Ence – Energía y Celulosa has started the execution works of the project that will allow the Navia biofactory to supply cellulose for absorbent products, called cellulose fluff.
The marketing of this new range of products with greater added value will begin in the last quarter of 2025 and will allow increasing the competitiveness of the biofactory, through entry into New markets.
Thanks to the execution of this project, it will be possible to reduce European dependence on this range of products, imported mainly from the United States, reducing the carbon footprint through a more efficient process in the use of wood.
The investment, of 30 million euros, will make the current process for the production of this product more flexible. special paste for absorbent hygiene products, reaching the replacement of up to 125,000 current tons of standard pulp per fluff cellulose.
The line will have the best production technologies in the segment, contributing to production of a high quality product and meeting the highest standards through an eco-efficient process, like the one that already characterizes the Ence Asturian biofactory.
Specifically, the work will include the modification of one of the current pulp finishing lines, to allow for forming and shipping in the form of coils, as well as other adjustments to the production line, production, necessary for its adaptation to the new product.
Fluff is a type of cellulose that is applied in a multitude of hygiene and absorbent products, such as diapers, feminine hygiene products and incontinence protection products, among others. It is equally suitable for use on different non-woven fabrics, such as moistened wipes, napkins, tablecloths, absorbent pads for food and various products used in the sector doctor and pharmacist.
Ence Navia’s fluff pasta will be the first in Europe to be manufactured from eucalyptus wood. He The use of this wood will add value to absorbent products due to its differentiating characteristics: greater softness, less volume and, therefore, greater discretion and savings in packaging materials and transport, greater dryness of the product in contact with the user’s skin and reduction of the risk of dermatitis.
This line of investment will, therefore, allow production in Asturias, and based on wood of local origin and from responsible cultivation, a raw material that is currently mostly imported from North America. Ence Navia’s fluff pulp will be destined mainly to the European market. With this, In addition to achieving a lower environmental footprint of the final product, it contributes to the sustainability of the entire production chain of absorbent products, since they are natural fibers, compostable and biodegradable.
TAPPI
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