Introduction

The pulp and paper industry comprises a large and growing portion of the world’s economy. Pulp and paper production has increased globally and will continue to increase in the near future. Approximately 155 million tons of wood pulp are produced worldwide and about 260 million are projected for the year 2010.1 However, the industry is very capital-intensive, with small profit margins, which tends to limit experimentation, development, and incorporation of new technologies into the mills. To be able to cope with increasing demand, an increase in productivity and improved environmental performance is needed, as the industry is also under constant pressure to reduce and modify environmental emissions to air and water.