OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2011. Ilim Group’s investment project on cooking pulp from larch  wood has entered it’s critical phase. On May, 24 pilot tests were held – shulphite chemical grade pulp from larch was cooked by steam prehydrolysis. Pilot tests were held at two boilers. On May, 25 the next stage of tests would begin – cooking of shulphate pulp from larch wood by preliminary water extraction for paper and board production.

For the project’s realization Bratsk construction site was chosen – the mill has all needed technological decisions such as batch cooking boiler.

The project of cooking pulp from larch wood was worked out by Ilim Group and St. Petersburg University of Plant Polymers. This project is a winner of state contest for creation of science absorbing industry. Work on this 2 year project was started back in 2010.

“There is nearly 1 million m3 of larch wood in Irkutsk oblast, - says managing director, technology and manufacturing services of Ilim Group Sergey Pondar, - We hope to find a way to use these resources in more efficient way and produce new sort of pulp”.