Pulp and paper industry explained

The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood, specifically pulpwood, as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products.

Manufacturing process

See also: Paper machine and Papermaking. In the manufacturing process, pulp is introduced into a paper machine where it is shaped into a paper web and water is extracted through pressing and drying stages.Pressing involves removing water from the sheet by applying force. This process employs a specialized type of felt, distinct from traditional felt, to absorb the water. In contrast, hand-made paper uses a blotter sheet for this purpose.Drying involves eliminating water from the paper sheets through air or heat. Historically, this was achieved by hanging the sheets to dry, similar to laundry. In modern papermaking, various heated drying mechanisms are employed, with the steam-heated can dryer being the most prevalent on paper machines.[1] [2] [3]

History

Papermaking as a craft is ancient, and for centuries it used various fibers, mainly grasses (cereal straws and others), or rags from old clothing made from them, in various preindustrial times and places. The commercial planting of domesticated mulberry trees to make pulp for papermaking is attested as early as the 6th century. Due to advances in printing technology, the Chinese paper industry continued to grow under the Song dynasty to meet the rising demand for printed books. Demand for paper was also stimulated by the Song government, which needed a large supply of paper for printing paper money and exchange certificates.

An example of an enterprising paper mill during the late phase of the preindustrial era is the mill by William Rittenhouse and sons at what is now preserved as Historic RittenhouseTown in Pennsylvania.

The first mechanised paper machine was installed at Frogmore Paper Mill, Apsley, Hertfordshire in 1803, followed by another in 1804.[4] The site operates currently as a museum.[5]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the paper chemical technologies for making the pulp from wood rather than grasses underwent some major industrial-era upgrades, as first the soda pulping process and then the Kraft process helped reduce the unit cost of paper manufacture. This made paper newly abundant, and along with continual advancements in printing press technologies, as well as in transport technologies (for distribution), during these same centuries, led to greatly increased sales and circulation of newspapers, other periodicals, and books of every kind.

Environmental effects

See main article: Environmental impact of paper.

The pulp and paper industry has been criticized by environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council for unsustainable deforestation and clearcutting of old-growth forest.[6] The industry trend is to expand globally to countries like Russia, China and Indonesia with low wages and low environmental oversight.[7] According to Greenpeace, farmers in Central America illegally rip up vast tracts of native forest for cattle and soybean production without any consequences,[8] and companies who buy timber from private land owners contribute to massive deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest.[9] On the other hand, the situation is quite different where forest growth has been on the increase for a number of years. It is estimated for instance that since 1990 forests have grown in Europe by 17 million hectares,[10] which has been supported through the practice of sustainable forest management by the industry. In Sweden, for every tree that is felled, two are planted.[11]

The pulp and paper industry consumes a significant amount of water and energy and produces wastewater with a high concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), among other contaminants.[12] Recent studies underline coagulation as an appropriate pre-treatment of pulp and paper industrial wastewater and as a cost-effective solution for the removal of COD and the reduction of pressures on the aquatic environment.[13]

Current production volumes and sales

The industry is dominated by North American (United States and Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden, and North-West Russia) and East Asian countries (such as East Siberian Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea). Australasia and Brazil also have significant pulp and paper enterprises. The industry also has a significant presence in a number of European countries including Germany, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. The United States had been the world's leading producer of paper until it was overtaken by China in 2009.[14]

List of main countries by production quantity

According to data from Statista, China produced 110 million metric tons in 2018 followed by the US with 72 million.[15]

According to statistic data by RISI, main producing countries of paper and paperboard, not including pulp, in the world are as follows:[16]

Rank
2011
CountryProduction in 2011
(1,000 ton)
Share
(2011)
Rank
(2010)
Production in 2010
(1,000 ton)
199,30024.9%192,599
275,08318.8%275,849
326,6276.7%327,288
422,6985.7%423,122
512,1123.0%512,787
611,4922.9%811,120
711,3292.8%611,789
811,2982.8%711,410
910,1592.5%109,796
1010,0352.5%99,951
World Total398,975100.0%394,244

List of main company groups by production quantity

The world's main paper and paperboard company groups are as follows. (Some figures are estimates.):[17]

RankCompany groupCountryProduction in 2015
(1,000 ton)
Rank by sales
1International Paper23,3151
2Nine Dragon Paper Holdings12,6302
3WestRock12,4874
4UPM9,7715
5Stora Enso9,1888
6Oji Paper Company9,1153
7Sappi7,30615
8Smurfit Kappa7,0009
9DS Smith6,80213
10Nippon Paper6,54211

List by net sales

In 2008, the top 10 forest, paper and packaging products companies were, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers:[18]

RankCompanyCountryalign=center 2008 net sales
(US$M)!
2008 net income (loss)
(US$M)
1International Paper24,829(1,282)
2Kimberly-Clark19,4151,690
3SCA16,965 (SEK)857
4Stora Enso Finland16,227(991)
5UPM13,920(263)
6Oji Paper12,788114
7Nippon Unipac11,75355
8Smurfit Kappa10,390(73)
9Metsä Group9,335(313)
10Mondi Group9,466(310)

Manufacturers and suppliers for the industry

Leading manufacturers of capital equipment with over $1 billion in annual revenue for the pulp and paper industry include:

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 10.1016/B978-0-12-814238-7.00005-2 . Paper Manufacture—Wet End Operation . Biermann's Handbook of Pulp and Paper . 2018 . Bajpai . Pratima . 95–135 . 978-0-12-814238-7 .
  2. Book: 10.1016/C2013-0-10000-1 . The Paper-Making Machine . 1967 . 978-0-08-001975-8 . Clapperton . R. H. .
  3. Book: Sindall, Robert Walter . Paper Technology: An Elementary Manual on the Manufacture, Physical Qualities and Chemical Constituents of Paper and of Paper-making Fibres . 1906 . C. Griffin, limited . en.
  4. Book: Hills . Richard Leslie . Papermaking in Britain, 1488-1988: A Short History . 1988 . Athlone Press . 978-0-485-11346-4 .
  5. Web site: The Paper Trail at Frogmore Mill . Apsley Paper Trail charity. 2 February 2017 .
  6. Web site: NRDC: Paper Industry Laying Waste to North American Forests. www.nrdc.org. 19 February 2016.
  7. Web site: A crumpling paper industry. Oregon Local News. 19 February 2016. en-US.
  8. Web site: Amazon draught speeds up destruction The WE News Archives. www.thewe.cc. 19 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161225182546/http://thewe.cc/weplanet/news/forests/amazon_destruction_speeds_up.htm. 25 December 2016. dead.
  9. News: Phillips . Tom . Brazil forms 'crisis cabinet' following unexpected deforestation surge . The Guardian . 20 May 2011 .
  10. Web site: Forests — European Environment Agency. 2021-09-11. www.eea.europa.eu. en.
  11. Web site: Will the EU turn the tide on forest growth and torpedo its bioeconomy agenda?. euractiv.com. 15 June 2017.
  12. Auer. Matthew R.. 2018-12-18. Toxic releases from an industry in decline: Environmental trends in Maine's pulp and paper sector. Environmental Quality Management. 28. 2. en. 31–38. 10.1002/tqem.21594. 2018EnvQM..28...31A . 116422861 .
  13. Boguniewicz-Zablocka . Joanna . Klosok-Bazan . Iwona . Naddeo . Vincenzo . Mozejko . Clara A. . Cost-effective removal of COD in the pre-treatment of wastewater from the paper industry . Water Science and Technology . April 2020 . 81 . 7 . 1345–1353 . 10.2166/wst.2019.328 . 32616687 . free . 11336/127959 . free .
  14. Web site: De Sisti. Mike. China's Paper Operation. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. 13 April 2013. 12 December 2012.
  15. Web site: Paper and cardboard production worldwide.
  16. Web site: Japan in the World (according to the figure in Annual Review of Global Pulp and Paper Statistics by RISI). Japan Paper Association. ja . 15 November 2012.
  17. Web site: The PPI Top 100. RISI. 2 February 2017.
  18. Web site: Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Survey: 2009 Edition - Survey of 2008 Results. PricewaterhouseCoopers. 12. 24 February 2011.