatment technologies. However, this choice is also very critical for these mills as only a limited number of options can guarantee their successful conversion to a biorefinery and can deal with critical factors such as cost and biomass availability. The selection of a reliable biorefinery process option from all the possible ones is a complex decision for a pulp mill. This constitutes also an

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important design challenge since it is not possible to consider the large number of possible process options in detailed design phases. Therefore, promising productprocess biorefinery combinations and their corresponding production capacities must be identified at the early design stage.

producing different bioproducts into an existing high yield pulp mill. An order of magnitude techno-economic evaluation has been performed for the evaluation of the profitability of these implementation strategies. This enables the selection of a set of promising biorefinery processes and their corresponding production capacities for further, more detailed design phases.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Retrofit implementation of biorefinery technologies into existing pulp mills has received considerable attention during the last decade. Wising et al. [4] presented an overview of some of the most studied technologies. These technologies include hemicellulose extraction prior to pulping, lignin precipitation from black liquor and black liquor gasification. These technologies are highly integrated to the existing systems and can strongly affect the existing process operations. Another biorefinery implementation

Agricultural residues have the lowest total unit cost, but when the biomass quantity exceeds 500,000 bdt/yr, the unit cost of woody residues becomes lower. The objective of this paper is to apply a systematic process design methodology for comparing and screening the less promising integrated biorefinery process options at the early design stage. The design methodology tries to capture the implication of quality and availability of biomass on biorefinery process options selection. The study considers the implementation of several biorefinery processes using specific types of biomass and

strategy which has started to receive interest is the integration of adjacent biorefinery processes using conventional or emerging types of biomass. In this case, biorefinery processes have separate production lines and do not interfere directly with the existing pulp and papermaking processes. The benefits come mainly from the integration of the energy systems of the existing process with the new one, biomass supply chain integration and sharing the overhead May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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BIOREFINING costs. In this biorefinery implementation perspective, Hytönen et al. [5] did a systematic evaluation of bioethanol production processes integrated into an existing kraft pulp mill. According to the authors, biorefinery integration can help reduce pulp production cost. Biorefinery processes have been categorized in two main pathways, biochemical and thermochemical. The biochemical pathway combines biomass pretreatment technologies, carbohydrate hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes. The goal of the pretreatment is to hydrolyze the hemicellulose and reduce the crystallinity of cellulose and make it more accessible for subsequent hydrolysis. Pretreatment is crucial for ensuring ultimate

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for sugars fermentation. In the separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) the hydrolysis and fermentation steps are conducted separately which offers process flexibility [8]. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation technologies (SSF, SSCF) combine hydrolysis and fermentation in the same treatment step. In the consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), cellulase production, hydrolysis and the cocurrent fermentation of C5 and C6 sugars are unified in a single processing step. The biochemical pathway is currently used for bioethanol production from corn starch and sugar cane. It is considered to be more effective for homogeneous types of lignocellulosic feedstock. The thermochemical pathway uses

The production of FT-liquids is not profitable whatever the type of biomass used, whereas, the separation of the FT-waxes — which is a high value-added product — improves significantly the profitability of the FT-liquids production process. high sugar yield from biomass. This pretreatment can be achieved physically, chemically or biologically. Many pretreatment technologies have been developed, however the choice of a pretreatment technology is not trivial and can be dictated by the nature of the used feedstock. In an extensive comparative study of pretreatment technologies done by CAFI (Consortium for Applied Fundamentals and Innovation) [6, 7], it has been found that ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) is more effective for corn stover, but for poplar wood, sulfur dioxide and lime -based pretreatment technologies could be more effective. The cellulose and hemicellulose oligomers are then converted into individual monomers through hydrolysis after the pretreatment. Hydrolysis can be acidic or enzymatic. The acidic hydrolysis can be achieved by dilute or concentrated acid. Dilute acid hydrolysis requires high operating temperatures and produces a large amount of fermentation inhibitors. On the other hand, concentrated acid hydrolysis requires high amounts of acid and can become uneconomical without efficient acid recycling. Enzymatic hydrolysis does not generate inhibitors. There are many process configurations 20

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thermal technologies for converting biomass to bio-oil or syngas. Pyrolysis and gasification are the main thermochemical processes. Pyrolysis is the thermal treatment of biomass in the absence of oxygen, producing bio-char, permanent gases, and vapours. The vapours condense at ambient temperatures to a dark liquid called biooil. The distribution of pyrolysis products between liquid, char, and gas depends on the process conditions. Fast pyrolysis leads to a high yield of bio-oil compared to other pyrolysis techniques. In gasification, biomass is converted to synthesis gas (syngas). Many gasification methods have been developed: air-blown and oxygen blown or indirectly-heated and directly-heated. The produced syngas is then cleaned and converted biologically or chemically into different products. Unlike biochemical processes, thermochemical processes are able to effectively convert heterogeneous types of feedstock. For many of the biorefinery processes, the main contributors to production costs are raw material and capital investment costs. The economies of scale have been identified as a key issue for successful biorefinery implementation: Investment and other fixed costs per unit of produc-

tion decrease with increasing size of the plant. On the other hand, the unit price of feedstock increases with the increase of the plant capacity, as the hauling distance for biomass increases. Many authors have explored the trade-off between the economies-of-scale associated with larger plants, and poor economies resulting from the use of large volumes of biomass. Nguyen et al. [9] derived a simple relation between biomass transportation cost and ethanol production cost at the optimal plant capacity. Jack [10] explored the implication of scale-dependent plant costs on the tradeoff between economies of scale associated with plant costs and diseconomies of scale of biomass supply. Wright et al. [11] evaluated and compared the optimal size of many biorefinery processes for biofuel production. One of their conclusions is that optimally sized plants based on gasification are 50 to 100% larger (gallons of gasoline equivalent basis) than the biochemical cellulosic ethanol plants. Many studies have been done for the selection of promising products for the forest biorefinery. An example of the most known and extensive studies are “Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass” from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) [12, 13]. The studies aim to identify opportunities for the production of value-added chemicals from biomass. The selection of the promising biorefinery processes which can be integrated into an existing pulp mill has been considered in some studies. Hytönen et al. [5] did a systematic evaluation of bioethanol production processes integrated into an existing kraft pulp mill. The authors used after-tax IRR as a selection criterion. In another study, Cohen et al. [14] proposed a set of criteria for the comparison of emerging biorefinery technologies for bioethanol production. The proposed criteria are economic, environmental and technology-related. A large section of the published systematic comparative techno-economic studies on biorefinery processes consider only biofuels as products. There are few detailed techno-economic studies exploring the implication of different types of biorefinery products on the selection of promising IFBR configurations. The critical issues related to the cost, quality and availability of biomass are also rarely explored. pulpandpapercanada.com

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OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the present study are: • To demonstrate an early stage design methodology for comparing biorefinery process options integrated into an existing pulp and paper mill. • To show how the availability and quality of biomass can affect the selection of promising biorefinery product-process combinations and their correspondent production capacities. The methodology was applied to an existing high yield hardwood pulp mill located in eastern Canada. All the steam used in the mill is produced by auxiliary boilers using fuel oil (~20%) or wood residues (~80%), and the electricity is purchased from the local power grid.

METHODOLOGY

The overall approach used in this study was to perform an order of magnitude technoeconomic evaluation for the comparison of many biorefinery process options integrated into an existing pulp and paper mill. The evaluation was done using one basis for all design alternatives. The comparison methodology consists of three steps. First, a biomass inventory around the existing mill was performed and the pertinent types of biomass for the case study mill were identified. Biorefinery process design options using the identified types of biomass and producing different products were then defined. Second, large-block flow diagrams were developed for each process option. The main integration aspects between the existing systems and the biorefinery processes were also defined. Data from published detailed techno-economic evaluation studies was used for mass and energy balances, capital and operating costs estimation. Finally, the profitability of each process option was evaluated as a function of its production capacity.

Biomass feedstock assessment

A geographic information system [15] and published biomass inventory governmental reports [16] were used for the evaluation of biomass availability around the case study mill. The identified pertinent types of biomass for the case study mill are listed in Table I. The cost of biomass at the mill gate consists of a fixed cost and a variable cost (transportation cost) which depends on pulpandpapercanada.com

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TABLE I: FEEDSTOCK DEFINITION Code

Type of biomass

Description (Content)

Woody residues

• Forestry harvesting residues produced annually at commercial forest land. • Mill residues (bark, sawdust, etc.). • Urban wood waste (demolition debris).

Agricultural residues

Cereal straw (wheat, barley and oat).

Hardwood

Round hardwood

Softwood

Round softwood

the biomass hauling distance. The biomass fixed cost includes mainly the cost of the crop, harvesting, biomass storage and biomass loading and unloading. The model developed by Nguyen et al. [9] has been used as a basis for the biomass transportation cost calculation. The model gives the variable cost of the biomass as a function of the plant capacity using the biomass. The following equation links the transportation cost to the plant capacity: (1) Where CTransport represents the biomass transportation cost, Y is the biomass yield per unit area per year, a is the fraction of useful land, x is the access to available biomass, K is the transport cost per unit distance and unit mass, b is the ratio of actual road length to direct distance, ɳ is the product yield and G is the plant production capacity. The biomass distribution in the mill location area was assumed to be uniform. The access to biomass was assumed to be equal to 50% of the available woody and agricultural residues. For hardwood, the access to available biomass is expected to be higher because the mill has already established logistics for hardwood supply. It was assumed that the mill can get 80% of the available hardwood. On the other hand, the access to available softwood is expected to be lower because of many other softwood-using competitors. It was assumed that the mill can get only 40% of the available softwood. The ratio of actual road length to direct distance is fixed to 1.25 for all the identified types of biomass. The transportation cost per unit distance and unit mass K was calculated for each type of biomass using a published method [17]. Three cost items are involved in the transportation cost: labor, equipment and fuel. The transportation was assumed to be truck transportation with a fixed load capacity of 29 tonnes of biomass.

Biorefinery process options

For a systematic assessment of the impacts of biomass availability and quality on the selection of process options, profitability of a certain number of biorefinery processes integrated into the case study mill was analyzed. Three biochemical process options and three thermochemical process options have been selected. The selected biorefinery options were evaluated considering single feedstock scenarios and combined feedstock scenarios. In single feedstock scenarios, each process option uses only one of the identified

The profitability of the two process options is strongly dependent on the total fixed cost of biomass. types of biomass as a feedstock. Whereas in the combined feedstock scenarios, it was assumed that two types of biomass are supplied to the mill and used intermittently as a feedstock for the selected biorefinery processes.

Biochemical process options

The biochemical route can be used for processing different types of biomass. However it is more suitable for homogeneous feedstock. The use of homogenous feedstock allows the selection of the appropriate pretreatment technology and the optimization of the pretreatment and hydrolysis process parameters. This improves significantly the conversion efficiency and the production yield. The selected biochemical process options for this study are listed in Table II. Although the considered technologies have been developed for a targeted biomass feedstock, it was assumed that each types of biomass listed in Table I May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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TABLE II: BIOCHEMICAL PROCESS OPTIONS Process options

Description of the process configuration - used references

Products

Dilute acid prehydrolysis , enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar cofermentation, Ethanol upgrade by distillation and molecular sieve, boiler and turbogenerator for steam and electricity production [18, 19].

• Ethanol • Electricity

2-A

Organosolv pretreatment, solvent recovery, enzymatic hydrolysis and sugar cofermentation, Ethanol upgrade by distillation and molecular sieve, boiler and turbogenerator for steam and electricity production [18, 19, 21].

• Ethanol • Electricity

2-B

Same as process option 2-A + Lignin recovery using ceramic membranes and PF resin formulation [18, 19, 21, 23].

• Ethanol • PF resin • Electricity

can be used by the selected biochemical processes. However, the conversion efficiency is different and it depends on the homogeneity of the feedstock. Different attainable production yields from theoretical yields have been considered for each type of biomass. The selected biochemical process options are: 1- Ethanol production using dilute acid prehydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and sugars cofermentation, based on the process analysis done by Aden et al. and Wooley et al. [18, 19]. The ethanol production yield was assumed to be 80% of theoretical yield for the homogeneous types of biomass (agricultural residues, hardwood and softwood) and 60% of theoretical yield for the heterogeneous types of biomass (woody residues). 2- Ethanol production using organosolv process. The process configuration of this option is similar to the dilute acid prehydrolysis option but instead of acid pretreatment and the detoxification process steps, organosolv treatment was used together with a solvent recovery step. Organosolv process minimizes the degradation of xylan to furfural and other fermentation inhibitors [20]. The attainable ethanol yield for this option was assumed to be 10% higher than the ethanol yield considered for the acid prehydrolysis option. The developed processes using solvent pretreatment for ethanol production include the Lignol process [21] which uses aqueous solution of ethanol and the CIMV process [22] which uses a mixture of acetic and formic acids as a solvent. In this study, a blend of ethanol and water 50:50 (w/w) is used as a pretreatment solvent. From the organosolv pretreatment process, free-sulfur lignin could also be separated and used as feedstock for chemicals manufacturing. 3- Co-production of ethanol and phe22

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nol-formaldehyde resin (PF resin) using the organosolv process. This process configuration is similar to the previous one. However a fraction of the lignin is separated using ceramic membranes and used for PF resin production. It was assumed that only 20%-w of the original wood lignin can be used for PF resin production. Lignin replaces 40%-w of the phenol used in PF resin formulation. For resin formulation, formaldehyde-to-phenol ratio was fixed to 0.72.

Thermochemical process options

Two thermochemical technologies have been considered: steam reforming and fast pyrolysis. The three thermochemical options which have been selected are listed in Table III. The production yields are obtained from literature or adjusted based on the ash content of the biomass feedstock. The selected thermochemical process options are: 1- Fischer Tropsch (FT) liquids production by steam reforming and full conversion mode synthesis. Electricity is produced using a steam cycle. The tail gas produced in the synthesis reactor is assumed to be used for fossil fuel replacement in the existing pulp mill. The chain growth probability was assumed to be 0.9 which corresponds to liquid fraction selec-

tivity of 91.1%-w. 2- FT-liquids production followed by the separation of FT-waxes. After FTliquids production process (same as option 3-A), the fraction of FT-waxes is separated using vacuum distillation. By using vacuum distillation, temperature at the bottom of the distillation column can be maintained low. This avoids cracking of the long carbon chains and improves the FT-wax yield. 3- Biomass pyrolysis: The configuration of this process is similar to the configuration of the process studied by Ringer et al. [24]. A fraction of the produced bio-oil is assumed to be used in the existing mill for fossil fuel replacement.

Combined feedstock scenarios

In the combined feedstock scenarios, each process uses two types of biomass as feedstock. These two types of biomass are not mixed but used intermittently. This can be achieved by the installation of a handling system for each type of biomass. The capital cost will increase because of the installation of two biomass handling systems. On the other hand, the biomass transportation cost will decrease because of the decrease of the average biomass hauling distance. Two combinations of biomass have been selected: (1) combining agricul-

TABLE III: THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESS OPTIONS Process options

Description of the process configuration - used references

Products

3-A

Steam reforming, syngas cleaning, FT-liquids synthesis (full conversion mode) and electricity production (steam cycle) [25, 26].

• FT-liquids • Tail gas • Electricity

3-B

Same as process option 3-A + FT-waxes separation by vacuum distillation [25-27].

• • • •

Bio-oil production via fast pyrolysis [24].

• Bio-oil • Electricity

FT-liquids FT-waxes Tail gas Electricity

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tural and woody residues, justified by the relatively low fixed cost of those two types of biomass. (2) Combining woody residues and hardwood, which could be promising because the mill has already established logistics for the collection of those two types of biomass. It is also expected that the fixed cost of woody residues will decrease when it is collected simultaneously with hardwood.

Techno-economic evaluation

A conventional techno-economic assessment was used to analyze the impacts of

biomass availability and quality on process selection. The profitability of each process was calculated as a function of its production capacity.

Mass and energy balances

Large-block flow diagrams were developed for all the process options and spreadsheet models were used for mass and energy balances. Detailed process design studies were used as a basis and a source for the needed process data.

TABLE IV: ECONOMIC EVALUATION BASIS Investment cost

• Additional direct investment costs: 9% of the total installed equipment costs. • Total installed costs: Total installed equipment costs + additional direct investment costs. • Indirect investment costs: 30% of total installed costs. • Contingency: 3% of total installed costs. • Working capital: 3% of total capital investment cost.

Fixed operating costs

• General overhead: 60% of total salaries • Maintenance: 2% of total installed equipment costs. • Insurance: 1.5% of total installed costs.

Products prices

• • • • •

Economic parameters

Ethanol: 2$/gal. PF resin: 1$/kg. FT-liquids: 1.7$/gal. FT-waxes: 3 times FT-liquids price (1.6$/kg). The price of bio-oil corresponds to the price of the fossil oil used in the case study mill adjusted by its heating value.

• • • •

Income tax rate: 40 %. Plant life time: 20 years. Inflation factor: 3%. Depreciation: 7 years- 200% declining balance depreciation method. • Dept/equity: 0%/100%. Start up: 2012.

TABLE V: SUMMARY OF THE VALUES OF THE MAIN PARAMETERS OF THE BIOMASS COST MODEL

Crop & Harvesting costs ($/bdt)

Loading/Unloading cost ($/bdt)*

Total fixed cost ($/bdt)

Biomass distribution (bdt/Km2 yr)**

9.92

2.56

9.02

1.16

Access to biomass (% from available)***

50%

80%

40%

50%

Transport cost ($/bdt Km)

0.123

0.134

0.087

Ratio of actual road length to direct distance

1.25

Capital investment costs

A capacity-factored method was used for investment costs evaluation. The method gives relatively quick and sufficiently accurate estimates [28] at this design level. This method provides a cost estimate of a new plant based on the cost of a similar plant of a known capacity according to the following equation: (2) Cn is the cost of the new plant, C iswhere the cost of the similar plant, fe is the ratio between the cost indexes related to the costs Cn and C. R is the ratio between the capacities of the two plants, x is the exponent factor. The method was applied to calculate the installed equipment costs of the major process sections. For each process section, a reference capacity, reference investment costs and exponent factor was obtained from published detailed techno-economic studies. After the calculation of installed equipment costs, multiplying factors were used to estimate additional direct and indirect costs, contingency and working capital (see Table IV).

Manufacturing costs

Manufacturing costs consist of fixed operating costs, feedstock cost and other variable costs (chemicals, utilities). The feedstock cost as a function of the production capacity was calculated using equation 1. Other variable costs were calculated based on the mass and energy balances. It was assumed that all the process options need the same additional labour. Fixed operating costs are listed in Table IV.

Profitability

After-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is used as a measure of the profitability.

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Cost of biomass at the mill gate ($/bdt)

*The cost of loading/unloading corresponds to the salary of the truck driver (assuming loading/ unloading time of a truck of 2 hours). **Corresponds to the amount of biomass that can be sustainably collected in one km2 each year considering the overall area around the existing mill location (assuming uniform biomass distribution). ***Represents the expected proportion of biomass which the mill can get from the available biomass (it considers the competition by other raw material users, the biomass that has to be left in the land for environmental considerations, and the biomass which can not be collected economically).

140 120 100 80 60 40 Woody residues Hardwood Softwood Agricultural residues

20 0 0

200

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Quantity of biomass (103 bdt/yr)

FIG. 1. Biomass supply curves

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(d)

After-tax IRR (%)

(a)

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Quantity of biomass supplied to the plant (103 bdt/yr)

(b)

(e)

After-tax IRR (%)

biomass in the mill region. Softwood is also abundant compared to the other types of biomass but the mill has low access to the available softwood. Hardwood is not so abundant, but the mill can get a large quantity of the available hardwood. Agricultural residues are the least available type of biomass; however, they have the lowest fixed cost. Figure 1 shows the unit cost of the selected types of biomass at the mill gate. The total cost varies as a function of biomass capacity usage. Agricultural residues have the lowest total unit cost, but when the biomass quantity exceeds 500,000 bdt/ yr, the unit cost of woody residues becomes lower. Agricultural residues have the highest variable cost. This is because of its low availability and the need to go far for their collection. Hardwood and softwood have the highest unit cost. This is due to their relative high fixed cost.

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Quantity of biomass supplied to the plant (103 bdt/yr)

Single feedstock scenarios 30

Legend

(a) Process option 1 (b) Process option 2-A (c) Process option 2-B (d) Process option 3-B (e) Process option 4

After-tax IRR (%)

(c)

(1 bdt HW ~ 110.6 Gal ethanol) (1 bdt HW ~ 121.6 Gal ethanol) (1 bdt WR ~ 50.95 Gal FT-Liquids) (1 bdt WR ~ 172.6 Gal Bio-oil)

Woody residues Hardwood Softwood Agricultural residues

0 0

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Quantity of biomass supplied to the plant (103 bdt/yr)

FIG. 2. After-tax IRR of the biorefinery process options as function of plant capacity (single feedstock scenarios)

(b)

25 After-tax IRR (%)

After-tax IRR (%)

(a)

20 15 10

100% WR 100% AR 50% WR & 50% AR 70% WR & 30% AR

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100% WR 100% AR 50% WR & 50% AR 70% WR & 30% AR

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Quantity of biomass supplied to the plant (103 bdt/yr)

FIG. 3. After-tax IRR of process options ((a): option 2-B, (b): option 3-B) (combination of woody and agricultural residues scenario)

Sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis was performed considering uncertain parameters of the used biomass cost model. The parameters were varied inside an expected interval of variation. 24

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Biomass assessment

Table V summarizes the values of the main parameters of the biomass cost model. Woody residues are the most abundant

Fig. 2 (a, b, c) shows the results of the profitability evaluation of the biochemical process options considering the single feedstock scenarios. Hardwood seems to be the suitable feedstock for all the process options. The profitability is higher when hardwood is used as a feedstock. This is due mainly to the high yield of ethanol per bone dry tonne of hardwood. For ethanol production using dilute acid prehydrolysis, the suitable plant size is about 800,000 bdt/yr of biomass (production capacity about 68 MMGPY of ethanol) when agricultural residues are used, but it is higher than 1,000,000 bdt/yr of biomass for the three other types of biomass. The after-tax IRR varies between 18 to 24% depending on the type of biomass used. Production of ethanol using the organosolv pretreatment process shows similar profitability behavior to those found for the dilute acid process option. However, the after-tax IRR is lower and varies between 12 to 18%. The profitability of the organosolv process option is highly improved when a fraction of lignin is separated and used for PF resin production. The after-tax IRR increases by more than 10 units for many cases (see Fig. 2 (c)). On the other hand, the suitable production capacity becomes higher. The results of the evaluation of the thermochemical process options for single feedstock scenarios are shown in Fig. 2 (d, e). The production of FT-liquids pulpandpapercanada.com

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(b)

20 15 10

100% WR 100% HW 35% WR & 65% HW

After-tax IRR (%)

(a)

20 15 10

100% WR 100% HW 35% WR & 65% HW

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Option1-Total fixed cost of HW Option1- Access to available HW Option 3-B- Total fixed cost of WR Option 3-B- Access to available WR

5 10

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0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

1,2

1,4

Variation in values of the sensitivity parameters

FIG. 4. After-tax IRR of process options ((a): option 2-B, (b): option 3-B) (combination of woody residues and hardwood scenario)

FIG. 5. Illustrative example of sensitivity analysis results

TABLE VI: SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

that this biomass combination is not promising for thermochemical options (Fig. 4 (b)). The use of 100% woody residues is more profitable (see Fig. 2). Opposite results were found for the biochemical options. Fig. 4 (a) shows that the profitability of ethanol and PF resin co-production using the organosolv process is significantly improved by combining the two types of biomass.

Process options

Bio-mass

Sensitivity parameters

Value in base case

Value range

Option 1 (80 MMGPY Ethanol)

Total fixed cost ($/bdt) Access to available biomass (%)

50-110

50-90

Option 3-B (50 MMGPY FTL)

Total fixed cost ($/bdt) Access to available biomass (%)

10-60

40-70

is not profitable whatever the type of biomass used, whereas, the separation of the FT-waxes — which is a high valueadded product — improves significantly the profitability of the FT-liquids production process (see Fig. 2 (d)). Unlike the biochemical options, the use of low-grade types of biomass shows higher profitability. The after-tax IRR for woody residues as feedstock are higher than 24% for large production capacities. Similar behavior was found for the pyrolysis option: The process is not profitable when hardwood or softwood is used, but it becomes profitable when low-grade types of biomass (woody and agricultural residues) are used, especially for large capacities.

Combined feedstock scenarios

Results for the combined feedstock scenarios are shown in the Figs. 3 and 4. Figure 3 shows examples of the results related to the use of a combination of woody and agricultural residues as feedstock. It can be seen in Fig. 3 (a) that combining the two types of biomass does not improve significantly the profitability of the ethanol and PF resin co-production using the organosolv process. Similar results were found for all the selected biochemical process options. This is due mainly to the increase of the investment costs needed for the installation of two biomass handling pulpandpapercanada.com

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systems. Using 100% hardwood as a feedstock is more profitable (see Fig. 2). For the thermochemical process options, the improvement of the profitability by combining the two types of biomass seems to be more significant. Fig. 3 (b) shows that the profitability of the production of FT-liquids followed by FT-waxes separation is improved by combining woody and agricultural residues. Suitable plant size was also affected and became higher. The increase in profitability is due to the decrease in biomass transportation cost. Figure 3 (b) shows also that different combinations of the two types of biomass lead to different profitability. It is therefore important to identify the appropriate biomass combination for each process option. Example results for a combination of woody residues and hardwood are shown in Fig. 4. For this feedstock combination, it was assumed that the fixed cost of woody residues (forest residues) which is harvested jointly with hardwood is lowered by 30$/bdt from separate residues harvesting. This fraction of forest residues represents about 54% of the harvested hardwood (a tree contains approximately 65% round hardwood and 35% residues). Although the woody residues can be obtained with a low cost, the results show

Sensitivity analysis

There are many uncertain process and cost parameters which can strongly affect the profitability of the biorefinery process options and their appropriate production capacities. In the present study, sensitivity analysis was made considering only the critical parameters which affect the cost of feedstock: Biomass fixed cost and the access to the available biomass were selected. These two parameters are considered as the most uncertain parameters of the used feedstock cost model. The fixed cost of biomass constitutes a big part of the delivered biomass total cost, while the access to the available biomass affects the feedstock collection distance, and therefore, the biomass variable cost. Examples of sensitivity analysis for two selected biorefinery processes considering the two selected sensitivity parameters are summarized in Table VI. To represent all possible variations of these uncertain parameters, wide ranges of variation were selected. Fig. 5 shows the results of the sensitivity analysis. The profitability of the two process options is strongly dependent on the total fixed cost of biomass. However, the profitability of the two process options is slightly sensitive to variations in the access to the available biomass. May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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BIOREFINING CONCLUSIONS

The study presented the techno-economic evaluation of a range of biorefinery process options integrated into an existing pulp and paper mill. The study highlights the importance of the availability and quality of biomass in the selection of process options and their production capacities. The assessment described the types of biomass having different quality and availability that could be used by the case study mill as a feedstock for biorefinery. The economic evaluation showed that the profitability of the biorefinery options is strongly dependent on these. For this particular case study mill and under the specific assumptions made, the results show that: Woody residues were the most abundant type of biomass in the mill region and had the lowest total unit cost if the biomass usage exceeded 500,000 bdt/yr. Agricultural residues were the least available type of biomass and had the highest variable cost. For the single feedstock scenarios, hardwood is the most suitable feedstock for the biochemical process options. The IRR of ethanol and PF resin co-production using the organosolv process was found to be over 26% for large capacities and when hardwood is used. For the thermochemical process options, woody residues were found to be the most appropriate feedstock. This is due in large part to the ability of thermochemical processes to convert low-grade heterogeneous types of feedstock with a good yield. The after-tax IRR of fast pyrolysis process was found to be higher than 28% for large capacities and when woody residues are used. The profitability of the ethanol production processes can be significantly improved when another added-value product is co-produced with ethanol. For example, the IRR of the organosolv process increased by more than 10 units when PF resin was co-produced. For the combined feedstock scenarios, the results show that combining hardwood and woody residues as a feedstock can improve returns for biochemical process options. For the thermochemical process options, combination of low-grade types of biomass (woody and agricultural residues) is more profitable. 26

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The sensitivity analysis showed that variations in the biomass fixed cost and access to available biomass affect the profitability of all the process options. This case study demonstrated an early stage design methodology for the comparison of several significantly different IFBR process options. Critical factors related to the quality and availability of biomass were used for the identification and screening-out of less promising IFBR process options. The results of this techno-economic assessment are valid only in the context of the comparison of biorefinery process options at early design stage, for the assumptions made in the case study. Caution should be used in the generalized interpretation of the results.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Environmental Design Engineering Chair at École Polytechnique de Montréal. The case study mill is gratefully acknowledged.

REFERENCES

1. THORP, B., Biorefinery offers industry leaders business model for major change. Pulp & Paper, 2005. 79(11): p. 35-39. 2. STUART, P., The forest biorefinery: Survival strategy for Canada’s pulp and paper sector? Pulp and Paper Canada, 2006. 107(6): p. 13-16. 3. VAN HEININGEN, A., Converting a kraft pulp mill into an integrated forest biorefinery. Pulp and Paper Canada, 2006. 107(6): p. 38-43. 4. WISING, U. and P. STUART, Identifying the Canadian forest biorefinery. Pulp and Paper Canada, 2006. 107(6): p. 25-30. 5. HYTÖNEN, E. and P.R. STUART, Integrating bioethanol production into a Kraft pulp mill – Technology assessment. Pulp and Paper Canada, 2009. 110 (5/6): p. 25-31. 6. EGGEMAN, T. and R.T. ELANDER, Process and economic analysis of pretreatment technologies. Bioresource Technology, 2005. 96(18 SPEC. ISS.): p. 2019-2025. 7. WYMAN, C.E., et al., Comparative sugar recovery and fermentation data following pretreatment of poplar wood by leading technologies. Biotechnology Progress, 2009. 25(2): p. 333-339. 8. MABEE, W.E. and J.N. SADDLER, The potential of bioconversion to produce fuels and chemicals. Pulp and Paper Canada, 2006. 107 (6): p. 34-37. 9. NGUYEN, M.H. and R.G.H. PRINCE. A simple rule for bioenergy conversion plant size optimisation: Bioethanol from sugar cane and sweet sorghum. Biomass and Bioenergy, 1996. 10 (5/6): p.361-365. 10. JACK, M.W., Scaling laws and technology development strategies for biorefineries and bioenergy plants. Bioresource Technology, 2009. 100(24): p. 6324-6330. 11. WRIGHT, M. and R.C. BROWN, Establishing the optimal sizes of different kinds of biorefineries. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 2007. 1(3): p. 191-200. 12. WERPY, T.A., J.E. HOLLADAY, and J. J.F. WHITE, Top Value Added Chemicals From Biomass: I. Results of Screening for Potential Candidates from Sugars and Synthesis Gas. 2004, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). 13. HOLLADAY, J.E., et al., Top Value-Added Chemicals from Biomass - Volume II - Results of Screening for Potential

Candidates from Biorefinery Lignin. 2007, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). 14. COHEN, J., et al., Critical analysis of emerging forest biorefinery (FBR) technologies for ethanol production. Pulp and Paper Canada, 2010. 111(3): p. 24-30. 15. Biomass Inventory Mapping and Analysis Tool. Available from: http://atlas.agr.gc.ca/agmaf/. 16. Québec’s Forest Resources and Industry- A statistical report 2009 edition. Available from: http://www. mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/english/publications/forest/publications/ statistics/. 17. ARTHUR D. LITTLE, I., Aggressive Growth in the Use of Bio-derived Energy and Products in the United States by 2010. 2001. 18. ADEN, A., et al., Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Corn Stover. 2002, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 19. WOOLEY, R., et al., Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Current and Futuristic Scenarios. 1999, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 20. KOOTSTRA, A.M.J., et al., Comparison of dilute mineral and organic acid pretreatment for enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 2009. 46(2): p. 126-131. 21. PAN, X., et al., Biorefining of softwoods using ethanol organosolv pulping: Preliminary evaluation of process streams for manufacture of fuel-grade ethanol and co-products. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2005. 90(4): p. 473-481. 22. DELMAS, M. and B. BENJELLOUN-MLAYAH. The first biomass refinery for the production of pulp, lignins and C5 sugars at industrial scale from annual plants and hard wood. 62nd Appita Annual Conference and Exhibition.2008: p. 41-45. 23. JONSSON, A. S. and O. WALLBERG, Cost estimates of kraft lignin recovery by ultrafiltration. Desalination, 2009. 237(1-3): p. 254-267. 24. RINGER, M., V. PUTSCHE, and J. SCAHILL, Large-Scale Pyrolysis Oil Production: A Technology Assessment and Economic Analysis. 2006, National National Renewable Laboratory (NREL). 25. TIJMENSEN, M.J.A., et al., Exploration of the possibilities for production of Fischer Tropsch liquids and power via biomass gasification. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2002. 23(2): p. 129-152. 26. PHILLIPS, S., et al., Thermochemical Ethanol via Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis of Lignocellulosic Biomass. 2007, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 27. PETERS, M.S., K.D. TIMMERHAUS, and R.E. WEST, Plant design and economics for chemical engineers. 5th ed. ed. 2003, Boston: MacGraw-Hill. 28. DYSERT, L.R., Sharpen Your Cost Estimating Skills. Cost Engineering, 2003. 45(6): p. 22-30.

Keywords: FOREST BIOREFINERY, INTEGRATED PULP AND PAPER MILL, TECHNO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT, BIOMASS ASSESSMENT, BIOMASS AVAILABILITY, BIOMASS QUALITY. Resumé: L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer l’impact de la disponibilité et de la qualité de la biomasse sur le choix de combinaisons produit-procédé de bioraffinage prometteuses pour une usine existante de pâte et papiers au stade préliminaire du processus de conception de procédé. Les types de biomasse disponibles autour de l’usine de l’étude de cas ont été identifiés et les courbes d’approvisionnement en biomasse ont été développées. La rentabilité de nombreuses options de procédé de bioraffinage produisant différents bioproduits a été évaluée en utilisant des méthodes techno-économiques classiques. Les résultats ont montré que la rentabilité des procédés thermochimiques est fortement dépendante à l’accès à une biomasse abondante et de faible coût, tandis que pour les procédés biochimiques, la qualité de la biomasse affecte fortement leur rentabilité. pulpandpapercanada.com

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FINANCE

Protecting their Pension Bankruptcies and restructurings threaten the pension payments of many current and former pulp and paper employees.

group of pensioners in Ontario is determined to educate themselves and politicians about the precarious position of pensioners in the case of bankruptcy. Having had a scare with AbitibiBowater’s restructuring, they want to save themselves from the fate that can befall pensioners of an insolvent company. There have been several high-profile insolvencies over the past few years that left employees with reduced pensions: Nortel Networks Corp., Fraser Papers Inc., Slater Steel Inc., and CanWest Global Communications Corp. Often, other creditors rank ahead of pension plans when the remaining assets are distributed to creditors. This particular group of worried pensioners is made up of former salaried employees of AbitibiBowater’s Thorold recycled newsprint mill. “On April 9, 2009, life changed for Ontario Paper retirees,” says Ross MacDonald, a Thorold retiree, referring to the day AbitibiBowater, which now owns the former Ontario Paper mill, filed for creditor protection. “One piece of information that surfaced was that AbiBow had been allowed to defer make-up payments to its pension plan.” The Thorold group became concerned about the status of their pension. By allying themselves with similar groups in Quebec, the Thorold pensioners were invited to be part of a task force with AbitibiBowater. “That group did a tremendous amount of work to make our voice heard, and as a result, when AbitibiBowater emerged from restructuring, pensions in Ontario and Quebec were guaranteed by AbibitiBowater at 100% payout for five years,” says MacDonald. Also, he says, the company agreed to pay $50 million per year for five years into the pension fund. This agreement with the Ontario and Quebec governments was instrumental in pulpandpapercanada.com

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By Cindy Macdonald, editor achieving court approval for AbiBow to exit creditor protection.

How much is enough?

The five-year agreement was based on AbitibiBowater projections of market recovery, with the aim of using the $50-million top-up payments to bring the pension fund to a solvency rate of 84%. According the figures presented by Quebec’s pension overseer, the Regie des Rentes du Quebec, AbitibiBowater’s pension liability in 2009 was $5.5 billion. Plan assets were $4.2 billion, leaving a deficit of $1.3 billion, and a solvency rate of 76%.

A few members of the Thorold “awareness” group: (clockwise from top left) Ross MacDonald, Bryant Prosser, Kathy Kramar, and Prabhakar Phatak.

Solvency rate, as Prabhakar Phatak, another Thorold retiree, explains it, is an actuarial concept that compares estimates of the pension fund’s future liability to all retirees against the pension assets. Thus a solvency rate of less than 100% would indicate a likelihood that the fund will not be able to meet its future liabilities. “There should be some transparency in pension matters, so retirees know what is happening with the funds, with its returns, and with their contributions,” says Phatak. He feels the information distributed to pensioners under

current regulations is too infrequent, not detailed enough, and outdated. “I bought four shares of AbitibiBowater, just so I could have shareholder status and ask more questions,” he states. “One problem for retirees is that there’s no single voice to represent them,” notes Bryant Prosser, another of the Thorold group. “The unions have a common voice, and use it very efficiently.” The situation of Fraser Papers’ pensioners illustrates Prosser’s point. Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, has said the union will “take all possible legal and political actions to ensure that there is justice.” “We believe that our retirees who lost 35% of their pensions are victims of mismanagement by this company, and we fully intend to ensure that they are held accountable for their actions,” he added. Fraser Papers, which is now owned by Brookfield Asset Management, placed itself under the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) last year and was not obliged to pay into the pension plan to return it to solvency. In total, more than 800 retired employees were affected. The members of the Thorold Awareness Group are open to conversation with other pulp and paper pensioners, and invite anyone to contact them at: Jim Bagozzi, jim.bagozzi@live.ca Kathy Kramar, KathleenKramar@yahoo.com Ross MacDonald, jrmacdo@vaxxine.com Claire Masters, clairemasters66@yahoo.ca Bob Parker, bparker5@sympatico.ca Prabhakar Phatak, pphatak@cogeco.ca Bryant Prosser, cprosser@cogeco.ca Or, feel free to express your views on pensions in the pulp and paper industry through a letter to the editor, or the comments section of the Pulp & Paper Canada web site. PPC May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

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PAPER PROPERTIES

Importance of Charge Density of Cationic Additives on Increasing Paper Strength By P. Fatehi Abstract: When cationic additives are used for improving the paper strength, their charge characteristics may be an important factor on their performance. In this work, the influence of the charge density of cationic starch (C-starch) or cationic poly vinyl alcohol (C-PVA) on the properties of the papers made of various ratios of unrefined or refined furnish of softwood and hardwood bleached kraft pulp (SBKP and HBKP) and high-yield pulp (HYP) was investigated. The results showed that the charge density should be optimized to achieve the best results: for the furnish of 50% (wt.) refined SBKP and 50% (wt.) refined HBKP, the tensile and burst strengths increased the most by applying 20 mg/g C-starch or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.2 meq/g; for the furnish of 50/20/30 % (wt.) refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP, the tensile and burst strengths increased the most (15% and 25%, respectively) by applying 20 mg/g C-PVA having a charge density of 0.5 meq/g. By applying various dosages of C-starch or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.5 meq/g, both the bulk and tensile strength of the papers made of 50/20/30 % (wt.) refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP were improved. Furthermore, the papers containing HYP had higher tensile strength and bulk compared with the papers consisting of refined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP without cationic additive.

ry strength additives are widely used in the paper industry for increasing the strength of papers, reducing the drawbacks of filler application [1], or saving pulp through reducing the basis weight of papers [2]. However, the increase in the paper strength by applying a dry strength additive usually results in a decrease in paper bulk [2-4]. Recently, high-yield pulp (HYP) was employed in wood-free paper production, in particular in Asia and Europe [5-8]. It was reported that by substituting hardwood bleached kraft pulp (HBKP) with HYP, the bulk of papers was increased [5-8]. Interestingly, the strength of papers was improved at a low substitution degree (e.g., 5-10% wt.) [5-7], but it was reduced at a high substitution degree (e.g., 20-30% wt.) [8,9]. In the latter case, dry strength additives may be employed to compensate for the strength reduction. We previously introduced cationic-modified poly vinyl alcohol (C-PVA) as a dry strength additive for papers [3]. Cationic-modified starch (C-starch) is widely applied as a dry strength additive in the paper industry [4,10]. One objective of this study was to investigate how the application of C-starch or C-PVA can improve the properties of papers containing HYP. It was also reported in the literature that the molecular weight and hydrophilicity of a cationic additive can significantly impact its efficiency in improving inter-fibre bonding [11-13]. In this 28â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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respect, the higher the molecular weight and the higher the hydrophilicity of the additive, the more significant the inter-fibre bonding increment [12]. However, the influence of the charge density of cationic additives on inter-fibre bonding development has not been well assessed. The charge density of a cationic additive can impact its configuration on fibre surface and its interaction with fibres [14-18]. In our previous work, we demonstrated that the charge density significantly affected the properties of papers made of unrefined bleached sulfite [3,19], recycled [20] or high-yield pulp (HYP) [21]. However, commercial paper products are made of a combination of various refined furnishes. As is well known, the properties of fibres are significantly influenced by refining. Additionally, by mixing various pulp grades, due to their different characteristics, the interaction of a cationic additive with the furnish and eventually the performance of the cationic additive on inter-fibre bonding improvement can be affected. Therefore, another objective of this work was to investigate if the charge density of C-starch or C-PVA affects the properties of papers made of various furnishes, and particularly the furnish of refined fibres. This analysis would be important for mills using cationic additives, e. g., C-starch, C-PVA, so that the maximum benefit from this additive can be realized. In this work, softwood (SBKP), hardwood (HBKP) bleached kraft pulp, and high-yield pulp (HYP) were mixed with various ratios and modi-

P. FATEHI Department of Chemical Engineering and Limerick Pulp and Paper Centre, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B. pulpandpapercanada.com

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PAPER PROPERTIES fied with 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA having various charge densities and the paper properties were evaluated. This analysis allowed us to identify the most effective C-starch or C-PVA for papers made of various pulp furnishes. A similar analysis was conducted on the furnish of refined pulps. Alternatively, various dosages of the most effective C-starch or C-PVA were applied on the refined furnish of 50/20/30 % (wt.) SBKP/HBKP/HYP and the paper properties were compared with those of papers made of 50 % (wt.) refined SBKP and 50 % (wt.) refined HBKP.

Charge density analysis The charge density of C-starch or C-PVA solutions was determined using a Particle Charge Detector, Mütek PCD 03 titrator (Herrsching, Germany) with PVSK solution (0.5 mN) [9-11]. Subsequently, 2 ml of C-starch or C-PVA solutions were taken for the charge density determination using PVSK solution (0.5 mN). The pulp freeness was determined after refining using a Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) according to TAPPI T 227.

EXPERIMENTAL

Pulp blending and modification In one set of experiments, 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA was added to the pulp furnish and disintegrated using a laboratory disintegrator at 3,000 rpm for 16,000 revolutions and handsheets were made afterwards according to TAPPI T 205. This process was repeated for C-starch or C-PVA having various charge densities. In another set of experiments, 20 mg/g of C-PVA was mixed with HYP at 3,000 rpm for 8,000 revolutions, and subsequently the remaining furnish of SBKP/HBKP was mixed with the HYP/C-PVA system for an additional 8,000 revolutions. This process was repeated for C-PVA having various charge densities. In our previous work, we reported that the initial mixing of C-PVA with the HYP and subsequently mixing with the remaining furnish was more efficient in improving the paper strength than mixing the C-PVA with the whole furnish at once [9]. Similar procedures were followed to make the control samples of various pulp furnish without the cationic additive. In the case of the refined furnish, similar procedures were followed as described above, but with the refined fibres. In another set of experiments, various dosages (10, 20 and 30 mg/g) of C-starch or C-PVA were added to the furnish containing refined 50% (wt.) SBKP, 20% (wt.) HBKP, and 30% (wt.) HYP and the handsheets were made according to TAPPI T 205. Additionally, 10 ml of the solutions of the pulp slurries were taken and filtered for determining whether the C-starch or C-PVA was adsorbed on fibres

Raw material The softwood (SBKP, mainly spruce) and hardwood bleached kraft pulps (HBKP mainly aspen) were received as market pulps. The aspen HYP (325/85) was received from a mill in Canada. The pulps were soaked for 24 h in distilled water and disintegrated at 10,000 rpm prior to experiments. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), 146-186 kDa, 99% hydrolyzed, and corn starch (pure amylopectin) were received from Aldrich Co. and used as received. Glycidyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride (GTMAC, 75% solution in water) was purchased from Aldrich Co., and used for the cationic modification of PVA and starch. Potassium polyvinyl sulfate (PVSK, 100-200 kDa, 97.7% esterified) was provided by Wako Pure Chem. Ltd. Japan, and used for determining the charge density of cationic additives. The cationic modification of polyvinyl alcohol (C-PVA) was conducted according to the procedure established in our previous work [22]. A similar procedure was followed for modifying the starch. The reaction conditions and the charge density of the resulting cationic additives are listed in Table I. In our previous work, the reaction conditions and the characteristics of the induced C-PVAs were comprehensively described [3]. The refining of SBKP, HBKP and HYP were conducted on disintegrated pulps at 4,000, 2,500 and 2,000 revolutions according to TAPPI T 248 standard (PFI refiner, No 158, Norway), which resulted in a CSF of 580, 600 and 350 ml for the pulps, respectively.

Table I. Reaction conditions of GTMAC with starch or PVA and the charge density of resulting cationic additivies. Additive

Reaction time, min

Reaction temperature, °C

Water, ml

GTMAC/polymer ratio, mol

Charge density of cationic additive, meq/g

Reference

Starch

100

0.2

0.10

PS1

Starch

100

0.3

0.21

Starch

100

1.2

0.58

Starch

100

0.6

0.72

Starch

100

0.9

0.85

Starch

120

100

1.0

0.92

PVA

0.25

0.11

PVA

0.250

0.20

PVA

0.375

0.33

PVA

210

0.500

0.57

PVA

0.500

0.73

PVA

100

0.500

0.94

PS: present study

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by the charge density analysis mentioned above, using the PCD titrator. Paper properties The brightness of handsheets was tested according to TAPPI T 452, employing an optical tester Technibrite Micro TB-1C (Indiana, USA). Tensile and tear strengths were measured according to TAPPI T 494 and T 414, respectively, by means of Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W) tensile and tear testers (Sweden). The burst strength of handsheets was also measured according to TAPPI T 403, by using a burst tester (Burst-o-Matic, L&W, Sweden). The bulk of the handsheets was determined considering the basis weight and thickness of the handsheets according to TAPPI T 551.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Base paper properties without cationic additive The charge density analysis showed that the filtrates of various pulp furnishes had a negative charge density, which implies that almost all of the cationic additives added to the furnish adsorbed onto the pulp fibres. A complete adsorption was also evident by adding 20 mg/g commercial cationic starch or C-PVA to the furnish of unrefined or refined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP in our previous work [9]. By adding a cationic additive to the pulp furnish, electrostatic interaction is developed between the cationic charges associated with the cationic additive and the anionic charges associated with the carboxylic and sulfonated

groups of the fibre surface, which results in adsorbing cationic additives on the fibre surface [22]. The adsorption characteristics of C-PVA on bleached sulfite fibres were assessed under altered conditions in our previous work [22]. These results support the conclusion that the adsorption level of the cationic additive having various charge densities was not an influencing factor in accounting for the experimental results. The base paper properties of various ratios of unrefined or refined (SBKP/HBKP/HYP) are listed in Table II. As can be seen, the tensile and burst indices of papers increased by substituting HBKP with 10% (wt.) HYP, regardless of refining. The synergistic effect of HYP on the strength of papers was reported and explained in the literature [6, 7]. However, by substituting HBKP with 30% (wt.) HYP, the tensile and burst indices decreased. The relatively high portion of HYP (30% wt.), which is a mechanical pulp, in the furnish was the reason for the decrease in the tensile and burst indices [8,9]. The tear index and bulk of papers were generally increased, while the brightness was decreased by increasing the substitution amount of HYP. Effect of cationic additive on kraft pulps The tensile and burst indices of the papers made of unrefined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g C-starch or C-PVA, are shown in Fig. 1. As can be seen, the charge density had a significant effect on the tensile and burst strengths. The maximum tensile improvements of 73% or 62% were obtained when using 20 mg/g of C-starch

Table II. Base paper properties without cationic additives Furnish

Tensile index, Nm/g UR1

Burst index, kPa.m2/g UR

Tear index, Nm2/kg UR

Brightness, ISO% UR

Bulk, cm3/g

50/50/0

17.9

61.3

0.97

4.00

8.36

11.10

88.4

87.1

1.91

1.45

50/40/10

19.3

61.6

1.05

3.85

8.90

11.16

86.9

85.7

1.95

1.49

50/20/30

17.1

58.9

0.95

3.55

9.84

11.55

84.1

85.5

1.99

1.53

UR: unrefined R: refined

1 2

Fig. 1. Changes in the tensile and burst indices of the papers made of unrefined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA, versus the charge density of C-starch or C-PVA.

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Table III. Tear index and bulk of papers made of unrefined 50% SBKP and 50% HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g C-starch or c-PVA. Charge density, meq/g

Tear index, Nm2/kg

Bulk, cm3/g

C-starch

C-PVA

C-starch

C-PVA

C-starch

C-PVA

0.10

0.11

12.20

12.0

1.75

1.79

0.21

0.20

15.82

14.66

1.68

1.74

0.58

0.33

12.62

14.36

1.69

1.76

0.72

0.57

13.47

11.35

1.78

0.85

0.73

13.74

12.39

1.81

1.80

0.92

0.94

11.35

12.11

1.88

1.82

or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.2 meq/g, respectively, while the maximum burst improvements were 100% and 70%, respectively, by applying the same C-starch or C-PVA. The brightness of the papers made of unrefined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA, are shown in Fig. 2. Evidently, the brightness was decreased by increasing the charge density of the cationic additives. These results are consistent with our study on using cationic starch on HYP [9]. Basically, brightness is affected by the light absorption and scattering coefficients. We previously reported that the changes in both light absorption and scattering coefficients contributed to the brightness decrease [9]. These results showed that the charge density of the cationic additive also affected the final brightness of the papers. However, the brightness of the papers was less affected by C-PVA than by C-starch. The results on tear index and bulk of papers made of unrefined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g of cationic additives, are listed in Table III. It is noted that the bulk of papers was decreased at a charge density of 0.2 meq/g, which is in agreement with the tensile and burst improvements. Interestingly, the tear index was increased the most by applying C-starch (89%) or C-PVA (75%) having a charge density of 0.2 meq/g. The tear index of papers is affected by fibre bonding, fibre wall strength and the friction between fibres [23-25]. It is inferred from the results in Table III that the changes in the paper properties were more significant by applying C-starch than C-PVA. Effect of cationic additive on the HYP containing furnish In this set of experiments, two levels of HYP substitution (10% and 30% (wt.) for HBKP) were used in the furnish of unrefined SBKP/HBKP/HYP fibres, which were modified with 20 mg/g of C-PVA having altered charge densities. Fig. 3 shows the changes in the tensile and burst indices of these papers versus the charge density of C-PVA applied. For the papers made of unrefined 50% SBKP, 40% HBKP, and 10% HYP, modified with 20 mg/g of C-PVAs, the maximum tensile and burst improvements were 42% and 50%, respectively, by applying the C-PVA with a charge density of 0.33 meq/g. For the papers made of unrefined 50% SBKP, 20% HBKP, and 30% HYP, the maximum tensile and burst improvements were 55% and 70%, respectively, by applying the C-PVA with a charge density of 0.73 meq/g, respectively. pulpandpapercanada.com

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Fig. 2. Brightness of papers made of unrefined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP, modified with 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA, versus the charge density of cationic additives.

Fig. 3. Changes in the tensile and burst indices of the papers made of various pulp ratios of unrefined SBKP/ HBKP/HYP fibres modified with 20 mg/g C-PVA versus the charge density of C-PVA.

These results imply that the optimum charge density is different when different amounts of HYP were used. The tear index and bulk of the papers made of various ratios of unrefined SBKP/HBKP/HYP fibres modified with 20 mg/g C-PVA are listed in Table IV. Evidently, the bulk changes were consistent with the tensile and burst changes. The maximum tear improvement was obtained with the C-PVA having a charge May/June 2011

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PAPER PROPERTIES Table IV. Tear index and bulk of papers made of various ratios of unrefined SBKP/HBKP/HYP modified with 20 mg/g of C-PVA having various charge densities. Charge density, meq/g

Tear index, Nm2/kg 50/40/10

50/20/30

Bulk, cm3/g 50/40/10

50/20/30

0.11

13.10

13.80

1.79

1.82

0.20

13.05

14.66

1.76

1.80

0.33

13.85

14.36

1.72

1.79

0.57

12.55

12.35

1.76

0.73

11.82

12.39

1.77

1.74

0.94

11.70

12.11

1.78

1.80

Fig. 4. Changes in the tensile and burst indices of the papers made of various ratios of the furnish of refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP fibres, modified with 20 mg/g C-starch or C-PVA having various charge densities, versus the charge density of the cationic additive.

density of 0.33 meq/g for the furnish of 50/40/10 % (wt.) SBKP/ HBKP/HYP, while it was the maximum for the furnish of 50/20/30 % (wt.) SBKP/HBKP/HYP with the C-PVA having a charge density of 0.2 meq/g. There are three parameters that should be considered for the inter-fibre bonding development as a result of cationic additive interaction with fibres: 1) the configuration of cationic additive on the fibre surface, 2) charge reversal, 3) sufficient interaction affinity. The influence of the charge density of a cationic additive on its configuration on the fibre 32

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surface was comprehensively studied in the past [26-28]. In this respect, the higher the difference in the charge densities of a cationic additive and the fibre surface, the stronger their interactions, which may result in a flattened configuration of the additive on the fibre surface [26-28]. However, the tail and loop configuration improves inter-fibre bonding, as it can bridge the neighboring fibres [3]. Furthermore, if the charge density of an adsorbed additive is very high, charge repulsion may be developed between the adsorbed additive molecules on neighboring fibres [21]. This high repulsion force may also contribute to the flattened configuration of the additive on the fibres, thus impairing the inter-fibre bonding improvement [21]. For this reason, the charge density of a cationic additive applied should not be very high to prevent the flattened configuration of the additive on the fibre surface and the charge repulsion. In addition to the tail and loop configurations of the cationic additive on the fibre surface, the affinity of the additive to interact with the neighboring fibres should be so strong that fibre bridging occurs. In other words, the charge density of the cationic additive should be sufficient to attract the anionic charges of the neighboring fibres to achieve the desired level of bridging. Thus, a very low charge density for cationic additive does not favor interfibre bonding development. Consequently, there would be an optimum charge density for a given furnish so that a cationic additive is the most effective in improving the inter-fibre bonding (see Figs. 1 and 3). The optimum charge density of an additive depends on the interaction of the cationic additive with the pulp furnish. If the overall charge density of pulp furnish is low, an additive with a low charge density is preferred to prevent the charge reversal and repulsion. If the average charge density of a fibre furnish system is very high, the charge reversal and repulsion would only occur by applying a cationic additive with a high charge density. It is well documented in the literature that HYP fibres possess a higher charge density than chemical pulps, e.g., SBKP, HBKP do [5, 29-31]. This is because the amounts of carboxylic and sulfonated groups on the surface of HYP fibres are greater than those on the surface of bleached chemical pulps, which is partly due to the presence of lignin on the surface of HYP [31,32]. By increasing the portion of HYP in the furnish, the overall charge density of the furnish increases. Thus, the C-PVA with a relatively higher charge density is required (Fig. 2). Papers made of refined fibres The tensile and burst results of the papers made of various ratios of refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP are shown in Fig. 4. It is noted that the maximum tensile and burst improvements were obtained by applying C-starch or C-PVA with a charge density of 0.2 meq/g on the refined furnish of 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP. However, the maximum improvement for the furnish of 50% SBKP, 20% HBKP, and 30% HYP was obtained by applying C-PVA with a charge density of 0.5 meq/g (Figure 4). Although the trend of tensile and burst changes were similar for the furnish of unrefined or refined fibres (Figs. 1, 3 and 4), the maximum improvements were less significant on the papers made of refined fibres (Fig. 4). This is because the fibrillation and pulpandpapercanada.com

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PAPER PROPERTIES

Table V. Tear index and bulk of the papers made of various ratios of the furnish of SBKP/HBKP/HYP, modified with 20 mg/g of C-starch or C-PVA having various charge densities. Charge density, meq/g C-starch on 50/50/0

C-PVA on 50/50/0

C-PVA on 50/20/30

Tear index, Nm2/kg C-starch on 50/50/0

C-PVA on 50/50/0

Bulk, cm3/g

C-PVA on 50/20/30

C-starch on 50/50/0

C-PVA on 50/50/0

C-PVA on 50/20/30

0.22

0.20

11.6

11.7

10.5

1.40

1.43

1.61

0.58

0.57

10.6

10.7

10.1

1.43

1.45

1.59

0.92

0.94

11.0

10.8

10.3

1.47

1.46

1.60

fines content of pulp are increased by refining, which increases the total surface area of fibres. Considering the fact that the same amount of cationic additive (20 mg/g) was added to unrefined or refined furnish, the surface coverage was reduced on the refined fibres compared with unrefined ones, which tended to decrease the efficiency of the cationic additive in improving the inter-fibre bonding [20,21]. Also, the relatively higher tensile and burst indices of the papers made of various ratios of refined fibres (Table II) was another factor accounting for smaller improvements in paper strength via applying cationic additives. The tear index and bulk of the papers made of various ratios of the furnish of refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP fibres modified with 20 mg/g C-starch or C-PVA are listed in Table V. The bulk of the papers made of refined 50 % (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP decreased the most by applying C-starch or C-PVA with a charge density of 0.2 meq/g. However, the bulk was the minimum by applying C-PVA with a charge density of 0.57 meq/g for the papers made of the furnish of refined 50% SBKP, 20%HBKP, and 30%HYP. The tear index of papers was marginally influenced by applying C-starch or C-PVA having various charge densities for the different furnish studied. Bulk/tensile relationship of papers containing HYP Usually, by applying dry strength additives on wood-free papers, the paper strength is increased, while the bulk is reduced. In one study, the apparent density (inverse of bulk) of the papers made of 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50 % (wt.) HBKP was increased by 4% by adding 3 % (wt.) C-starch (wt.) [1]. In another study, the light scattering coefficient of the papers made of bleached kraft

fibres was decreased by 2.5 m2/kg by applying 2% (wt.) C-starch [2]. The tensile-bulk relationship of the papers made of refined SBKP/HBKP/HYP (50/20/30) % (wt.), modified with various dosages of C-starch or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.57 meq/g are shown in Fig. 5. It is very interesting to note that both the tensile and bulk of the paper increased by applying C-starch or C-PVA. This unique tensile/bulk relationship (Fig. 5) is attributed to the presence of HYP fibres/ fines in papers. As is well known, the fibres and fines of HYP have much higher bulk (lower specific density) than those of kraft pulps [33,34]. As more of the cationic additive was added, more HYP fines would be retained in papers [9, 35], which would increase the bulk of papers. On the other hand, the application of dry strength additives increased the tensile strength of papers by improving the inter-fibre/fines bonding. An increase in the inter-fibre bonding usually results in a bulk decrease [1-3]. However, the overall increase in the bulk of papers in Fig. 5 suggested that the influence of HYP fibre/fines would be more remarkable than that of the inter-fibre bonding improvement on paper structure. The implication of these results is that by using a cationic additive and substituting some HBKP with HYP in the production of high-quality wood-free papers, paper strength is increased and simultaneously the paper bulk is increased due to the presence of HYP. Included in Fig. 5 is the tensile/bulk relationship of the papers made of refined 50 % (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP (i.e., without the presence of HYP and cationic additives). Evidently, its tensile strength was higher than that of papers containing HYP without cationic additive, but its bulk was lower. With the addition of cationic additive, the papers containing HYP could have higher tensile and higher bulk than the paper made of kraft pulps only (traditional wood-free papers).

CONCLUSIONS

Fig. 5. Tensile/bulk relationship of the papers made of refined 50% SBKP, 20% HBKP, and 30% HYP, modified with various dosages of C-starch or C-PVA having a charge density of 0.57 meq/g, and of the papers made of refined 50% (wt.) SBKP and 50% (wt.) HBKP. pulpandpapercanada.com

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Cationic additives, such as C-starch or CPVA, can be used for improving the tensile strength of papers containing HYP, and they can increase the bulk and tensile index. For example, the papers made of refined 50/20/30 % (wt.) SBKP/HBKP/HYP, modified with C-starch or C-PVA, had higher tensile index and bulk compared with the papers made of refined 50% (wt.) SBKP, and 50% (wt.) HBKP, i.e., chemical pulps only. This is particularly important because the industry/market is moving towards the direction of decreasing grammage. The present study further showed that the charge density of a cationic additive is important for obtaining the best results. The optimum charge density of a cationic additive depends on the furnish, and if a higher portion of HYP is used, the cationic addiMay/June 2011

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T10

PAPER PROPERTIES tive with a higher charge density is preferred. Refining reduced the influence of cationic additive on strength improvement, but the influence of the charge density of the cationic additive on strength was still notable. The implication is that mills need to consider the charge density of the cationic strength additives to achieve the best results.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The financial support for this project is from an NSERC Strategic Network (ForValueNet), and Canada Research Chairs program.

LITERATURE

1. GAIOLAS C., MENDES P., SILVA M.S., COSTA A.P. and BELGACEM M.N., The Role of Cationic Starch in Carbonate Filled Papers, Appita J. 58(4):282-287 (2005). 2. RETULAINEN E. and KAARINA N., Fibre Properties as Control Variables in Papermaking? Part 2. Strengthening Interfibre Bonds and Reducing Grammage, Paper Timber 78(5):305-312 (1996). 3. FATEHI P. and XIAO H., The Influence of Charge Density and Molecular Weight of Cationic Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) on Paper Properties, Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 23(3): 285-291(2008). 4. MENDES P., SANSANA P., SILVY J., COSTA C.A.V. and BELGACEM M.N., Cationic Starch as a Dry Strength Additive for Bleached Eucalyptus Globulus Kraft Pulps, Appita J. 54(3):281-284(2001). 5. HU K., NI Y. and ZOU X., Substitution of Aspen High-Yield Pulp for Hardwood Kraft Pulp in Fine Papers and its Effect on AKD Sizing, TAPPI J. 3(8):13-16 (2004). 6. HU K., NI Y. and ZOU X., Substitution of Hardwood Kraft with Aspen High-Yield Pulp in Lightweight Coated Wood-Free Papers: Part I. Synergy of Basestock Properties, TAPPI J. 5(3): 21-26 (2006). 7. XU E.C. and ZHOU Y., Synergistic Effects between Chemical Mechanical Pulps and Chemical Pulps from Hardwoods, TAPPI J. 6(11):4-9 (2007). 8. GAO Y., RAJABHANDARI V., LI K., ZHOU Y. and YUAN Z., Effect of HYP Fibres on Bulk and Surface Roughness of Wood-Free Paper, TAPPI J. 7(4):4-10 (2008). 9. LIU X., FATEHI P., NI Y. and XIAO H., Using Cationic Poly Vinyl Alcohol (C-PVA) to Improve the Strength Properties of Papers Containing High-Yield Pulp (HYP), Holzforschung 64: 563-569 (2010). 10. BOBU E., BENEA G.H. and BACARAN M., Performance and Limits of Starch as a Papermaking Additive, Cellulose Chem. Technol. 31:499-513(1997). 11. PELTON R., ZHANG J., CHEN N. and MOGHADDAMZADEH A., The Influence of Dextran Molecular Weight on the Dry Strength of Dextran-Impregnated Paper, TAPPI J. 2(4):15-18 (2003). 12. PELTON R., On the Design of Polymers for Increased Paper Dry Strength- a Review, Appita J. 57(3): 181-190 (2004). 13. ZHANG J. and PELTON R., The Effect of Charge Density and Hydrophobic Modification on Dextran-Based Paper Strength Enhancing Polymers, Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 15(5): 440-445(2000). 14. LI H., DU Y., WU X. and ZHAN H., Effect of Molecular Weight and Degree of Substitution of Quaternary Chitosan on its Adsorption and Flocculation Properties for Potential Retention-Aids in Alkaline Papermaking, Colloid Surf. A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 242:1-8 (2004). 15. PETLIKI J. and VAN DE VEN, T.G.M., Adsorption of Polyethylenimine onto Cellulose Fibres, Colloid Surf.A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 83:9-23 (1994). 16. VAN DE VEN T.G.M., Kinetic Aspects of Polymer and Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Surfaces, Adv. Colloid Interf. Sci. 48: 121-140 (1994). 17. WAGBERG L. and HUGGLUND, R., Kinetic of Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Cellulose Fibres, Langmuir 17: 1096-1103 (2001). 18. TANKARA H., ODBERG, L., WAGBERG. L. and LINDSTROM T., Adsorption of Cationic Polyacrylamides onto Monodisperse Polystyrene Latices and Cellulose Fibre: Effect of Molecular Weight and Charge Density of Cationic Polyacrylamides, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 134(1): 219-228 (1990). 19. FATEHI P. and XIAO H., Effect of Cationic PVA Characteristics on Fibre and Paper Properties at Saturation Level of Polymer Adsorption, Carbohyd. Polym. 79: 423428 (2010). 20. FATEHI P., MCARTHUR T., XIAO H. and NI Y. Improving the Strength of Old Corrugated Container Board Using a Dry Strength Additive, Appita J. 63(5): 364368 (2010). 21. FATEHI P., LIU X., NI, Y. and XIAO H., Interaction of Cationic Modified Poly Vinyl Alcohol with High Yield Pulps, Cellulose 17(5):1021-1031 (2010). 22. FATEHI P. and Xiao H., Adsorption Characteristics of Cationic-Modified Poly

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

(Vinyl Alcohol) on Cellulose Fibres- a Qualitative Analysis, Colloid Surf. A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 327(1-3), 127-133 (2008). 23. SETH R.S., Fibre Quality in Papermaking-II the Importance of Fibre Coarseness, Proc. Mat. Res. Symp. San Francisco, California, 197:143-161 (1990). 24. PAGE D.H. and MACLEOD M., Fibre Strength and its Impact on Tear Strength, TAPPI J. 75(1):172 (1992). 25. ASKLING C. and WAGBERG L., The Effect of Additives on the Mechanical Properties of Dry-Formed Fibre Network, J. Mat. Sci. 33:1997-2003(1998). 26. TANAKA H., ODBERG L. and WAGBERG L., Adsorption of Cationic Polyacrylamides onto Monodisperse Polystyrene Latices and Cellulose Fibre. Effect of Molecular Weight and Charge Density of Cationic Polyacrylamides, J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 134(1): 219-228 (1990). 27. WAGBERG L. and HÄGGLUND R., Kinetic of Polyelectrolyte Adsorption on Cellulose Fibres, Langmuir 17:1096-1103 (2001). 28. LOFTON M.C., MOORE S.M. and HUBBE M.A., Deposition of Polyelectrolyte Complexes as a Mechanism for Developing Paper Dry Strength, TAPPI J. 4(9):3-8(2005). 29. LI H., NI Y. and SAIN M.M., Characterization of BCTMP Fines and their Effect on Sizing, TAPPI J. 1(7):3-7 (2002). 30. HORVATH A.E. and LINDSTROM T., Indirect Polyelectrolyte Titration of Cellulosic Fibres-Surface and Bulk Charges of Cellulosic Fibres, Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 22(1):87-92 (2007). 31. CHEN S., WANG S. and LUCIA L.A., New Insights into the Fundamental Nature of Lignocellulosic Fibre Surface Charge, J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 275(2):392-397(2004). 32. LI H. and NI Y., Sizing Behavior of BCTMP at Neutral to Alkaline pH, Pulp Pap. Can. 102(6):45-48(2001). 33. LI HM. and HE, BH., Research Progress of the Effect of Fines on Paper Properties, Trans China Pulp Pap. 21(3):102-106 (2006). 34. LI H., Ni Y. and, SAIN M.M., Characterization of BCTMP Fines and their Effect on Sizing, TAPPI J. 1(7):3-7 (2002). 35. FATEHI P., WARD J.E., ATES S., Ni Y. and, XIAO H., Impact of Cationic Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) on the Properties of Papers Made from Two Different Pulps, Appita J. 62(4):303-307 (2009).

Keywords: CATIONIC STARCH, CATIONIC PVA, HIGH YIELD PULP, CHARGE DENSITY, DRY STRENGTH ADDITIVE, TENSILE STRENGTH, BULK. Resumé:

Lorsque des additifs cationiques sont utilisés pour améliorer la résistance du papier, les caractéristiques de leur charge peut devenir un facteur important de leur rendement. Nous avons analysé dans le présent travail l’influence de la densité de la charge d’amidon cationique (C amidon) ou de poly(alcool de vinyle) (PVAL) cationique sur les propriétés des papiers dont la composition de fabrication comprend diverses proportions de pâte kraft blanchie, raffinée ou non, de résineux et de feuillus (SBKP* et HBKP**) et de pâte à haut rendement (HYP***). Les résultats ont démontré qu’il faudrait optimiser la densité de la charge afin d’obtenir les meilleurs résultats : a) pour la composition de fabrication comportant 50 % (poids) de SBKP raffinée et 50 % (poids) de HBKP raffinée, la résistance à la traction et à l’éclatement s’est accrue le plus lors de l’application de 20 mg/g C-amidon ou de PVAL ayant une densité de charge de 0,2 meq/g; b) pour la composition de fabrication comportant 50/20/30 % (poids) de SBKP/HBKP/HYP raffinées, la résistance à la traction et à l’éclatement s’est accrue le plus (15 % et 25 %, respectivement) lors de l’application de 20 mg/g PVAL ayant une densité de charge de 0,5 meq/g. Lors de l’application de divers dosages de C-amidon ou de PVAL ayant une densité de charge de 0,5 meq/g, l’indice de bouffant et la résistance à la traction des papiers composés de 50/20/30 % (poids) de SBKP/HBKP/HYP raffinées se sont améliorés. En outre, les papiers contenant de la pâte à haut rendement affichaient un indice de bouffant et une résistance à la traction plus élevés comparativement aux papiers composés de 50 % (poids) de SBKP raffinée et 50 % (poids) de HBKP sans additif cationique.

Reference: FATEHI, P. Importance of Charge Density of Cationic Additives on Increasing Paper Strength. Pulp & Paper Canada 112 (2):Txxx-Txxx (May/June 2011). Paper directly submitted by author for Howard C Smith Award consideration. Not to be reproduced without permission of PAPTAC. Manuscript received September 2010. Revised manuscript approved for publication by reviewer April 2011.

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

PAPER MACHINE OPERATIONS

New forming technology for printing and writing grades

Finetexx forming fabric is produced with EDC (engineered drainage channels) technology, available only from Weavexx and Huyck. Wangner. EDC combines high drainage rates with superior sheet forming capability. Finetexx features a specially engineered structure that provides higher fibre support without restricting drainage capacity. With a more open sheet side, drainage pressures are reduced as well as the required vacuum loads. Benefits include: exceptional sheet quality, higher sheet solids, lower energy costs, and improved runnability. Xerium Technologies, www.xerium.com

Doctor blades solves quality problem for UK papermaker

PM 8 of Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook, Great Britain, suffered from an increased number of reeler breaks when producing fluting and testliner grades. The cause was determined to be starch accumulation in the after dryer section. Due to the runnability issues, and too many joins at the reeler, the spools piled up. Sometimes the paper machine had unplanned downtime of up to 10 hours per month because there were no more spools available. “Since installing Voith SkyLine doctor blades we have seen a measurable step change in performance. In the last four months we have eliminated the backlogs of jumbo reels before the winder that

Deinking foam deaeration on minimum footprint

The new Deaeration Foam Pump (DFP) 4000 from Voith Paper reduces the air content in the foam mass to as low as 8%. At the same time, it takes up less space and can be placed on the same level as the flotation machine. The DFP 4000 is both a pump and deaeration machine in one unit. As one compact unit, it replaces the foam destroyer, foam tank, stirring unit and pump. For the papermaker, this means less initial investment. Another benefit is that the DFP 4000 creates additional floor pulpandpapercanada.com

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caused unplanned stops of the paper machine,” explains Peter Kitto, mill production manager at Townsend Hook. “This clearly saves us hard cash and has improved our operational performance. This solution has also improved the paper quality as there are less joins in the reels leaving the mill. This reduction in waste has improved customer satisfaction.” Voith SkyLine doctor blades generate a measurable added value in paper machine efficiency and cost savings, particularly on demanding paper machine positions. Voith Paper Fabric & Roll Systems 613-632-4163, www.voithpaper.com

Customized control system manages PM, off-machine coater, winder

In January of this year, ABB completed the commissioning of a PMC800 multidrive control system in a high-end coated paper project at Huatai Paper. Installed on the mill’s PM8, a machine with an annual production of 700,000 tons, the system met Huatai’s design requirements – it solves the problem of off-machine coating automation control, ensures the smooth and highly efficient operation of the production line, and realizes energy savings and emission reductions. There are only two off-machine coaters of the same type in China, and each is equipped with ABB drive systems. Chen Linfeng, sales director of ABB Pulp & Paper China, said that the drive system on Huatai’s PM8 and coating machine is by far one of the most complicated drive systems used today in the paper industry. The system includes 223 drive sections, 241 AC frequency conversion motors and 10 AC800M controllers, as well as additional control equipment. It provides AC drive and control for specific parts of the production line, space, since it does not necessarily have to be positioned underneath the flotation machine. Instead it can be placed right at the foam outlet of the system.

including the paper machine, rewinder, offmachine coater, super calender and winder. Production lines of this type are commissioned at the average rate of one every three years. So far, there are several dozen such production lines in the world. The difficulty lies in the control of the off-machine coater, particularly the flying splice control. While the off-machine coater operates at a designated speed, this control method is applied so that online rollchanging can proceed without shutdowns. Meeting this challenge requires drive equipment that has control precision down to a millisecond level (1-10 ms), along with extensive cooperation and experience between the drive supplier and equipment supplier. At Huatai, there are numerous tension control points on the production line. When the speed on the production line varies, it is very difficult to precisely control the tension. The maximum speed of PM8’s coater is 2100 m/min. But ABB’s leading drive control technology ensures the production line will operate smoothly and continuously even under such high speeds. This prevents the waste of items such as paper and paint that occur when the coater shuts down, and it also saves the additional labor, water and electricity needed to clean the coater. To minimize energy consumption, ABB installed customized motors with optimization design on various parts of Huatai’s production line, including the winder, rewinder, super calender and coater. This kind of motor is much smaller and lighter than standard motors. Its design is optimized according to a piece of equipment’s specific load requirements, so that control and efficiency are optimized. ABB Pulp & Paper www.abb.com The DFP 4000’s deaeration works in two process steps. In the upper part, the fed-in foam is pre-deaerated mechanically; in the lower part, the centrifugal forces bring about a subsequent deaeration. After deaeration, the suspension is conveyed to the next process stage with an air content as low as 8%. Conventional systems, according to Voith, have 12% air content on average at the outlet. Due to the excellent results achieved by this unit at mills in Europe, Asia and North America, the DFP 4000 will now be standard in all Voith flotation systems. Voith Paper 613-632-4163, www.voithpaper.com May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

5/31/11 8:47 PM

TECHNOLOGY NEWS Tembec selects near-infrared analyzers for Skookumchuck pulp mill

After a successful six-month trial, Tembec Pulp Group’s Skookumchuck operation has selected Fitnir Analyzers Inc. to control its causticizer processes. Fitnir’s near-infrared analyzer will measure liquor samples from six of the mill’s process streams. Constant monitoring of the samples will reduce overliming and scaling within Tembec’s pipe lines, leading to improved process stability and mechanical performance, decreased down time, and subsequently, lower operating costs. “The successes achieved during the trial are only the tip of the iceberg. We anticipate numerous direct and indirect benefits, which provided easy justification for the purchase of a Fitnir analyzer. A payback period of less than one year and, once operational, a potential savings of more than half a million dollars annually is estimated,” said Gavin Baxter, power and recovery manager. “Measurements and control developments enabled by Fitnir’s leading edge analyzer provide further insights into optimization and cost reduction, thereby allowing Canadian mills like Tembec to be more competitive.” The cost savings recorded from the demonstration system were realized primarily as a result of steam savings, decreased gas usage and, most significantly, reduced dependence on expensive purchased lime. The reduction of lime usage at the mill will also have the added benefit of lessening the mill’s environmental impact. Implementation is expected to begin in July 2011 and be completed by August 2011. Fitnir Analyzers Inc. 604-204-2531, www.fitnir.com

Level detector finds interface between black liquor and soap

The Dynatrol® Interface Level Detector Type CL-10DJI has the unique ability to detect the interface between black liquor and soap. This level system is easily installed, has no moving parts and does not require field adjustments. Constructed for long operating life, it operates successfully with consistent results. The on/off signal from the Dynatrol Interface Level Detector operates a SPDT relay in the EC-501A control unit. The relay contacts are used to actuate alarms, indicator lights, or process control equipment. The interface level detector can increase efficiency of boiler recovery operation, maximize soap recovery, and minimize operator attention while controlling soap level. Dynatrol 713-869-0361 or 800-231-2062, www.DynatrolUSA.com

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PULP & PAPER CANADA May/June 2011

High-impact tank cleaner removes stubborn residues

The TankJet® 360 Fluid Driven Tank Cleaner from Spraying Systems Co. is said to outperform similar equipment by providing more consistent impact over the entire pressure range. The unit is ideal for cleaning pulp storage chests, blenders, petrochemical/chemical processing reactors, and processing tanks. TankJet 360 is equipped with a dualor triple-nozzle hub and high-impact solid stream nozzles that rotate 360° in horizontal and vertical planes. The rotation creates a crisscrossing pattern to thoroughly clean tanks up to 100 ft. (30 m) in diameter and remove the stickiest of residues. In addition, high-impact cleaning results in shorter cycle times so tanks are returned to service more quickly. Spraying Systems Co. 630-665-5000, www.tankjet.com

Premium performance polyurethane roll covers

Developed by Stowe Woodward’s global research and development team, the latest family of advanced roll cover products from Xerium includes two lines with superior release properties, and a high-strength cover for high-speed applications. Quantum R and Aquarius R covers incorporate high-release additives into high-performance polyurethane roll covers, providing new performance levels in sheet release and non-stick applications. Quantum R provides superior release performance in soft press, smoothing press and calender positions. Available through 60 P&J, Quantum R offers outstanding abrasion resistance and excellent vibration dampening properties for a smooth reliable operation. Aquarius R provides the ultimate cover release surface for Lumpbreakers and other extra soft sheet release cover applications. Typically non-water-cooled, Aquarius R offers high P&J capability for a soft, low psi nip to prevent crushing and high abrasion resistance for long life. Embrace polyurethane roll covers deliver superior performance in tissue

embossing, paper converting, laminating, film, textile and other industrial applications. Embrace is a cool running high-strength cover that will run in the toughest high-speed applications. When additional insurance is required against abuse and failure, Embrace can be supplied with Stowe Woodward’s superior Lifegard bonding system. These covers provide high tolerance for aggressive embossing patterns and superior vibration dampening properties. A full hardness range is available, including high P&J and low Shore A capability. Xerium Technologies, www.xerium.com

“Dissolving pulp” (continued from page 38)

Currently in Canada, AV Cell, AV Nackawic, Neucel Specialty Cellulose, and Tembec produce dissolving pulp. Fortress Paper is converting a mill Thurso, Que. to dissolving pulp, with production expected later this year. Mercer, the parent of Zellstoff Celgar, is investigating a conversion at that mill to be a “flex” mill, producing both kraft and dissolving pulp. And Paper Excellence recently revealed plans to purchase Domtar’s mothballed Prince Albert, Sask., mill and outfit it for dissolving pulp. Mercer’s idea of a flex mill that can alternate its output between paper grade pulp and dissolving pulp is “a great idea, but it has some challenges,” says pulp market consultant Brian McClay of Terra-Choice Market Services Inc. “It could be a real game-changer for the industry.” While recent trends suggest strong growth for dissolving pulp, the deciding factor will be how much of the textile market rayon can capture. “It’s a question we’re all trying to grapple with,” says McClay, but he’s certain the outlook for dissolving pulp is “a whole lot higher than 5% per year.” Growth for VSF grades of dissolving pulp would be 3% per year, even if rayon just maintains its market share. In about three years, the dissolving pulp market will enter its next phase, says McClay. If rayon achieves high growth rates, in addition to conversions, “we will see new flex mills being built where wood is cheap,” predicts McClay. PPC pulpandpapercanada.com

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Equipment/ Careers Engineering services for the pulp and paper industry

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www.PaperEquipment.com Buyers & Sellers of new and used pulp and paper mill equipment Pressure Screens, Reﬁners, Pumps & Parts, Valves, Process Lines and more! Visit us online or call: 612-963-2074 E-Mail: Sales@paperequipment.com

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Global Know-how and Local Service for the Forest Industry Pöyry (Montreal) Inc. Montreal, QC 514 341 3221

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PulP & PaPer Jobs Freeman Staffing, Inc. specializes in the placement of engineers (all disciplines), production type supervisors, managers, mill and/or plant managers and corporate executives in the pulp & paper industry, North America-wide. For specific current job searches call us or contact our web site. All resumes are treated with complete confidentiality.

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web site: www.freemanstaffing.com May/June 2011 PULP & PAPER CANADA

5/31/11 8:47 PM

DISSOLVING PULP

Dissolving Pulp Draws Renewed Interest High prices, market growth draw new entries to dissolving pulp market

hy the sudden interest in dissolving pulp? One Canadian mill is almost finished a conversion to dissolving chemical pulp, two others are planning to convert. Fourteen others around the world have announced expansions or conversions. The reason: A high-value product for a growing market. Dissolving pulp sold for about US$2400 per tonne in February, and demand has been growing at double-digit rates for several years. Driving the growth is the use of dissolving pulp in viscose fibre,

which, in turn, is used in rayon, a substitute for cotton. Cotton is currently experiencing record high prices and diminished capacity. As cotton cedes market share, rayon is expected to gain. The market for dissolving pulp is split about evenly between pulp destined for specialty products and pulp destined to become viscose staple fibre (VSF). In addition to being used for rayon, viscose fibre can be used in disposable wipes. RISI’s World Dissolving Pulp study says global demand for dissolving pulp

DISSOLVING PULP ANNOUNCED CAPACITY INCREASES Company

Mill Location

Effective Date

‘000s Tonnes

Sateri (RGM International)

Brazil

Mar 2011

202

Cosmo Specialty Fibres

USA

May 2011

140

Fortress Paper

Canada

Sep 2011

2053

Sun Paper

China

Sep 2011

2003

Fujian Qingshan Paper

China

Oct 2011

1205

Yueyang Paper

China

Oct 2011

300

Fulida Group Holdings (Neucel)

Canada

2011

Domsjö Fabriker

Sweden

Eary 2012

Södra

Sweden

Early 2012

1704

Fujian Nanping Paper

China

Early 2012

150

Lenzing

Czech Republic

2012

2405

Sun Paper

China

Q4 2012

2005

TPL (PT Toba Pulp Lestari)

Indonesia

2013

1356

Rayonier

USA

2013

1907

Mercer International

Germany or Canada

Early to late 2013

200-2608

Sateri (RGM International)

Brazil

Dec 2013

2509 Paper Excellence Canada 2013 Data courtesy TerraChoice Market Services Inc. 1 - Integrated/affiliated use 2 - Debottlenecking 3 - Conversion from BHK 4 - Conversion from BHK and BSK 5 - Investment to allow swing between dissolving and papergrade pulp 6 - Planning to increase output in a series of phases to be completed by end 2013 7 - Potential conversion of fluff line to dissolving, decision expected mid-2011 8 - Final technical and feasibility study to be completed and make a decision on proceeding in mid-2011. 9 - Estimate 9

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PULP & PAPER CANADA

May/June 2011

By Cindy Macdonald, editor

peaked in 1975 at 5.3 million tonnes. Consumption decreased to 3.2 million tonnes in 2000, and has been rising steadily since. Last year, demand reached 4.5 million tonnes. The need for VSF-grade dissolving pulp has been growing at more than 10% per year for the last few years, and at more than 20% per year in China. And the growth shows no sign of abating. This year, China is adding 700,000 to 1 million tonnes of viscose staple fibre capacity. Despite the favourable demand outlook, some market experts feel there is a price correction forthcoming. Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO of Fortress Paper, a soon-to-be dissolving pulp producer, expects the long-term price to stabilize between $1200 and $1800 per tonne.

Kraft producers begin conversions

Dissolving pulp is made by either a modified kraft process or modified sulfite process, with the intent to form a relatively pure chemical cellulose. Lignin and hemicelluloses are removed. The conversion from kraft mill to dissolving pulp can take up to two years, and cost upwards of $200 million. Most dissolving pulp mills also have some kind of energy conversion as a complementary revenue stream because dissolving pulp is a low yield process. continued on page 36

Dissolving Pulp Production in Canada Av Cell, N.B. AV Nackawic, N.B. Neucel Specialty Cellulose, B.C. Tembec, Que.

pulpandpapercanada.com

5/31/11 8:47 PM

Industrial Components & Services

Kinecor Solutions

With more than 55 branches coast-to-coast, Kinecor is your largest Canadian distributor of industrial components and value-added services. Kinecor supports the pulp & paper industry by providing turn-key solutions that respond to your unique challenges.

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PPC.indb 39 KIN-EN-PUB-PULP-PAPER-MAY-2011.indd 1

5/31/11 8:47 PM 2011-04-27 10:11:32

GREEN. Our Color. Our Commitment. At Buckman, the most important commitment we can make is to a sustainable future.

We know it isn’t

just good for the planet; it’s good for business. And we know it isn’t just about the environment; it’s about people, too. You can depend on Buckman to find the sustainable path forward. And to help you do the same.

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