What is cellulose and why is it important?

Cellulose is the main structural component of plants, a natural polysaccharide that provides rigidity and strength.

At Paracel, we extract cellulose from eucalyptus through an industrial process that separates the fiber from other elements of the wood, generating an essential raw material for sustainable and recyclable products.

From paper to packaging and medical devices, cellulose is key in the transition toward biodegradable alternatives that reduce environmental impact.

 

Paracel Industrial Complex

Innovation for the global market

The Paracel industrial complex will be the first and largest pulp production center in Paraguay.

Designed for a capacity of 1.8 million tons per year, this complex will mainly supply customers in Asia and Europe, responding to the growing demand for sustainable products in international markets.

Strategically located near the Paraguay River, the industrial complex has state-of-the-art facilities in a large area dedicated to efficient and responsible production. Paracel will not only strengthen the local economy through alliances with regional suppliers and producers, but it will also contribute to a more sustainable future, providing a recyclable and biodegradable raw material for a variety of essential products.

Our cellulose production process

Cultivation and Harvesting
Eucalyptus trees are planted, grown for about seven years, and harvested. The bark and branches are left on the ground as organic matter.
Chipping
The logs are cut into small chips to facilitate cellulose extraction.
Digestion (Kraft Process)
The chips are processed in the digester with steam and chemicals using the Kraft process.
Washing and Bleaching
The pulp is washed and bleached to improve its purity and appearance.
Drying and Packaging
he cellulose is dried, arranged in sheets and is ready for transport.

The Kraft Process

1

Evaporation and Combustion of Black Liquor

The recovery boiler evaporates the water from the black liquor and burns the organic matter, generating heat for steam production.

2

Recuperación de Subproductos

3

Regeneración de Químicos

Advantages of the process

Work with any type of wood.
Recovers cooking liquor, generates steam and electricity for self-consumption
It produces cellulose with high whiteness and resistance

Are you interested in visiting the industrial component?

At Paracel, we open our doors to universities, colleges, and groups interested in learning more about our industrial component and sustainable production practices.

          Visits are subject to an application process, which we will carefully evaluate to ensure a safe and enriching experience.

Request a Visit

Other Components

Industrial Component

Paracel will build and operate its mill to the highest global sustainability standards. It will be one of the world's most competitive pulp producers, serving the global market. The mill is designed for a capacity of 1.8 million tons of bleached eucalyptus kraft paper (BHKP) per year.

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Logistics Component

The plant is located on the Paraguay River, which flows into the Río de la Plata. The combination of the extensive river, the year-round uniform climate, and the fact that two-thirds of the roads surrounding the plant are paved, creates an optimal logistics solution for transporting products and materials to and from the plant site.

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FAQs

What market will Paracel sell cellulose to?

The main markets to which Paracel will sell its production will be Asia and Europe.

How will the wood reach the industrial plant?

All the wood for the production of Paracel will arrive at the factory cut into logs without bark to be divided into small chips. Trucks and barges will be used for transportation, depending on the origin and distance from where the wood is found.

Can people enter and visit the industrial plant?

Paracel has an internal procedure for requesting and approving visits. For more information, go to the following link: Request for Visits.

What is the Kraft process and why did Paracel choose this process?

The Kraft process processes black liquor and regenerates cooking chemicals. The recovery boiler is the central point in the Kraft process recovery system and performs the following functions:Evaporate waste water from black liquor.Combustion organic matter from black liquor with the highest possible thermal efficiency and provide heat for steam production.Reduce oxidized sulfur compounds to sodium sulfide (chemicals used in production) and transformation of sodium salts into sodium carbonate.Recover inorganic compounds in salt or molten form.Paracel opted for this Kraft process because of the advantages it offers:It is versatile, that is, it can be worked with any type of wood.It allows the recovery of cooking liquor, the production of steam and electricity for self-consumption.It allows the recovery of by-products.It allows obtaining a high level of whiteness in the product and a high-strength pulp.

Could water extremes such as drought or floods affect the flow of the product through the river?

Water extremes can eventually affect. For this reason, Paracel has planned a contingency plan for the case of an extreme downpour of the Paraguay River in the Concepción area. This plan contemplates land transport to a port south of the city of Asunción; in that port, barges would be loaded to transport cellulose to the ocean terminal.

How will cellulose be shipped to the market?

The 250kg bales of cellulose will be loaded on barges and transported across the Paraguay River, to the maritime terminal that will be located in a port in Uruguay, where they will be loaded onto overseas ships for their final destination (Asia, Europe, and other countries of the world).

What will Paracel's production volume be?

The Paracel industrial plant is designed for a capacity of 1.8 million tons of bleached Kraft eucalyptus cellulose per year.

Can other products other than the company disembark or ship at the port of Paracel?

No. The Paracel port is designed exclusively for loading cellulose and for receiving raw materials such as wood and supplies for our industrial plant.

Is there enough market to sell all the cellulose that Paracel and the other companies in the world will produce?

Yes. The demand for paper for packaging and/or for sanitary purposes has shown an increase that is proportional to the growth of the world population. Also, there is a global trend that encourages the replacement of plastic with paper, taking into account that the latter has a shorter decomposition time. For example, if we only focus on China, it is the country with the highest pulp deficit and needs to secure at least 10 m tons of cellulose by 2025.

What is cellulose used for?

Cellulose is a raw material applied to various everyday materials: writing paper, packaging, books and magazines, toilet paper, diapers, tissues and even special papers, among others. Our raw material is vegetable, which allows us to develop biodegradable and recyclable products.

Is there a history of other pulp mills in Paraguay?

No. Paracel will be the first pulp mill in Paraguay.

Will Paracel make paper?

No. Paracel will produce the raw material for the manufacture of paper.

What is the cellulose production process?

It all starts when the eucalyptus tree is planted, cultivated and harvested with great care. After a cycle of approximately seven years, the eucalyptus is cut, peeled and transported to the industrial plant. Barks, leaves and twigs remain in the soil to become organic matter. Upon arrival at the factory, the wood logs are cut into small pieces, called chips. The purpose of chipping is to reduce the trunks to fragments, facilitating the penetration of the cooking liquor from chemical processes. The preparation of chips is an important operation, because the final quality of the paste depends on it. In the digester, a machine that works like a “large pressure cooker”, the wood, in contact with steam and chemicals, is processed and transformed into cellulose and lignin pulp. In continuous digesters, the chips are introduced continuously through special valves, the products being discharged simultaneously in the same proportion. Once cooked, the cellulose is washed, purified, bleached, dried, pressed and packed into bales. In the washing and purification process, impurities are removed, quality is increased, appearance is improved, bleaching costs are reduced and pulp handling is improved. Bleaching is a sequence of physical and chemical treatments to which it is subjected The pulp cellulose to improve some of its properties such as whiteness, cleaning and chemical purity, promoting a better interaction of the pulp with light. Bleaching makes it possible to increase the capacity of paper to accept printing or images and, consequently, to increase the usefulness of the papers. This means that during bleaching, the pulp is purified, meaning that the unwanted particles that contaminate the fibers are removed. During drying, which is the final process, water is removed from the cellulose. After drying, the pulp sheets are cut and organized into bales, making it easy to transport.

What is cellulose?

Cellulose is a polysaccharide, that is, it is a carbohydrate similar to sugar and is the main component of the cell wall of plant fibers, which provides rigidity and firmness to plants. Cellulose together with lignin, resins and minerals are the elements that make up wood. Cellulose represents about 50% of all wood, a raw material that gives rise to several products that we use on a daily basis.

Where does cellulose come from?

Cellulose is obtained from the trunk of the tree (at Paracel we will use eucalyptus wood) through an industrial process. It is extracted in the form of a paste, separating it from lignin, resins and minerals, the latter being used to generate renewable energy (electricity) to supply the industrial plant.