Update on Global Use of Non-Wood Plant Fibers and Some Prospects for Their Greater Use in the United States, 1998 North America Nonwood Fiber Symposium Proceedings

The global increase in capacity for production of non-wood plant fiber pulps has increased dramatically, during the past 22 years, going from 9.3 million metric tons, or 6.9% of total papermaking pulp capacity in 1975 to 23 million tons in 1997, or 10.9% of total capacity. It is projected to go to 24 million metric ton during 1998 or to 11.2% of total global papermaking pulp capacity. Furthermore, the average annual increase in non-wood pulping capacity has been appreciably higher than the average annual increase in wood pulping capacity, being more than 2.5 times as great from 1975 to 1988, more than three times as fast between 1988 and 1993, and more than 2.8 times as fast during the 1993 to 1998. The increase in global capacity for non-wood pulping between 1997 and 1998 is projected to be a huge 4.7 percent. Straw, bagasse and bamboo are the leading fibers being used, from a quantity standpoint, but many other non-wood plant fibers are also being used, especially for specialty pulps. Pulp production in some five countries is based 100% on non-wood plant fibers and at least nine countries depend upon non-wood fibers for more than 50% of their pulp production, with China and India being the leaders. As a result of the modern technology, which has been developed for collecting, storing, handling and pulping these raw materials, the economics of using them has improved tremendously since straw was abandoned as a primary raw material in many mills in the Midwest, who were producing corrugating medium. This advanced technology , most of which was originally developed in the U.S., for pulping bagasse, is already in use in many countries and has been applied to straw, bamboo, reeds, grasses and cotton linters, and will undoubtedly be applied to other non-wood plant fibers, including kenaf, in the future.