Essity plans to start producing straw pulp at its Mannheim mill in Germany in the summer. Work on the mill whcih makes pulp and tissue is proceeding according to plan.
Work on the new production plant at Essity’s German site in Mannheim is proceeding on schedule. The traditional German roofing ceremony was held on 18 February. The core component of the plant, a 30 m tall bleaching tower, has now been completed, the company reports.
Essity is building a pilot plant covering an area of 8,000 m², which can reportedly produce pulp using wheat straw as a raw material. The annual capacity of the pulp from wheat straw is put at 35,000 t. Essity is investing €40m in the project.
The new plant will be completed in the summer of 2021. It will then produce pulp from wheat straw for the first time. The alternative pulp will serve as an additive to virgin-fiber as well as recycled pulp in industrial tissue production,, Essity said.
The Mannheim tissue mill and converting facility employs around 2,000 persons and is the company’s biggest European production site with the capacity to produce 220,000 t of pulp and 283,000 tpy of sanitary paper. The site houses five tissue machines and 23 converting lines. The paper is converted in Mannheim into pocket tissues, kitchen wipes, toilet paper, paper towels and napkins.
