{"id":281744,"date":"2019-04-16T15:31:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T18:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=281744"},"modified":"2019-04-16T15:31:47","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T18:31:47","slug":"paper-from-cane-fiber-and-leaves-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/paper-from-cane-fiber-and-leaves-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper from cane fiber and leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves<\/span><\/a> Printer paper produced in Colombia using pulp from sugarcane waste fiberL\u00e9o Ramos Chaves<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Two companies are transforming waste from sugarcane into pulp and paper. In February 2017, FibraResist opened a factory to produce pulp from sugarcane leaves in Len\u00e7\u00f3is Paulista, a sugar-growing region in the interior of S\u00e3o Paulo. The company prioritizes applications in the packaging industry, although the technology also allows tissues to be produced for napkins, toilet paper, and paper towels. Since 2009, GCE, a company headquartered in the city of S\u00e3o Paulo, produced EcoQuality printing paper in partnership with the Colombian company Propal using the fibers that remain after pressing sugarcane as a raw material.<\/p>\n

FibraResist is the result of an innovative production process. In 2009, the industrial chemist Jos\u00e9 Sivaldo de Souza presented the board of the Cem group, which works in construction, rubber, and agriculture, with a proposal to produce pulp using sugarcane waste. He knew that Cem, where he works, was looking to diversify its activities.<\/p>\n

The group decided to invest R$6 million in developing the project. The studies had the support of researchers from the Federal University of Vi\u00e7osa (UFV), who selected cane leaf fiber as a raw material, analyzed the pulp produced, and studied a cold production process that does not use boilers to cook the fiber. The company has filed a patent request with the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) to protect its entire production process. Among the products developed by the company is a biodispersant that separates cellulose from lignin, a molecule that acts as a natural glue and makes plant cells rigid. In the traditional production system, this separation occurs during cooking; however, the cold process does not require energy to feed the boilers and eliminates industrial gas emissions.<\/p>\n

The process developed by the company also involves a closed circuit of water, which is treated and reused, and its end waste is used as fertilizer. \u201cIt is a process designed to be environmentally sustainable,\u201d says M\u00e1rio Welber, FibraResist\u2019s director of institutional relations. The plant required investments of R$25 million, R$10.5 million of which was funded by Desenvolve SP, a funding agency in S\u00e3o Paulo. Its production capacity is 70,000 tons (t) per year. At the moment, it is in a commissioning phase during which the equipment and industrial process are tested from start to finish and produce on a small scale. Current production is 6 t of pulp per day, which is heading to the company\u2019s first customer, Sanovo Greenpack Embalagens, a producer of egg cartons and trays for fruit. \u201cThe paper is also being tested by two other potential customers,\u201d says Welber.<\/p>\n

A good use for agricultural waste<\/strong>
\nFibraResist developed a production system using sugarcane leaves to produce cellulose pulp<\/em><\/p>\n

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