A new project in the western province of Hamedan is aimed at producing paper from lime, head of the provincial industry, mine, and trade organization, Hamidreza Matin, told Mehr News Agency.
Noting that the project is the first of its kind in the country, the official said the innovative technique was initially developed in Canada, the rights of which were later acquired by a Chinese company.
According to the official, the project eliminates the need for the use of wood in papermaking, thus reducing the environmental impacts the production cost.
Lime is an important commodity for the pulp and paper industry. In the pulp manufacturing processes, the interaction between lime and chlorine is used in the preparation of calcium hypochlorite bleach liquor. Calcium hypochlorite, the oldest and cheapest known bleach, is used extensively to bleach the pulp to the desired degree of whiteness.
The official also mentioned a number of other industrial projects being developed in the province, including four new ferrosilicon facilities as well as a facility to produce magnesium from dolomite.
“Investments for these projects have been absorbed and the required permits acquired,” said the official, noting that processing silicon to ferrosilicon increases its market value by about 300-400 times.
