25 June 2021. Red Leaf Pulp Ltd., developer of a proprietary low-carbon pulping process, and Valmet, Ltd. have signed a long-term Teaming Agreement to exclusively collaborate and pursue commercialization of Red Leaf's innovative ag-based pulping process in North America, employing Valmet's fiberline and other value-added equipment.
Red Leaf's initial plant in Regina Saskatchewan is expected to start commercial production in 2023 and will have the capacity to produce 600 tonnes per day of market pulp from waste wheat straw collected and aggregated from local producers.
"We are pleased to partner with Valmet in developing this new pathway for ag-feedstock pulp. The technology has been successfully proven through piloting at Valmet's Fiber Technology Center in Sundsvall, Sweden and will comfortably scale to achieve strong financial returns." said Martin Pudlas, CEO of Red Leaf Pulp. "Valmet's team has been terrific to work with and their technical capability and equipment options are second to none. We appreciate the confidence shown in our process and our team, and look forward to completing final feasibility and project finance with Valmet's invaluable support."
"The growth of ag-feedstock pulp processing in North America is an exciting development for the pulp and paper industry, with many positive impacts to sustainable business," adds Drew Humphries, Vice President, Pulp & Energy – North America for Valmet. "Red Leaf Pulp is a very innovative Company and we are proud to combine our expertise with them towards the success of this effort."
About Red Leaf Pulp Ltd.
Red Leaf Pulp is developing the first non-wood pulp mill in Canada, producing a unique unbleached product demanded by the USD$350 Billion paper and packaging market. Red Leaf was established in 2019 by Darby Kreitz, the founder of Allnorth Consultants, a 500-person engineering firm with offices across Canada and in Atlanta, GA. Allnorth has significant experience in the design and commissioning of non-wood pulp mills in the United States and Europe, in addition to 26 years providing engineering services to the conventional wood pulp and paper industry.
About Valmet Ltd.
Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.
Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.
Valmet's net sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 3.7 billion. Our 14,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.