The document summarizes research from the EffFibre program, which focuses on improving the competitiveness and quality of forest-based raw materials. Key points include: - Intensive forest management could increase wood harvesting by over 40% and improve profitability of forestry by nearly 50%. New tree breeding techniques may increase growth by 25-50%. - Mechanized harvesting and regeneration technologies could save €40-70 million and €15-20 million per year respectively through improved productivity. - A novel two-stage kraft oxygen-alkali pulping process showed potential yields increases of 7-11.7% through selective lignin removal. - Computational models provide insights into pulping processes and enable

1. Value through efficient fibre supply
and new pulp mill concepts
Pauliina Tukiainen, Program Manager
WP Managers: Teemu Teeri, Jari Hynynen, Jarmo
Hämäläinen, Herbert Sixta, Tapani Vuorinen, Janne
Vehmaa
25.11.2013

2. Strategic research themes & program coverage
Intelligent
and
resource
efficient
production
technologies
EffTech:
Intelligent and
resource-efficient
production
technologies
EffFibre:
Value through intensive and efficient fibre supply
EffNet:
Efficient Networking towards Novel Products and
Processes
Radically
improved
resource
efficiency
FuBio JR2:
Future
Biorefinery
FuBio JR1:
Future Biorefinery
Future Biorefinery –Joint
research 2
FuBio Cellulose:
Future Biorefinery – Products
from Dissolved Cellulose
Customer
solutions
for
the future
RAMI:
Radical market
innovations
Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC Oy
Knowledge
platform
for new value
chains
New
growth
opportunities
25.11.2013
2

3. Value through Intensive and Efficient Fibre
Supply (EffFibre)
•
Value through Intensive and Efficient Fibre Supply program focuses on the
competitiveness and quality aspects of forest based raw materials and on
development of radically new energy – and resource efficient production
technologies for chemical pulp.
•
The objectives of the EffFibre programme are to
– Improve availability raw material, to improve cost-efficiency of wood
supply value chain, and to increase the utility value of domestic raw
material.
– Develop novel fiber production technologies. The main challenges are
how to utilize the existing pulp mills more profitably and how to respond
to the process modification needs which arise from the new value
chains of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin based products.
Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC Oy
25.11.2013
3

4. Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC Oy
25.11.2013
4

5. Competitiveness through tailored raw materials
Tree breeding
•
Traditional tree breeding
– Scots pine and silver birch: up to 25 % increase in
volume in experimental stands
– A breeding strategy for decay resistance
– State-of-art understanding of lignin
polymerization
•
Gene-based research on transgenic trees in
greenhouses
– up to 50% higher volume growth compared to
control trees
– Field trial – pilot experiment established this
summer at the UH campus experimental field
– TECHNOLOGY CAN BE APPLIED TO DOMESTIC AS
WELL AS TROPICAL FORESTRY
EffFibre
5

6. The potential of intensive
management of Finnish
forest resources
• Intensive management
allows increment of annual
removals by over 40 % (85
mill m3)
• Target production level of
energy wood can be met
• 11 mill m3 by recovering
only small-size
stemwood, logging
residues and stumps
• more if pulpwood is
used for energy
Mean annual removals 2010 - 2110
6

7. Profitability of forest
management
• Intensive forest management
improves profitability of forest
management by nearly 50%.
• There is a large variation between
forest centres due to
– differences in climate
– production potential of forest sites
– current structure of forests.
• Intensive management provides
annually over 11 500 jobs (vs. BAU
7600) in
– silvicultural practices
– harvesting
– long-distance transportation
Present values of net incomes
by forestry centers
7

8. Potential export value of forest
industry products
• The potential of intensive
management scenario in
annual export value of
forest industry products is
worth of over 10.6 billion
euros
• BAU scenario produces
export value of ca. 8.5
billion euros
Annual export value potential of forest industry
products 2010 - 2040
8

9. Improved productivity and cost effectiveness of
mechanized timber harvesting
• Intelligent operator tutoring systems and data visualization tools improve
efficiency of wood harvesting
• Visualization of more accurate terrain data helps the harvester operator to plan
the strip road network.
• New geographical information - like Terrain Wetness Index - support planning and
execution of harvesting
• CAN-bus –based mobility mapping system for harvester to predict soil bearing
capacity for the execution of wood forwarding.
• Automatic Tree Map System for harvester
• Potential savings, 40-70M€/year
EffFibre
25.11.201
3

10. Improved productivity and cost effectiveness of
mechanized forest regeneration
• Automatic planting spot detection system and practices for cost-effective seedling
logistics for continuously operating planting machine.
• Cleaning with uprooting method was identified to be the most cost competitive
mechanized concept for the moment. But anyhow, all other mechanized methods
reduce manpower requirements compared to manual methods.
• Potential savings, 15 – 20 M€/year
EffFibre
25.11.201
3

11. Concept of High-Yield Chemical Pulping
Preferred Raw material: Softwood (Pine, Spruce)
FT-OD
EffFibre
Herbert Sixta
= Flow-through O-delignification
11

12. High alkalinity
cooking (HA)
Tot Yield, % odw
Two-stage kraft oxygen-alkali pulping process
70
HA-PS
60 Refere
nc
+ 11.7 %
e
50
14
12
10
8
GGM stabilization and Xylan
solubilization. 7-11,7 % yield
increase
Lignin, % od pulp
Transfer to
commercial scale
Challenge for equipment suppliers
constant EA, high L:S
Novel
CSTR-O-stage
Selective K-removal from 60 to 15
feasible, while preserving yield
advantage from cooking
Separation into hemi-rich and
lignin-rich fractions in high yields.
Re-precipitation in O-stage to be
optimized
Utilization of dissolved
polysaccharides
EffFibre
Herbert Sixta

13. Virtual Chemical Pulping model
• Novel tool for understanding the behavior of wood chips and their constituents
in a wide variety of chemical conditions.
• The first phenomenological model for chemical pulping at molecular level
• Molecular level reactions for chemical compounds & structures (lignin and
polysaccharides)
• Mass transfer, kinetic and thermodynamic models
• Chip scale mass transfer
• Digester hydrodynamics
• In-depth knowledge on the existing and possible
new cooking processes.
• Model enables to explore modifications and development
ideas related to chemical pulping.
EffFibre
25.11.2013
Tukiainen

14. Pulp mill concepts
•
•
25.11.2013
Comprehensive techno-economical
evaluations of entire industrial concept
cases
The applied research on unit operations
of high kappa pulping paths way to the
piloting and industrial demonstration of
more effective high kappa pulping
technology.
Pauliina Tukiainen
•
•
The results of the pulp mill concepts
provide a solid basis for further
development towards new industrial
solutions, generating value and new
business opportunities for the industry.
Pulp mill concepts
– Two-stage kraft oxygen-alkali
pulping process
– New Reinforcement Pulp
manufacturing concept (URMAS)
– Sulphur lean concept
– Lignin separation cooking concept
– Energy mill concept (EneMi)
– High yield nucleophile cooking
– H2O2 boosted cooking

15. Competence impacts & networking
• Annual EffTech/EffFibre/EffNet Seminar
• Over 20 Thematic workshops and seminars organized
• Over 50 International Conference presentations and posters
• 30 scientific publications (peer reviewed)
• 14 MSc thesis finished
• 15 PhD thesis ongoing
• Networking within Finland and expanded international cooperation
– Short and long term research visits
– Student exchange
– The collaboration with research groups
EffFibre
15

16. Impact of the results
Intensive forestry – more efficient production of forest-based raw materials
– Intensive forest management would dramatically improve the profitability of
forestry in Finland. Potential for up to 50 per cent increase in harvesting.
– Technological solutions to improve productivity and cost effectiveness of
mechanized timber harvesting and forest regeneration.
– New opportunities for tree breeding. Up to 50% higher volume growth.
Modern pulp mill is an efficient biorefinery
– Profitable pulp mills enable renewal: Novel Two-stage Kraft Oxygen-alkali
Pulping Process has potential for 7-10% yield increase
– Techno-economical and phenomenon modeling has given tools for
developing new pulping and bio refinery process concepts.
The results provide a solid basis for further development towards new industrial
solutions, generating value and new business opportunities for the industry.
EffFibre
25.11.2013
Pauliina Tukiainen

17. Acknowledgements
Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC Oy
25.11.2013
17