Papier Masson gets funds for wood-plastic composites
December 7, 2016
By Pulp and Paper Canada staff
Dec. 7, 2016 - White Birch Paper’s Papier Masson mill in Gatineau, Que., is receiving $12.5 million from the Canadian and Quebec governments to produce wood fibre for the production of wood-plastic composites, the first project of its kind in North America.
The investment will help the Masson-Angers mill produce 40 tonnes per day of densified wood fibre while reducing its energy consumption by 15 per cent. This fibre, notes Papier Masson, will replace non-renewable polymers to make wood-plastic composites for diverse products such as interior car door panels.
More than 110 local jobs will be secured as a result of the project, and new positions of mill operations will be created.
“This project is an important strategic investment that will help strengthen employment at Papier Masson, bringing positive benefits to the surrounding community,” said Stéphane Deshaies, general manager of Papier Masson WB L.P.
The feds are providing $10 million while the Quebec government is providing $2.5 million for this project. Funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program and Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
“Our government is proud to support initiatives such as the one proposed by White Birch for its plant in Masson, a unique and innovative new technology that is a first in North America,” continued Luc Blanchette, Quebec minister of forests, wildlife and parks. “The new fibre that can be extracted by this process will significantly enable the company to replace fibreglass and polymers in various applications. This project will have positive impacts on the regional forestry stream, through the greater use of wood chips, as well as on the fight against climate change by replacing fossil products with products made from renewable resources. This funding ties directly into the initiatives of the Forum Innovation Bois.”
The mill currently produces approximately 240,000 metric tons of newsprint annually on its 8.4-meter-wide paper machine with pulp, describing it as the largest single-line thermomechanical pulping process in the world.
Learn more at: www.pulpandpapercanada.com/sustainability/feds-quebec-invest-$125m-in-papier-masson-cleantech-project-1100000469
Print this page
