Replacement of cellulose

The increasing demand for pulp and paper products along with the growing volumes of its production is rapidly leading to a reduction in softwood and hardwood resources. Even the policy of strict balance of cut and planted trees only slightly lessens the damage caused to the ecosystem but does not eliminate it as a whole since the quality of secondary forests is significantly inferior to that of those being cut. As a result, we suffer from a shortage of forests, which may not only cause a cellulose deficiency in the future but also cause an ecological disaster due to ongoing deforestation for pulp extraction purposes.
The problem can be partially solved by implementing a radically new technology enabling the production of cellulose from non-timber plant raw materials. Those are various types of renewable materials, which can supply the market with cellulose without having to cut down the trees. Using the new technology, we can reduce the environmental damage, ensure the preservation of natural resources, and start producing cellulose with the same properties and characteristics as the one produced by the traditional method.

The project objectives

The main objective of our project is to elaborate on a new technology in order to produce cellulose from the annually renewable non-wood materials. The latest studies have shown a high content of pentosanes (hemicelluloses) in such sources as grain and cereal crop waste, namely buckwheat and cotton husks and straw, sunflower husk, corn pokers, and many others. Typically, hemicellulose accounts for a quarter of the plant’s weight, which can be effectively used to produce high-quality cellulose.

Thanks to the discovery of a radically new technology for processing renewable non-wood material, it will be possible to produce not only cellulose but also medical and perfume products. The main advantage of the raw material is its constant renewability in the same quantities, which ensures the targeted consumption and the efficient forecasting of future production volumes.

Today, there are methods for obtaining cellulose from these types of materials, such as decoction, but all of them have a lot of disadvantages that make it difficult to produce cellulose. For example, when decocting mineral components of plant raw materials, the tubes are evaporated with silicate descale, which significantly reduces the equipment’s operation efficiency. This is caused by the presence of silicon dioxide in the raw materials. However, this product has a high value being the main component in the production of the above-mentioned medical and perfume products. Present-day methods of processing plant raw materials lead to its losses, greatly reducing the value of raw materials and preventing its components from being used with maximum efficiency.

Taking into consideration all its peculiarities, the creation of new technology for the development of non-wood plant raw materials will increase the efficiency of production not only of cellulose but also of components for medical and perfumery products. The search for developments will make it possible to use any types of plant raw materials, including such agricultural residuals as straw and husks. Meanwhile, due to the improved efficiency of modern processing methods, both the quantity and quality of products will be significantly increased.

The importance of the project lies in reducing the rate of deforestation while at the same time keeping the steady level of cellulose production. The technology is expected to yield the necessary commodities in the same volumes while significantly reducing the environmental losses caused to nature by today’s pulp and paper industry. Thanks to the use of renewable resources, we can achieve the constant availability of the raw materials — at the same time, it will not depend on the wood supply and can be effectively used almost anywhere with no geographical reference to forest areas.

Secondary importance of this technology will be the possibility of efficient use of the renewable raw material instead of its mere utilization: the current state of the industry does not allow to use this resource wisely, and millions of tons of non-timber cellulose source are lost for nothing. Our technology will allow the correct use of these resources, channeling them to a productive purpose. Thus, a valuable asset now wasted will be put to good use.