Iran, China Finalize Talks on Papermaking Factory

Tehran and Beijing have finalized talks on the construction of two papermaking factories in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, which hosts large sugar cane fields.

The factories will consume bagasse as the raw material for producing paper and pulp.

Bagasse, a by-product of sugar cane industry, is a fibrous matter that remains after sugar cane stalks are crushed to extract their juice.

The construction of one of the two factories will begin late this Iranian year (ends on 20 March 2014).

The factories, to be constructed jointly by Iranian and Chinese companies, will each produce 175,000 tons of paper per annum.

The Chinese side has committed to equipping the factories with the necessary machineries and materials.

Khuzestan province has great opportunities for manufacturing high-quality paper without the need for cutting trees, as it hosts seven factories that process sugar cane, thus leaving large amounts of bagasse as a by-product.

Bagasse is commonly used as a substitute for wood in many tropical and subtropical countries for the production of pulp, paper and board, such as India, China, Columbia, Iran, Thailand and Argentina.