Technologies for Sustainable Manufacturing of Pulp and Paper Products

Goal:  Develop six detailed, shared-vision roadmaps for research and development of breakthrough technologies for sustainable manufacturing of pulp and paper products and advanced bio-based materials.

Background:  U.S. pulp and paper manufacturers generate annual sales of $115 billion and employ 400,000 people, mostly in rural areas. The industry needs new transformational manufacturing technologies to accomplish key performance-improvement objectives, including reducing energy demands, conserving water, increasing recycling and recovery of waste products, and developing wood-derived green chemicals, feedstocks, and biofuels.

Approach:  The Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, an industry-led consortium that promotes development of advanced technologies for the pulp and paper industry, and its partners engaged the industry to identify opportunities for developing and implementing advanced manufacturing technologies that will improve global competitiveness.

Outcome: The group produced six detailed actionable roadmaps that define paths for research and steps for implementation. Specific topics for the six roadmaps were determined through the alliance's engagement and outreach efforts, with two broad categories of technological need and opportunity—sustainable manufacturing and advanced biogenic materials—providing an overarching focus.

Lead: Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance

Funded Participants: Energetics, Inc. (Columbia, MD); KMB Consulting, Inc. (Anderson, SC)
Award Number:  70NANB14H040
Federal Funding:  $482,078
Project Duration:  21 months
AMTech Project Manager:  Jean-Louis Staudenmann

More information:  https://www.appti.org/