Pulp and Paper Biorefineries: Old and New Challenges for a Circular Economy Leader

By David Peterson, Lee Enterprises Consulting

Introduction

When an industry faces significant challenges, which all industries will at some time, quite often the responses not only influence short-term achievements but may also influence the trajectory of the industry, and quite possibly the very survival of the industry. The pulp and paper industry is no stranger to significant challenges.

Environment Issues

In the mid-80s, the pulp and paper industry experienced serious technical and environmental challenges that required the rapid development of technical solutions for its very existence.  Concerns about chlorinated organics from Viet Nam-era Agent Orange, the Times Beach soil contamination issue, and other headline events, caused the EPA and state water quality agencies to be on heightened awareness for chlorinated organic compounds. In 1983, environmental agency staff were developing baseline data in ‘pristine’ areas, when fish samples collected downstream of pulp mills showed elevated levels of chlorinated organic substances. The results of this routine sampling sounded a major alarm to the industry.

Unbeknownst to the industry, the use of elemental chlorine as a pulp-bleaching agent caused the unintentional formation of dioxins in bleach plant effluents from chemical pulp mills, namely kraft ‘sulfate’ and sulfite[1]. When elemental chlorine reacts with lignin in chemical pulps to remove color-causing compounds, dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD) and tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran), commonly known as absorbable organic halides (AOX), are formed. This development affected bleached chemical pulp mills across the nation and led to significant investment to reduce the formation of TCDD/TCDF and decrease their presence in bleach plant effluent streams. Many high-profile industry-led teams of experts and major research programs were formed to focus solely on this issue.

To further complicate the industries’ troubles, concerns were mounting over the harvesting of old-growth timber linked to habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl, a bird protected under the Endangered Species Act. This controversy threatened to close many thousands of acres of timberland in the Pacific Northwest to logging, which would have a major effect on the forest products industry. Undoubtedly, this was a very challenging time in the pulp and paper industry.

Messaging Paradigm Shift Improves Public Image

During these tumultuous times, the pulp and paper industry wisely questioned its messaging to the public. Analysis by public relations experts suggested the industry shift from a products and process-oriented message to a narrative more focused on sustainable forestry practices and environmental benefits. These experts also advised the industry should ‘tone down’ the emphasis previously placed on harvesting and tree processing operations. Since the industry was planting more trees than it harvested, in fact, it planted two trees for every tree harvested during that time[2], the industry had a positive story.

The industry certainly knew that planting trees was essential for long-term sustainability, but in typical technologist form, the industry took this information for granted and assumed the public already knew these things—however, in reality, the public was woefully unaware.  This was the heart of the public image gap. The industry began to talk more about its sustainable forestry practices, tree nurseries, and planting and nurturing rather than harvesting. The new PR objectives and messaging improved the public image of a struggling industry that was misunderstood by the general public. This is a powerful reminder to industries that beliefs can correctly or incorrectly shape reality and a sound warning to all industries as to the value of an accurate and positive public image.

Science, Focused Resources, and Partnerships Save the Day

The dioxin issue was resolved quickly through intense science and engineering application, focused resources to reach clear goals, and aligned collaboration between industry, government, academia, and trade associations. By the early 1990s, most bleached pulp mills had reduced the TCDD and TCDF levels in bleach plant effluents to non-detectable levels at parts per quadrillion detection limits. The lessons learned and technologies applied are still practiced today[3] in new pulp mills and are coded into the Clean Water Act. These include:

1. Displacement of elemental chlorine with chlorine dioxide;
2. A post-pulping oxygen delignification before bleaching; and
3. Use of alternative non-chlorine-containing bleaching agents (oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide) with alkaline washing stages.

While the events that occurred over the spotted owl controversy were unquestionably difficult for the many people who lost jobs due to the significant reduction in timber sold from federal lands, it was a victory for science-based sustainable forestry practices. Wildlife experts learned that spotted owls need mixed-growth forest habitat interspersed with old-growth trees whereby the old-growth trees provide nesting sites. Additionally, biologists found that other aggressive owl species adversely impact spotted owl populations.

New and Difficult Challenges

The pulp and paper industry’s response and adaptation to these challenging issues was a matter of survival. Since then and over the past couple of decades, the pulp and paper industry has continued to experience other issues resulting in numerous closures across the country. From 2000 to 2012[4] 117 mills closed. This trend is more severe in those states with higher densities of pulp and paper mills, such as Maine and Wisconsin. For example, Maine had over one hundred paper mills in 1906[5] but only six in 2017[6].

In June 2023, a hundred-year-old mill closed in Canton, NC[7] causing a loss of 1,300 direct jobs. On August 1, 2023, Westrock announced their mill in Tacoma, Washington will cease operations effective September 30, resulting in the loss of another 400 jobs.

While these shutdowns are unfortunate, paper is still an important component of modern society and fulfills several critical roles[8], as shown in Table 1, and will be needed in the future.

Table 1, Benefits of Paper in Modern Society

Meeting Future Challenges

Interestingly, pulp and paper operations are a forerunner to modern biorefineries that operate as “circular economies.” The underlying benefit of a biorefinery is the collection, transportation, and concentration of biomass to one location whereby multiple products can be efficiently produced using unique processes with energy and material recovery benefits, such as kraft pulping (Figure 1), ethanol, soybean processing, and other integrated natural product processing facilities.

Figure 1, Kraft Recovery Cycles (Not Including Waste Heat Recovery)

By their nature, biorefineries are designed to reduce waste and increase efficiency by utilizing the by-products of one process to create additional co-products with other processes. A biorefinery uses circular systems, where the outputs of one process are used as the inputs for another. This type of manufacturing not only helps reduce the amount of waste generated, it also increases the efficiency of the overall process resulting in better income streams. Biorefineries also reduce the environmental impact by producing renewable energy or using waste energy sources to reduce the net amount of energy required per unit of output. Finally, biorefinery operations lower operating costs to provide more attractive financial and environmental performance.

Table 2, Pulp and Paper Kraft Biorefinery Products

Conclusion

Since pulp and paper biorefineries use woody biomass as feedstock, they are a significant resource for forest managers to use in resource planning to maintain healthy forests less prone to wildfires and insect and disease infestations. Healthy forests are also more efficient in sequestering carbon, supporting species diversity, and maintaining high-quality freshwater. Sustainable pulp and paper biorefineries also provide renewable sources of energy that help national security and energy independence and help create strong rural economies with high-paying technology-oriented jobs. Indeed, modern pulp and paper biorefineries are circular economy leaders with a lot to offer society and will need to continue to adapt.

The pulp and paper biorefineries that remain will undoubtedly continue to face challenges in staying competitive on a global scale. Just like the challenges of the last half-century, this will take the concerted efforts of engineers, managers, scientists, investors, and visionary leaders to develop new bioproducts and biofuels. These large operations must see themselves as biorefineries with potentially larger roles in sustaining healthy forests and strong local economies. Like the lessons learned in the 1980s, the industry must continue to send a message that creates public support for pulp and paper biorefineries. As with any industry, we will find that successful pulp and paper biorefineries are those that find ways to monetize the full value they provide to society.

[1] USEPA/Paper Industry Cooperative Dioxin Study “The 104 Mill Study”, July 1990, US EPA

[2] https://www.afandpa.org/news/2023/paper-industry-sustainable

[3]https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/91014E0D.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=1986%20Thru%201990&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&UseQField=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5CZYFILES%5CINDEX%20DATA%5C86THRU90%5CTXT%5C00000027%5C91014E0D.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=2&slide

[4] https://www.theledger.com/story/news/2012/11/29/paper-woes-companies-have-closed-117-american-mills-since-2000/26519118007/

[5] https://www.usw.org/act/campaigns/fair-trade/profiles/bad-trade-devastated-american-paper-industry

[6] https://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/2699/page/4319/print

[7] 2023 Brings More Pulp and Paper Mill Closures – Do You Have the Right Data? (ampproject.org)

[8] The Top Ten Unexpected Ways That Paper Impacts Your Life, NORPAC,

https://www.norpacpaper.com/blog/the-top-ten-unexpected-ways-that-paper-impacts-your-life

[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/

[10] https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2019/08/14/why-paper-is-considered-state-of-the-art-voting-technology/

[11] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-use-masks-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

[12] https://www.essentialhome.eu/inspirations/interiors-decor/importance-interior-design/%23:~:text=Interior%20design%20is%20a%20process,available%20in%20the%20intervened%20environment

[13] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-005-0031-0

[14]  NOVEL TREATMENT METHODS FOR GREEN LIQUOR DREGS AND ENHANCING CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN KRAFT PULP MILLS, https://lutpub.lut.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/158867/Seyedmohammad%20Golmaei_A4.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1

About the Author. David Peterson has over 40 years of experience in the forest products industries, with most of his industrial experience in the pulp and paper sector. His experience includes being a Technical Director for an integrated kraft bleached pulp and paper mill that made high-line coated free sheet paper, CEO/Founder of a start-up company that made value-added chemicals active pharmaceutical ingredients from waste tree bark, and executive leadership with cellulosic biofuel projects, He is an enthusiastic champion of the forest products industry. David has a BS in Forest Products, Pulp and Paper Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Purdue University. David serves as a Project Director at Lee Enterprises Consulting, overseeing matters involving pulp and paper technology, biomass operations, technology start-ups, and process optimization. He and his wife of 33 years have five children and call Minnesota home.