Pratima Bajpai - Biotechnology for Pulp and Paper Processing

Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018

Pratima Bajpai 1

(1)

Abstract

The use of environment-friendly processes is becoming more popular in the pulp and paper industry and therefore, biotechnological processes are coming to the forefront of research. The number of possible applications of biotechnology in pulp and paper manufacture has grown steadily during the past three decades. Many applications have approached or are approaching toward commercial reality. Applications that have been successfully transferred to commercial use include xylanases for bleach boosting , cellulases for improved drainage , lipases for pitch removal, cellulase-hemicellulase mixture for deinking and fiber modification , esterases for stickies control , levan hydrolase, proteases , cellulases, amylases , etc., for slime removal. A list of potential enzyme applications under investigation includes new enzymes for kraft pulp bleaching , new enzymatic approaches to reduce mechanical pulping energy, enzyme sensors for smart paper products, etc. Bio-based unit operations are usually combined with traditional or new chemical and mechanical unit operations to fully benefit the performance of enzymes.

Keywords

The global pulp and paper industry is, in physical terms, one of the largest industries in the world. It is dominated by North American (United States and Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden) and East Asian countries such as Japan. Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries. Both India and China are expected to be key in the industrys growth over the next few years.

Paper is an important material. It is used daily for several purposes worldwide. The global production of paper and paperboard stood at approximately 407 million metric tons in 2014. More than half of that production was attributable to packaging paper , whereas about one-third was attributable to graphic paper. The worlds three largest paper producing countries are China, the United States, and Japan. These countries account for half of the worlds total paper production, whereas the leading paper importing and exporting countries are Germany and the United States. As of 2015, the leading companies of the forest, paper, and packaging industry were International Paper and Kimberly-Clark, both are based in the United States. The U.S. paper industry earned around 96.1 billion U.S. dollars of annual revenue in 2015. In 2016, International Paper generated more than 21 billion U.S. dollars of revenue, while Kimberly-Clark made around 18.2 billion ( www.statista.com ). Other leading paper industry companies include the Indonesia-based Asia Pulp and Paper, Svenska Cellulosa of Sweden, Stora Enso and UPM-Kymmene from Finland, as well as Oji Paper and Nippon Paper Group from Japan. With some 407.5 million metric tons of paper consumed globally in 2014, the worlds paper consumption is roughly equal to the amount of paper produced annually. China is the worlds largest paper and paperboard consumer in the world, using more than 103 million metric tons annually, followed by the U.S. with a consumption rate of more than 71 million metric tons. Per capita consumption of paper and paperboard varies significantly from country to country and regionally. On average, one person uses about 60 kilos of paper a year; the extremes are 300 kilos for each US resident and some seven kilos for each African. Only around 35 kilos of paper per person is consumed in the populous area of Asia. This means that Asian consumption will continue to grow strongly in the coming years if developments there follow the precedent of the West. In Finland, per capita consumption of paper and paperboard is about 200 kilos.

Since paper can be classified as a renewable resource, recovery is crucial within the paper industry. Paper, among many materials, has one of the highest recycling rates. In 2013, around 233 million metric tons of recovered paper was collected worldwide. In the United States, more than 52 million short tons of paper and paperboard are recovered annually. The paper and paperboard recovery rate in the U.S. was 66.8% in 2015, which is more than double the 1990 recovery rate of less than 34%.

The global pulp and paper industry is predicted to grow at a rate of 2.8% each year from 2014 to 2019 (Higgins ). This is based upon on an intensive research involving industry major suppliers like BASF, Akzo Nobel and Dupont, etc. Asia Pacific will emerge as the most promising market for pulp and paper industry growing at a rate of 4.0% each year. The paper market is moving ahead with the increase in demand.

The major driver for demand of paper in the global markets is due to increase in usage of specialty papers in Packaging and printing applications. Favorability toward the industry is also making the paper sector set to boom in the years to come with the increase of usage from developing countries, forcing manufacturers to set up bases in the region.

Recycling of paper has also registered significant growth in the recent past because of the demand for various specialty chemicals , pushing pulp and paper industry a key revenue generator.

Demand for paper in India, where it is booming literacy rate helping in increase of usage in printing technology and performances are expected to drive the market further. Indian government inclination toward the manufacturing of various paper products will help the manufacturers to set up industries on a war-footing basis.

The demand for packaging and labeling from various e-commerce platforms is also making the pulp and paper industry to boom. Most of the businesses worldwide are streamlined to online retail marketing and is directly dependent on packaging products . Global pulp and paper industry is worth more than $300 Billion and forecasted to touch $500 Billion soon by 2016.

The number of registered pulp and paper industries consists of approximately 5000 globally and this would exclude equal share of small and minor industries. This number is set to grow significantly with more demand from developing countries. Paper manufacturers are also switching over to new technologies that are environmental friendly and have better water management facilities for increasing the efficiency of paper production.

North America and the European Union markets are already saturated and the focus is targeted mainly on Asia due to which plantation of raw pulp is concentrated in countries like China, Indonesia, India, and Thailand. The demand is huge in China and India and is expected to grow more in coming years.

The pulp and paper industry plays an important role in the countrys economic growth. It is highly capital-intensive and has been periodically affected by overcapacity. It is traditionally known to be a large contributor to environmental pollution due its large consumptions of energy and chemicals.

This is a difficult time for the pulp and paper industry. Consumer standards are high, and manufacturing is competitive. Cost reduction pressures are causing consolidation of companies through mergers and acquisitions; many research and development laboratories are being downsized, closed, or directed toward short-term objectives and opportunities; and profitability is being constrained by external factors including globalization, environmental concerns, and competition. There is a need to find new ways to use forest resources more efficiently and with fewer environmental consequences. Emerging technologies based on sustainable use of renewable resources hold promise for the rejuvenation and growth of the pulp and paper industry.