Metsä Fibre19/3/2013 T. Niemi

Botnia Nordic+

Softer tissue,stronger performance

Metsä Fibre

Tissue softwood pulp

The recent development of tissue furnish has been driven by a need to reduce the proportion of softwood pulp in order to improve the softness of tissue products.

The best softwood pulps show a combination of high initial tensile strength and fast tensile development.

Fast tensile strength development also helps to reduce energy consumption both in refining and drying.

A low refining requirement facilitates improved paper softness and reduces dusting due to a lower level of fines.

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Metsä Fibre

Polysulfide as a solution – Botnia Nordic+ pulps

Metsä Fibre will implement an advanced polysulfide pulping process at Joutseno Mill in 2013, thereby introducing an entirely new softwood pulp with improved properties to the market.

The increased pulping yield will realise clear benefits for tissue making, due to the high content of hemicellulose (galactoglucomannan) in cell walls.

The altered hemicellulose profile enhances the flexibility of fibre, thereby improving tensile strength before and after creping. This enables furnish optimisation in tissue paper manufacturing.

The new process maximises yields when producing bleached softwood pulps. Part of the mill’s production will target the tissue market.

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Metsä Fibre

Polysulphide Pulping

PS-cooking is an established method that was patented back in the 1940s. The first mill applications began in the 1960s.

PS-cooking liquor will be made at Joutseno Mill by a commercial Moxy-process involving catalytic oxidation of white liquor.

The Joutseno PS pulping process was developed at Metsä Fibre through intensive and innovative research work.

The new pulping process satisfies sustainability criteria with respect to both environmental and resource efficiency considerations.

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Metsä Fibre

Improved performance of Botnia Nordic+ pulps

Polysulfide modification increases the hemicellulose content of pulps. This improves the performance of pulp in paper and board manufacturing processes.

The current Botnia Nordic Pine and Strong grades have been compared to the estimated quality of Botnia Nordic Pine+ and Strong+ grades made using the polysulfide process on a laboratory scale.

Both qualities were simulated under the following constant parameters:

Botnia Nordic Pine+ Botnia Nordic Strong+

• Brightness:89.0% 88.0%

• Fibre length: 2.15mm 2.35mm

• Raw material: Roundwood SW Saw mill chips SW

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Metsä Fibre

Changes in pulp characteristics

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Metsä Fibre

Case example – Furnish optimisation for softness

Furnish ratio Bulk Tensile index

Softness potential

30% / 70% Botnia Nordic Pine / Cenibra Euca

1.66 43.2 ref.

15% / 85% Botnia Nordic Pine+ /Cenibra Euca

1.66 43.2 ++

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Refining SW 50 kWh/tonneHW 30 kWh/tonne

SW/HW Pulp price ∆€ 60 => Saving potential: EUR 9/paper tonne!!

Metsä Fibre

Sustainability – Less is more

The new process enables pulp manufacturing using less wood per tonne of pulp

Wood consumption is also lower in HW pulp production than in SW

When the HW content of the total furnish is increased from 30/70 SW/HW to 15/85 SW/HW :

‒ Overall wood consumption for one tonne of paper is reduced

‒ This means consuming some 20,000m3 less wood annually on a 60,000 tonne/a tissue machine

The Metsä Fibre mill in Joutseno is CO2-neutral thanks to an internal bark gasification plant. The overall energy self-sufficiency of the facility is 170%

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Metsä Fibre

Conclusions

New Botnia Nordic+ pulps will have a high initial tensile strength and fast tensile development in refining

This allows furnish changes leading to significant cost savings and improved softness potential.

Use of raw material in the total furnish will be more efficient, contributing to sustainability throughout the value chain

Together with CO2-free pulp production and energy self-sufficiency, Botnia Nordic+ will make the Metsä Fibre mill in Joutseno one of the world’s most advanced pulp manufacturing facilities

Botnia Nordic+ pulps will arrive on the European pulp market in mid 2013

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Metsä Fibre19/3/2013 T. Niemi

FIBRES OFSUCCESS

We are the proud winners of Excellence Finland 2012 and the Quality Innovation of the Year Competition in the large companies category, organised by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland. In addition, Laatukeskus Excellence Finland granted Metsä Fibre the European five-star Recognised for Excellence award. Metsä Fibre won the Excellence Finland quality award with the highest ever total score.

www.metsafibre.com