“The extractive substances surround the wood fibers like soap and are one of the reasons why so much energy is required to produce pulp. If we could remove half of the extractive substances, energy needs would fall by about 15 percent,” Bengt Wikman, Head of Chemical and Mechanical Pulp at SCA R&D Center in Sundsvall tells SCA Inside, an internal magazone for SCA employees. Wikman adds:“Paper properties and runnability in the paper machines would also improve, if we could reduce the extractive substances in the pulp.”The new challenge for researchers lies in finding suitable methods for removing the extractive substances from the wood. If it could be possible to separate the extractive substances from the wood fibers effectively, they could also be used as raw materials in soap, adhesives or impregnating agents. But there is a lot of work remaining before the researchers can speak about specific products.“First of all we need an efficient method for separating the extractive substances from the process water. Only then we can decide what products might apply,” says Marie Eriksson, Head of Sustainable Chemistry, to SCA Inside.