Östrand pulp mill
Östrand pulp mill
Östrand pulp mill in Timrå has produced pulp for nearly
80 years. It was in conjunction with the formation of SCA
– Swedish Cellulosa Aktiebolaget – and bearing in mind
the northern Swedish forest and its potential, that the
famous Swedish financier Ivar Kreuger decided to build a
kraft pulp mill at Östrand.
As times changed, market demands changed, too. Östrand
has now developed into a modern mill offering high-quality
customized pulp products with a unique environmental
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profile. The Östrand pulp mill and the Ortviken paper mill
in Sundsvall together form SCA Graphic Sundsvall.
SCA Graphic Sundsvall is a part of the SCA Forest
Products business area, which, in addition to kraft pulp,
CTMP, airlaid and publication papers, also produces
solid wood products and forestry-based bio fuels. Forest
Products also manages SCA’s extensive forest holdings,
supplies SCA’s Swedish plants with wood raw material and
offers cost-efficient transport solutions to SCA units.
Energy self-sufficient
An important milestone in Östrand development occurred during autumn 2006 when a
new recovery boiler and new steam turbine
were started up. This means increased production of kraft pulp and biofuel-based electricity
and possibilities of further expansion in the
future.
Combined with the other recently completed
investments, we can increase production as a
result of the new recovery boiler to 420,000
tons of pulp annually. The recovery boiler is
designed so that we will be able to increase annual production to 800,000 tons in the future.
With the new steam turbine, we also produce
500 GWh of biofuel-based electricity annually,
which is twice as much as earlier. This corresponds to the heating of 25,000 homes and that
despite our CTMP mill consuming a considerable amount of electricity Östrand is largely
self-sufficient in terms of electrical power. Periodically, we will also be able to sell electricity.
Östrand is also supplying all the heating needed
in the Timrå municipality’s district heating
network.
1. Main gate/Reception
2. Visitor parking
3. Automation workshop
4. Office/storage
5. Mechanical workshop
6. Fiber line
7. Bleach plant
8. Transport and building dep.
9. Pulp loading
10. CTMP plant
11. Flash dryer
12. Baling
13. Fosec
14. Drying machine
15. Closed recovery boiler
16. Evaporation
17. Causticizing/Lime kiln
18. Bark boiler
19. Wood room
20. Recovery boiler
21. Wood yard
22. Forklift service shop
23. Chemicals station
24. Wastewater treatment
25. Wood and chemicals loading
dock
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Customized products
Celeste kraft pulp, CTMP Star, a chemically pretreated
thermomechanical pulp, and the airlaid product Luna are
produced at Östrand. These pulps are used in a range of
products, such as hygiene products, publication papers
and board. The pulp is delivered to external customers
and to customers within the SCA Group.
Quality is the key that permeates the entire value chain,
from the choice of suitable wood raw material to the
preparation of the finished pulp. In many cases, our
products are specifically produced in cooperation with
customers to suit their needs and requirements.
Our Celeste and Star pulps have a unique environmental
profile. In addition to being totally chlorine-free, they can
be offered as FSC-certified products. FSC certification
ensures that production is based on raw materials from
responsibly managed forests.
Celeste
Celeste is the largest product by volume, comprising
three strong and totally chlorine-free (TCF) kraft pulps,
all with a unique environmental profile, Celeste, Celeste
Strong and Celeste Tissue. They can be delivered as
sheet-dried or flash-dried. The common features of all the
pulps are purity, high strength
and that they are exceptionally easy to process, resulting in low energy consumption in the production of
paper.
Celeste has a wide
range of applications and is
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well suited for production of most paper products, such
as tissue, printing and writing papers as well as various
speciality papers.
Celeste Strong and Celeste Tissue are produced based on
the requirements. Celeste Strong is a reinforcing pulp that
is used in producing magazine paper and is characterized
by long fibers, high bulk and tear strength. These properties have opened doors to new, exciting application areas
in which the long fibers and high bulk offer advantages.
The foremost advantage with Celeste Tissue is mainly its
unique beatability and tensile strength. This grade is used
primarily in the production of tissue, such as toilet and
household paper.
Star
CTMP Star is available in three grades: Star, Star Fluff
and Star Birch. We have our own patented technique, HT
technology, with which we can produce a unique pulp
characterized by extremely high bulk and freeness combined with low shive content. In many cases, our products are custom-produced in cooperation with customers
to match their requirements and wishes.
Star’s high capacity to absorb fluids is especially appreciated by our tissue customers, while its high bulk provides
improved bending rigidity in cartons. Board customers
also place high demands on the pulp not emitting any
odor or taste substances, which Star fulfills well.
Star Fluff is a high-freeness pulp suitable for hygiene
products and particularly for our own Luna product,
in which the demands placed on liquid absorption are
exceptionally high.
Star Birch is a high-brightness pulp. Combined with high
bulk, this makes it highly suitable for board and tissue as
well as printing and writing papers in which the demands
are high on brightness and low yellowing.
Luna
With the aim of becoming the best worldwide in absorption, in the 1980s SCA started a development project
that resulted in the Fosec plant, at which we produce the
entirely unique and patented Luna absorption product.
In production, we use our own CTMP Star fluff grade
that is further processed into an exclusive airlaid. Luna
is based 100 per cent on cellulose and as a result of its
excellent absorption properties there is normally no further need to supplement with super-absorbents or other
additive chemicals, which is otherwise common.
forming their own absorption core. Luna Fluff exhibits
the same high absorption properties but also offers the
benefit of requiring substantially less energy in processing
at the customer compared with competing fluff products.
The Luna product portfolio comprises Luna Core and
Luna Fluff. Luna Core is used as absorption core in feminine hygiene and incontinence products, but as a result
of its excellent ability to absorb and transport liquids,
it has become attractive in other application areas, such
as in the food industry and for window insulation. Luna
Core is a customized semi-finished product delivered on a
roll with an engraved pattern that further contributes to
improving its properties.
Luna Fluff, in contrast to Luna Core, is smooth calendared and customers defibrate it in hammer mills prior to
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Production around the clock, throughout the year
Östrand’s pulp mill includes three
production lines, one for kraft pulp,
one for CTMP, and one for producing airlaid. The plant is in operation
around the clock, throughout the
year. Östrand has the capacity to
annually produce 420,000 tons kraft
pulp, 82,000 tons CTMP and 7,000
tons airlaid.
Östrand has slightly more than
400 employees, most of whom are
involved in production and maintenance. Some 50 professional categories work in the plant, including
process operators, electrical and
instrument mechanics, accountants,
sales representatives, human resources administrators, technicians,
laboratory personnel and engineers
with varying specializations.
Kraft pulp
1. Timber is received at the wood yard from
trucks, trains and ships.
2. The logs are debarked, chipped...
3. ...and stored in separate piles depending
on chip type.
4. The chips are cooked in a continuous
digester.
5. The pulp is screened and washed before
being...
6. ...bleached with oxygen, peroxide and
ozone to ensure it is bright and free from
impurities.
7. The bleached pulp is dried on either a
sheet dryer or a flash dryer.
8. The dried pulp is baled and packed for
transport...
9. ...and shipped by truck to the Tunadal
terminal for further transport by ship, train
or truck to our customers.
10. The spent black liquor in the digester
contains used chemicals and dissolved
wood residue. The evaporator plant raises
the dry content of the spent liquor...
11. ...which is then incinerated in the recovery
boiler. The chemicals are recovered, the
wood residue is converted into heat and
electrical energy for the process. The
waste heat is also supplied to Timrå
Municipality for the heating of homes.
12. In the causticizing department, white
liquor for the digester is prepared from
the recovered chemicals.
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CTMP
13. For the production of CTMP we use birch
chips, and also spruce chips from SCA’s
sawmills.
.
14. The chips are treated with
chemicals and heated...
15. ...before it is separated into pulp in refiners.
16. The pulp is screened...
17. ...and washed before it is...
18. ... bleached with hydrogen peroxide...
19. ...and finally dried in a flash dryer.
20. The dried pulp is then pressed into
bales...
21. ...which are packed for transport...
22. ... and shipped by truck to the Tunadal
terminal for further transport by ship, train
or truck to our customers.
Airlaid
23. We use our own CTMP to produce airlaid.
The bales are unwrapped ...
24. ... and defibrated in two stages.
25. The defibrated pulp is fed to a buffer tank
that features two feeders to the forming
machine.
26. The pulp is formed into a web in two forming heads...
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27. ... which is compressed between two
calendar rollers...
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28. ... trimmed and reeled on a winder.
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29. The completed rolls are sorted and then
wrapped and transported to the Tundadal
terminal for further distribution.
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The forest – the base of our operations
The raw material for our products, wood
fiber, comes from SCA’s responsibly managed
forests. SCA is Europe’s largest private forest
owner with a total area of 2.6 million hectares
of forestland of which two million hectares
are used in wood production. The large forest
holdings represent an important base for a
stable flow of quality raw material to SCA’s
plants.
SCA’s forestry is certified in accordance with
the standards set by
the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC). This
shows that SCA fulfills
the criteria for responsible forestry, with
balance between the
environment, social and
economic interests.
The Östrand’s pulp
mill is also FSC certified, which means that
we can trace our raw
material’s origin. This
means that our customers are also able to
fulfill requirements that
would allow them to
use the FSC symbol on
their products.
Today’s ecological
forestry unites high and
sustainable production of valuable forest
Cert no. SA-COC-1207
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raw material with active nature conservation.
Our forests shall be sustainably cultivated
and be just as abundant in the future as they
are today, both in terms of wood and biological diversity as well as possibilities for nature
adventures. All animals and plants that are in
our forests today should be able to live there in
the future as well.
To ensure the best possible balance between
forestry
and nature
conservation, we
prepare
ecological
landscape
plans for
our entire
forest holding, based
on a comprehensive
and conscientious
inventory.
A unique environmental profile
Our pulp has a unique environmental profile. We are constantly striving
to minimizing our environmental
impact and conserve resources
by developing and improving our
production process. In our constant
efforts to minimize the mill’s influence on the external environment, we
have made extensive investments that
will significantly improve the environment. These include a new soda
recovery boiler that generates green
electricity, a new wastewater treatment plant that reduces our emissions and a new bleach plant.
Östrand has a biological treatment
facility for processing effluent water
from its own processes, which has
reduced emissions significantly. The
treatment facility, which is one of
the most technically advanced in the
world, is divided into five stages and
the treatment itself comprises stages
with different bacteria feeding on the
contaminants as in a natural ecological system. Emissions to the atmosphere have also been reduced. The
new soda recovery boiler has resulted
in a considerable reduction in emissions of sulfur, nitrogen oxides and
particles. Östrand also has a closedloop bleaching process that requires
extremely little water and, since
1995, we bleach our products totally
without chlorine chemicals – socalled totally chlorine-free (TCF).
Our supply of wood raw material
is delivered by train which means
reduced vehicle transport.
Östrand has a certified operating
system that controls everything we
do. The system includes the ISO
14001 environmental management
system, the quality-assurance system
ISO 9000:2001 and PFE, which is an
energy management system.
Östrand also fulfills requirements for
most environmental labeling systems.
The operating system includes procedures for handling of chemicals. In
connection with purchasing, they are
always checked against our chemical
database ChemSource.
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Personal contacts…
Quality is about more than just the product and we
focus heavily on making our customers’ existence
easier in many different ways.
Our products are sold through own sales offices in
Europe and through a well-developed network of local
agents in several countries who are ready to assist
customers in their home markets.
An active technical customer service is an important
link between the products and their users. Naturally,
our field personnel are backed by the entire Östrand
organization. The earlier we can determine the customers’ needs, the quicker we can convert them into
product development projects and improvements.
… with focus on the future
Our pulp products are based on many years of
research and development. Knowledge of the entire
refinement chain, from choice of wood fibers and pulp
manufacture to the production of various paper products, is based on extensive experience. We are constantly engaged in product development to ensure we
will be able to meet the expectations and demands of
our customers. In our efforts to offer customized pulp
products for different applications, we also conduct
development projects in cooperation with customers, which is in line with the ambition to contribute
to a unique solution for each problem. The Östrand
development department and researchers at the SCA
R&D Centre cooperate closely to develop tomorrow’s
pulp products. The SCA R&D Centre also cooperates
closely with the University’s forest industry network
for Fiber Science and Communication.
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Rapid deliveries
SCA Transforest, SCA’s own transport and logistics company, manages
the distribution of our pulp products. A well-functioning distribution
system enables us to deliver products
quickly and reliably to customers
worldwide. Deliveries are dispatched
primarily by ship to strategic ports in
Europe and other parts of the world.
We also deliver pulp by truck and
rail.
Reliability, simplicity and high
transport quality combined with an
outstanding environmental profile
characterize our distribution system.
This requires information support
and today, the integrated IT system
that connects production, inventory,
sales and deliveries is an increasingly
important component of an efficient
logistics system, which contributes to
increased service and product quality
for customers.
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History
1868: Östrand’s industrial operations start following the construction
of a sawmill on the site. The sawmill burns down 1913.
1929: Financier Ivar Kreuger decided to build a kraft pulp mill at
Östrand immediately after forming SCA (Svenska Cellulosa
Aktiebolaget).
1992: Östrand starts producing airlaid, a product with extremely good
absorption qualities that is used in sanitary towels, among other
products.
1995: Östrand acquires a new, virtually closed-loop bleach plant that
bleaches pulp completely without chlorine chemicals.
1932: The first pulp production is carried out.
1996: SCA launches Libresse with Östrand’s airlaid as absorption core.
1936: The kraft pulp mill is expanded and capacity raised to 140,000
tons per year, thereby making Östrand Europe’s largest kraft
pulp mill.
2000: Östrand received FSC, Forest Stewardship Council chain-ofcustody certification.
1945: Bleaching of kraft pulp is installed in one of the four production lines. A chlorine-alkaline plant is erected so Östrand can
produce its own bleaching chemicals.
2001: Following the extensive reconstruction of the boiler, Östrand
gains more capacity for burning biofuel, which reduces the need
for oil by 80 percent.
1946: Östrand begins manufacturing birch kraft pulp.
2002: Östrand’s hardwood pulp epoch comes to an end after 56 years.
Production is totally concentrated on softwood kraft pulp.
1961: A new bleach plant for the entire mill started up.
2003: Östrand’s new dock starts receiving vessels.
1979: SCA makes a decision on the Ö80 project, which implies a total
technical renewal of Östrand with new bark and chip handling,
new fiber line and new chemical recycling and recovery boiler
as well as bleach plant upgrades.
2004: Östrand’s new wastewater-treatment plant placed in full operation. The decision was taken to build a new soda recovery boiler
and a new steam turbine, an investment of SEK 1.6 billion.
1982: Östrand’s CTMP plant starts operation.
2006: On October 9, the new recovery boiler was placed in operation
and shortly thereafter the steam turbine.
1983: Chlorine-alkaline plant shuts down.
1991: A new drying machine, to replace four old ones, starts operations.
AN SCA FOREST PRODUCTS COMPANY
Texts and co-ordination: Anne-Sofie Cadeskog | Layout: Anette Rosenlöv | Photo: Torbjörn Bergkvist, Ralf Bergman, Dan Coleman, Michael
Engman, Olle Hedvall, Olle Melkerhed, Leif Milling, Roine Morin, Per-Anders Sjöqvist, Linda Snell | Printer: Tryckeribolaget Dec 2006
SCA GRAPHIC SUNDSVALL AB
Östrand pulp mill
SE-861 81 TIMRÅ
Tel +46 60 16 40 00
Fax +46 60 57 43 28
www.pulp.sca.com