The pulp and paper industry of the Russian Federation is considered a complex industry. It is associated with the mechanical processing of wood and its subsequent chemical processing. The result of this work is the production of paper, cardboard, pulp, as well as other products from them.
Industry features
The pulp and paper industry is distinguished by the following features:
- High material consumption - about 5-6 cubic meters of wood (wood) is required to get one ton of cellulose.
- Significant water capacity - 350 cubic meters of water are needed to produce a ton of pulp.
- High energy intensity - it is required to spend about 2000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per ton of production.
Based on the foregoing, it follows that the pulp and paper mill should be located near forest resources, not far from large water bodies, and this should be accompanied by the availability of the necessary energy capacities.
Territorial location of the pulp and paper mill
The Russian Federation, thanks to its vast territory, has very rich forest resources. This factor is a powerful incentive for the development of the industry, which is able to provide domestic demand in any volume and to increase export volumes in significant quantities. Large pulp and paper mills in Russia are able to solve these problems in the shortest possible time.
A distinctive modern feature of the pulp and paper industry is the creation in its interests of timber industry complexes. This implies a combination of logging facilities with various production capacities on a certain territory. Currently, the largest forestry complexes in the Russian Federation are: Arkhangelsk, Syktyvkarsky (Northern Economic Region), Asinovsky, Ust-Ilimsky, Bratsky, Yenisei (Siberia), Amursky (Far East).
Pulp and paper mills use sophisticated and expensive equipment in their technological processes. The main goal is the production of products with the highest added value. The PPM manufacturing index is considered one of the highest in comparison with other manufacturing industries. Paper mills are very important for the economic development of the Russian Federation. Especially for science, education and culture.
Products
Pulp and paper mills in Russia produce a line of diverse products. First of all, it is paper and cardboard. All kinds of stationery, sanitary products, household products.
Cellulose is actively used in the textile, food, chemical industries, in the production of perfumes, in the electrical and electronic fields. It is irreplaceable in medicine, military-industrial complex, and agriculture. Without it, it is difficult to imagine aircraft manufacturing, car manufacturing.
Soluble cellulose is required in the manufacture of viscose - the foundation in the manufacture of textiles. New applications include the manufacture of carbon fiber, biodegradable plastics, and nanocellulose.
Pulp and paper by-products are widely used. Ethyl alcohol, turpentine, furfural, tall oil , etc. are actively used in various industries, primarily in the oil and gas industry.
Production process
The pulp manufacturing process at Russian pulp and paper mills includes a number of steps.
Initially, in the grinding workshops, the tree is sorted. He is prayed, subjected to cleaning, chemicals are introduced (paint is added or special chemical fillers). Next, the resulting mass is sent to cooking tanks (boilers).
To obtain cellulose from this raw material, three cooking methods are used: sulfate, sulfite, neutral sulfite.
The cellulose that was selected for further chemical processing, including for the manufacture of artificial fiber, is refined (it is processed with alkaline solutions). To give the desired color, bleaching is carried out.
Typically, cellulose and wood pulp are formed into bales for easy storage and transportation.
The next stage is drying and pressing. Paper and cardboard are obtained as a result of repeated rolling and drying of the canvas in special devices. At the exit, rolls of finished products are formed. Dimensions are predefined by the programs of specific machines. Next, the rolls are cut using slitting machines and stored.
Pulp and paper structures
At present, the list of pulp and paper mills in Russia totals about 150 enterprises. The largest of them are about thirty. They are located in the Perm Territory, the Republic of Karelia, the Republic of Mari El, the Republic of Komi, the Arkhangelsk, Irkutsk, and Nizhny Novgorod Regions.
5 pulp and paper mills in Russia, which are leaders in production - pulp and paper mill in Koryazhma (Arkhangelsk region), pulp and paper mill in Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk (Irkutsk region), “Mondi SLPK” (Komi Republic), Arkhangelsk pulp and paper mill.
It is worth noting that about 75% of the net (marketable) pulp is produced by the industry giant - Ilim JSC, which has many branches. These include the largest pulp and paper mill in Russia, located in Koryazhma.
Statistics
Russian pulp industry can count on 809 million hectares of Russian forest reserves. Pulp and paper mills produce about 8.2 million tons of pulp and wood pulp per year. Of these, about 2.5 million tons of market pulp. PPM also produce about 8.5 million tons of paper and cardboard. Statistics show that the Russian Federation in the world production of fibrous semi-finished products is in 8th place and in 13th place in the production of paper and cardboard. About 2.2 million tons of market pulp is exported. Its main recipient is China.
Current issues and favorable conditions
The export of Russian goods mainly consists of market pulp, newsprint, writing and printing paper, semi-finished products for the manufacture of cardboard packaging and other packaging.
The composition of the import of paper products into Russia is goods with a high added value. However, the volume of imports to Russia has recently fallen significantly. This is facilitated by a number of factors, among which the depreciation of the ruble, as well as the overall decline in the use of cardboard and paper products in the country.
But, as experts in the pulp and paper industry say, the drop in imports has positive aspects. So, many pulp and paper mills have begun to successfully implement import substitution programs. For example, the production of coated and easily coated papers began, an increase in the production of sanitary-hygienic products was recorded. It should be noted that the second direction is developing most successfully. First of all, this is the manufacture of paper napkins, tablecloths, and toilet paper.
Prospects
The prospects of Russian pulp and paper mills in Russia are assessed by experts as "having the potential for significant growth." According to their estimates, a serious increase in demand for pulp and paper mill products is expected in the next 10 years. It is estimated at approximately 500 million tons annually by 2030. The main consumers of pulp in the world will be China and Asia.
With this in mind, it is seen that pulp and paper mills located in the East Siberian region and the Far East, especially in those places where there is the necessary ratio of energy, water, and forest resources, can seriously increase their participation in promising Asian markets. These prerequisites have already been understood and incorporated into the strategy for the development of forestry in Russia until 2030.
Development plans, their practical implementation
Over the past decade, a number of pulp and paper mills in Russia have carried out serious work to upgrade equipment. Significant investment funds were attracted. As a result, production has increased, and the range of products has grown. New factories are also starting to build. So, in the Trans-Baikal Territory, the construction of a pulp and paper mill, which will produce about 400 thousand tons of unbleached pulp, is in the process of completion.
Due to the fact that many enterprises carried out modernization of production, illiquid assets appeared in pulp and paper mills in Russia in large volumes, which are put up for sale.
Projects are also being developed to create a pulp and paper mill in Vladimir (the city of Alexandrov), Kostroma (the city of Ney), Tyumen (the city of Turtas), Chita (the city of Amazar) regions. The list of paper mills in Russia is constantly updated, mainly upward. Currently, work is underway to study the possibility of building new industries in the Novgorod, Kirov, Vologda regions, as well as in other regions of Russia.