Like any other modern chemical pulp mill, Veracel’s pulp mill generates a surplus of electricity from wooden biomass. Veracel, a joint venture of Stora Enso and Fibria in southern Bahia, receives renewable raw material from its fast-growing eucalyptus plantations close to the mill.
More precisely, the main energy source for the pulp mill’s bioelectricity comes from organic matter called black liquor, a by-product of the pulp making process. Black liquor consists of water, pulp-cooking chemicals and organic matter derived from wood. The pulp-cooking chemicals are separated and reused, while the organic matter is burned in the mill’s boilers to run the turbines and generate electricity. Veracel also uses wood chips to generate electricity. Black liquor fuels around 95 per cent of Veracel’s bioelectricity and wood chips around 5 per cent.
