The manufacturing of pulp in all its simplicity is the cooking of wood raw  material in a specific chemical solution in order to get rid of the connective and adhesive properties of wood. The resulting cooked, cotton wool-like pulp can be used as raw material in the manufacture of paper and folding box board.  In reality, however, the manufacturing of pulp is not quite so simple -- not when the goal is to create just the right kind of raw material for the various kinds of papers and packaging boards.  That is when having profound fibre expertise is crucial. 

Materials are used sparingly in the manufacturing process of sulphate pulp. One half of the wood raw material is utilised as pulp fibre. The other half is utilised as fuel in the production of heat and electricity.

Recovery of cooking chemicals takes place in the recovery boiler and the chemicals are regenerated for reuse by means of causticising. The gradual shutting down of water cycles and increasing of process-internal cleaning have reduced the volume of effluents and, as a result, the loading of waterways has also diminished. Effluents are treated biologically before they are discharged into waterways. Fuel gases are scrubbed, and malodorous gases originating in the process are recovered and burned.

The production processes of the mills are continuously improved for better quality, higher production efficiency and lower environmental loading. This development is supported by close cooperation within Botnia's five pulp mills. (See environmental section for more details.)

The pulp manufacturing process

A pulp mill comprises two main stages. At the fibre line wood is converted into pulp. At the recovery stage energy is produced from the used cooking solution, black liquor, and the cooking chemicals of black liquor are recovered for reuse.  

Open "Pulp manufacture and use" diagram	Modern Pulp Mill
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