#Paper pulp drivers#

It is also used to make rayon, a fabric found in a wide array of clothing and apparel and sold to consumers in the United States, Europe and Asia.Īsia Pulp and Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), Indonesia’s largest and second largest pulp and paper companies, have historically been responsible for most of the rainforest loss from pulp and paper.

Pulp from cleared rainforests and the pulp wood plantations that replace them is made into cheap copy paper, books, tissue, packaging, toilet paper and even luxury shopping bags. Tell APRIL CEO Sukanto Tanoto to stop pulping Indonesia’s rainforests for paper Why Pulp & Paper? However, unlike these nations whose emissions are largely due to burning fossil fuels, 80% of Indonesia’s emissions profile is from rainforest and peatland degradation and loss. Indonesia is now the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses after the U.S. Indonesia’s rainforest and peatland ecosystems store billions of tons of carbon, and their destruction releases huge emissions into the atmosphere. The scale of destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests is having globally significant impacts on the climate system.

#Paper pulp drivers#

The main drivers of deforestation and land grabs from forest peoples in Indonesia are the forest products industry – including pulp and paper and other forest products like plywood – and oil palm plantations.These products are mainly produced to feed international demand for these commodities.Īlthough estimates vary, studies suggest that about one million hectares (2.4 million acres) of Indonesian rainforest is cleared and lost each year, with about 70% occurring in forests on mineral soils and 30% on carbon-rich peatland forests. Containing the largest expanse of rainforest in all of Asia, Indonesian rainforests are home to hundreds of distinct groups of forest peoples with their own Indigenous languages and over 3,000 animal species including critically endangered Sumatran tigers, pygmy elephants, java rhinoceros and orangutans.Īs recently as the 1960’s, about 80 percent of Indonesia was forested, but with one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, less than half of the Indonesia’s original forest cover remains. It is critical that the quicklime be as pure as possible in order to provide maximum benefit with minimal impact from trace elements.When taking a birds-eye view of the three major tropical rainforests in the world, Southeast Asia’s rainforests, and those found in Indonesia in particular, are ground zero for biodiversity loss, exploitation of forest peoples, and climate emissions from deforestation. Graymont supplies significant quantities of high-quality quicklime to facilitate both processes.

The sodium carbonate returning from the pulping process is than added to the mixture to form caustic soda, whereby the process is started all over again. This lime is mixed with water, forming slaked lime. The caustic soda is pumped off to once again mix with the wood chips, and the calcium carbonate is conveyed to a kiln where it is heated to convert it to lime (calcium oxide or CaO). The two react to form caustic soda and calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This sodium carbonate is then pumped to a large vessel that holds slaked lime (Ca(OH)2). The caustic soda attacks the lignin and, in the process, is converted to sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Freshly made caustic soda is pumped to large chambers where it is mixed with wood chips under heat and pressure. The first involves the caustic soda itself. Kraft mills have two internal loops in their system working together to generate caustic soda. This most-modern means of making pulp uses caustic soda (NaOH), among other chemicals, to dissolve the lignin. When acidic water discharged from this process is neutralized, lime is the reagent of choice in order to safely elevate the pH of the effluent stream prior to discharge.Īnother common application is the Kraft-pulping process. This process uses acid to dissolve the glue (lignin) that holds the fibers (cellulose) together. One of the most common applications is for the sulfite-pulping process.