Flexible technology for small-scale pulp production across the world

The BioRegional MiniMill is designed to:

• Enable any country to exploit local fibre resources economically;

• Realise the potential of non-wood fibre sources - ideal in countries with a limited forest resource, reducing pressure on global forests;

• Process hemp, flax, wheat or rice straw and other crop fibres, and be adapted for wood and recovered fibre;

• Introduce new, clean technology for raw material preparation, pulping,bleaching and chemical recovery;

• Save carbon emissions by cutting energy used in transport and recovering energy from the effluent for reuse in the pulping.

‘The MiniMill concept combines innovative technology, local employment and environmental benefits in a visionary new approach to sustainable paper production.'

Jean Paul Jeanrenaud, Head of Business and Industry, Worldwide Fund for Nature International

The company was formed in 1997 to establish a small-scale mill to pulp locally-grown fibre for a range of quality papers and board. Shareholders include six leading paper companies and two environmental organisations, the WorldWide Fund for Nature International and BioRegional Development Group.

A complete pulp mill process line has been designed to optimise the properties of pulps from non-wood fibres, with technology which can be readily adapted to wood fibre.The technical and economic feasibility of the process has been demonstrated through trial work during 1998-2007 carried out with the support of the UK Government and private investment. A prototype design specification with costs has been completed for both a commercial and a demonstration BioRegional MiniMill.

Current shareholders include:

BioRegional Development Group
Curtis Fine Papers
Inveresk plc
James Cropper plc
Tullis Russell Papermakers Ltd
WorldWide Fund for Nature International

BioRegional MiniMills (UK) Ltd are now seeking further partners to commercialise and promote the technology.

The BioRegional MiniMill – design for cleaner production

The industrial scale BioRegional MiniMill will serve as a demonstration unit to promote this approach to small scale pulping. Designed by a team experienced in the field of non-wood fibre processing, the pulping, bleaching and chemical recovery system ensures maximum water and energy efficiency and minimal generation of waste streams.

The MiniMill can be adapted to a range of different fibres and readily transferred to emerging countries where small pulp mill pollution is a serious problem. The MiniMill capacity will be in the range of 10-100 tonnes of pulp per day, a typical amount for pulping of agricultural residues.

Novel BioRegional MiniMill features under development

•A method of opening up the stems, including nodes, to facilitate efficient pulping, whilst
preserving fibre length

•Re-designed twin screw system for improved throughput and pulp quality

•A method to suppress silica from entering the straw black liquor stream

•A small-scale chemical recovery process which burns black liquor cleanly to produce heat and energy and directly recover the pulping chemical

•ECF bleaching system specifically for non-wood fibres

The BioRegional MiniMill – technical innovation plus:

Commercial Scope

•The BioRegional MiniMill is designed to produce a
range of unbleached and bleached pulps

•Bast fibres such as hemp, flax, jute, sisal and abaca give greater foldability, strength and runnability for products such as maps, filters, banknotes and many industrial papers.These long fibres can also be used to upgrade recycled paper

•Wheat straw offers an alternative to hardwood for
printing and writing papers. It gives a good, closed
sheet and adds stiffness to papers making it also
suitable for fluted packaging and heavy embossing

•The MiniMill's scale and adaptability makes it easily
replicable in a wide range of locations

•Projected financial analyses show the MiniMill to be very cost competitive.

Local Advantage

•Using local fibres ensures control of supply and
quality of raw material

•Producing your own pulp brings stability. It allows
independence from the volatile international pulp
market and exchange rate fluctuations

•MiniMills are small enough to allow pulping to be
integrated with existing paper and board mills,
saving energy

•Small-scale mills provide local and rural
employment

•Transportation costs of raw materials are reduced
The addition of pulping to a paper and board mill
brings a higher degree of stability and independence.

• The MiniMill could help to rescue mills closing under legislative pressure as a result of the untreated effluent they produce.

• A paper industry could be generated where forest resources are scarce.

Superior Environmental Performance

•Waste reduction: Agricultural ‘wastes’ such as
straw and bagasse become valuable pulping
materials

•Forest protection: Use of non-wood fibres
relieves pressure on the world's forests to meet
rising demand for paper pulp

•Efficient material use: The MiniMill optimises
raw material utilisation to recover energy and the pulping chemicals.

Energy savings: MiniMill uses 50% less energy
than the latest conventional wood pulp mill and
90% less energy than traditional non-wood pulp
mills.The mill is anticipated to be thermal energy
self-sufficient through the recovery and use of the
organic material in the black liquor effluent. Local
supply means less energy for transport. Energy is
also saved when pulp mills are integrated with
paper manufacture.

Pollution prevention: A closed loop totally
chlorine-free system to minimise releases to land,air and water

For more information about the BioRegional MiniMill:
Contact BioRegional
Tel: 020 8404 4885
Fax: 020 8404 4893
e-mail: brmm@bioregional.com

Last updated 14th January 2004