Integration of the Biorefinery Concept for the Development of Sustainable

Processes for Pulp and Paper Industry

A pulp mill integrated with biorefinery produces bioproducts which can add to revenue,
syngas production from gasification plant substituting fossil fuels and polygeneration unit
generating power. The lignocellulosic biorefinery works on two principles, i.e. biochemical
and thermochemical. In biochemical, fuel is produced by hydrolysing and fermenting
cellulose and hemicellulose. When the demand of paper decreases the products from
pulping process such as cellulose, hemicellulose and biomass can be used as raw material
for refineries. In the thermochemical, synthesis gas consisting of hydrogen and carbon
monoxide is produced by gasification. The synthesis gas from gasification, biomass residue
can be used in paper pulp manufacturing processes for energy generation.

Superstructure-based systematic methodology integrates biorefinery with pulp production.

The first step is to collect process information regarding raw materials, black liquor and
biochemical process and optimizing these three processes. Paper pulp consists of cellulose
fiber. Pulping process is done by Kraft and Soda process. In Kraft’s process raw material
hardwood is pre-treated in sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphide at 150-170°C and 110-
150 psi. It is kept for three hours in a digester breaking lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose
bonds. Black liquor is used to separate cellulose fiber from lignin and hemicellulose and it is
recovered through a chemical recovery system giving NaOH and Na2S and organics. Lignin is
removed to avoid colour changes before pressing and drying to finished paper. In soda
process, non-wood raw materials such as sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw are treated in
NaOH without Na2S. Pulping processes produces biochemicals such as ethanol, lactic acid,
succinic acid which can be used as alternative feedstock against petrochemical in refineries.
Integrating black liquor gasification combined cycle (BLGCC) with pulping processes
produces syngas which can meet energy requirements, can be used as substitute for fossil
fuels by integrating it with biofuel production. Lignin is extracted from black liquor and
burnt in recovery boiler generating energy for pulp mill. It can be integrated with refineries
replacing fossil fuels. It can be extracted by an acid and precipitating agent CO2. Syngas is
synthesized into methanol and further dehydrated to produce dimethyl ether in a fixed bed
reactor. It acts as a fuel in burning wood residues in a hog fuel boiler generating steam
which is back pressurised to generate electricity.

Succinic acid and lactic acid as biochemicals, Kraft’s process, black liquor gasification with
DME production increases the profitability of pulp mill.

Limitations:

The type of chemical recovery system used to recover pulping agents is not given in detail.
The type of acid used to extract lignin is not given.