From wood to valuable products

Effective use of the entire timber stock

Borregaard aims to use as much as possible of their raw materials in the production process. The company utilises the different component parts of the timber in a range of different products.

The production of chemical products based on timber is carried out in many steps:

• The bark is removed, and the logis cut into chips. The bark is a valuable source of energy, and Borregaard gets considerable amounts of heat energy from the bark incineration plant.

• The chippings are treated so that the cellulose fibres are released. The cellulose goes through a range of bleaching and purifying stages before drying and packing.

• The remaining parts of the timber, which includes binding agents and sugar compounds, are separated in the pulping process. This flow of raw material (waste liquor) is sent to the ethanol factory where the sugar is converted into ethanol through fermentation.

• The sugar free waste liquor contains lignin which is a starting point for the production of a range of valuable products produced in the lignin and vanillin factories.

• The residual organic material from the timber which is not included in any products goes to a biological treatment plant where the material is broken down with the help of bacteria. In this process biogas (methane) is produced, which is used as an energy source. The biological mud from the break down process is burned in the bark incineration plant.

Access to sustainable raw materials

Borregaard's manufacturing activities are based to a large extent on natural, renewable raw materials; wood. For all processes optimum use of resources is focused on, something that contributes to limiting the need for raw materials.

Borregaard wants to secure their supply of wood from forests that are managed according to internationally approved principles for sustainable operations. Borregaard's timber comes from Scandinavia where there are recognised criteria for the management of forests.