Welcome to paperChain
Innovative new circular business models
Waste streams generated by the Pulp & Paper industry
Most of the current waste streams generated by the Pulp & Paper industry (PPI) are currently disposed to landfills or burnt for energy production. Inorganic wastes are basically used as cement raw material and to a lesser extent as soil amendment in forestry applications. These solutions have a low added value and are dependent on the existence of cement kilns and acid soils in the vicinity of the mills, reducing their potential valorisation. Although there is extensive academic research on the waste valorisation to enhance the utilization of paper mill waste streams, there is still a lack of alternatives proved at real scale under operational conditions.
Innovation brought by the project
Paperchain is a demonstrative project that proposes innovative applications for different underused PPI waste streams, proving their technical, economic and environmental feasibility in five circular business models through real scale pilots.The project aims at unlocking the situation that hinders the proposed solutions to reach the market, including not only technical issues, but legal, social and economic factors.
To overcome these barriers, the project has involved the whole value chain and provides transparency of their outcomes, being public awareness a priority.
paperChain at a glance
The overall objective of PAPERCHAIN is to deploy five novel circular economy models centred in the valorisation of the waste streams generated by the Pulp and Paper Industry (PPI) as secondary raw material for a number of resource intensive sectors: construction sector, mining sector and chemical industry.
The Project
PAPERCHAIN project brings in an industrial symbiosis model centered in the use of different waste streams generated by the European Pulp and Paper Industry, as valuable feedstock for three resource hungry industrial sectors: construction sector, mining sector and the chemical industry.
The Consortium
Composed by 20 partners from 5 countries (Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, France and Sweden). The partners along with the supporting parties cover the whole value chain of each local demonstration activity, which includes academia, public authorities, waste generators and end-users.
Circular Cases
PAPERCHAIN aims to unlock the potential of a resource efficient model based on industrial symbiosis which will demonstrate the potential of the major non-hazardous waste streams generated by the PPI (i.e. green liquor dregs, grits, lime mud, paper sludge fly ash, deinking paper and fibre sludge) as valuable secondary raw materials.
REAL SCALE DEMONSTRATORS
Five different Circular Economy Models will be carried out through Real Scale demonstrators
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News

INNOVACARRETERA 2019
During the 29th, 30th and 31st of October, the two most important events in the Road sector in Spain were held jointly: the 30th Road Week (organised by the Spanish Road Association) and Innovacarretera 2019 (organised by the PTC - Road Technology Platform). This...
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5TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY EN AVEIRO (PORTUGAL) AND WORKSHOP ON INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS
The 5th General Assembly of the paperChain project and an open workshop on industrial symbiosis were held in the Portuguese city of Aveiro on 13 and 14 November 2019. The follow-up meetings were completed with a visit to the locations where the two demonstrators...
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paperchain was present at the 19th European Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (ERSCP 2019)
paperChain was present at the European Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (ERSCP) is one of Europe's most remarkable conferences in its field and has taken place periodically since 1994. ERSCPs favour discussions about the key issues in sustainable...
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The paper “Alternative secondary raw materials for road construction, based on Pulp and Paper industry reject. Paperchain Project” is awarded with the prize for BEST INNOVATION in the 26th Abu Dhabi World Road Congress
The paper was co-authored by a team from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, ACCIONA Construction and TECNALIA and it was one of the eight World Road Association Prizes. The oral communication presented the outcomes of the research conducted to demonstrate the...
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