First came the replacement of chlorine bleaching with techniques that reduce environmental pollution, says Yonghao Ni, director of the Dr. Jack McKenzie Limerick Pulp and Paper Research and Education Centre at the University of New Brunswick, in Fredericton. Then, based in part on his team’s findings, companies began refining other products they could sell, such as cellulose for textiles, hemicellulose for food additives and lignin for fuel. These co-products are part of a transformation in the industry called “forest biorefinery.”
“It’s difficult to make money in the forestry industry,” says Ni. “So in areas of decreased production cost and of improved product, companies are very interested in research that helps their bottom line.”
STATISTICS
Proportion of Canada’s pulp and paper output that comes from Atlantic Canada 12%
Proportion of that output that comes from New Brunswick 9%
SOURCE: Limerick Pulp and Paper Research and Education Centre
