Rice Straw is back: CPPRI intends to establish a mother pulp mill in North India

Rice Straw is back: CPPRI intends to establish a mother pulp mill in North India

-Rice Straw pulp is not much challenging for making packaging paper

Chennai | 17th November 2022 | The Pulp and Paper Times:

Like other industries, the pulp and paper industry is currently undergoing a process of technological change focused on increasing sustainability and improving the environmental impact of its activities in response to consumer concerns.

Stressing upon the use of rice straw pulp for the production of packaging grade paper, Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI)’s Director, Dr. M.K. Gupta says that future of paper industry lies in packaging. Before pandemic, the production share of packaging segment was around 45% to 50%, but now it has been grown to the 70%. In writing and printing segment, it was 35%, but now it has been reduced to around 20%. Our Newsprint sector was earlier about 6% and reduced to around 3% as we are expected to reduce further to 2%. So there is scope for the paper industry to grow in the segment of packaging. And for packaging, we need paper and for packaging we can produce the good amount of pulp from rice straw also. Rice Straw pulp is not much challenging for making packaging paper. It is challenging for the making of writing and printing paper. 

Addressing to a panel discussion during the technical conferences held during Chennai Paperex Exhibition, Dr. Gupta informed the august gathering that 10 to 15 years back, rice straw was used for the packaging paper, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the southern part of the country. But due to the environmental constraint, we had been forced to close down all the rice straw-based paper industry. We have to look after the use of rice straw for manufacturing of packaging grade paper. For that we have developed different technology because the Silica was a big culprit for using the rice straw. Now, we have developed technology which has been demonstrated in two paper mills. 

Dr. Gupta discloses that with the support of Development Council for Pulp, Paper and Allied Industries (DCPPAI), very soon, CPPRI would establish one demo project of a mother pulp mill in the northern part of the country because rice straw is a big problem there. We are doing work for that one, and we need the support from DCPPI to establish one mother pulp mill based on this agro-waste residue. This rice straw pulp can be used for the cutlery also because currently the cutlery we are using that is made from the Bagasse pulp, but rice straw pulp can also be used for that purpose.

“We are developing barrier properties in our paper and very soon we will come with some projects and we are developing a food grade paper testing laboratory in CPPRI. Because food Grade packaging is using plastic materials, we can't 100% remove the plastic but we are developing an alternate products so that the plastic can be removed in Tetra pack type of packaging in our system so that the barrier properties will be developed. We will also be able to pack our liquid items in the paper 100%” he added.

Indian paper industry plays a vital role in the overall industry's growth and also provides a necessary medium to propel our knowledge based economy forward in the new millennium. The literacy rate of the society is matured and measured in terms of the consumption of the paper all over the world. Having mentioned the paper industry I would like to indicate the fact that the pepper industry in Indiais to drive a long way to catch up the prepaid nations in the world. Many countries like Japan USA account per capita consumption of more than 300 kg whereas in our country it is as low as 18 kg. Now the CAGR combined annual growth rate stands at four to four 5%.Therefore you will appreciate that we need to grow more to be a player in the paper industry in the industrial arena competing the international players.
 

Web Title: Rice Straw is back: CPPRI intends to establish a mother pulp mill in North India