Modified on 01.10.2012

Institutional | Technology

Technology, from the forest to the processes and products

Technological development is one of the factors that has contributed to Fibria’s leadership in the eucalyptus pulp market, by ensuring the high level of productivity of the plantations and the superior quality of the pulp produced.

The Fibria Technology Center (CT) strives for operational excellence and client satisfaction and to anticipate market demands, in terms of innovation, sustainable development and meeting legal requirements.

The CT carries out research into all the company’s different areas of activity, from the nurseries producing seedlings to the final products, and covering important areas of know-how.

The result is the generating of new technology, for use by the company in its forestry and industrial activities and adding value to the company’s business.

Every year, a variety of different research projects are also carried out for the purpose of fine-tuning processes and results, always in harmony with the principle of environmental conservation.

The studies involve areas such as genetic and genomic improvements, pest and disease control, silviculture and forest management, vegetable physiology and plant propagation, environmental sustainability, and wood, process and product quality, as well as those aimed at the needs of strategic clients.

Genetic Engineering

Fibria believes that the society will benefit from the genetic engineering of forest species. Therefore the Company´s decisions on the research of genetically modified eucalyptus trees are in accordance with current legislation, scientific knowledge and stakeholders demand. It has been made through the continuous evaluation of economic, environmental and social gains and impacts resulting from the application of such technology and is in compliance with technical and scientific procedures to mitigate potential risks.

Recent innovative projects

The projects that are developed by Fibria with the aim of introducing innovations seek to provide gains in operational excellence and in the environmental and social spheres, in alignment with the company’s sustainability strategy. Notable among the activities devoted to technological development are:

New clones

  • Development of superior new clones, offering important gains in productivity, as measured in tons of pulp per hectare per year (IMA Cel).

Forest protection

  • Development of new technologies for the intelligent use of herbicides, which increase the control time and reduce operating costs, in addition to reducing the impact of their use on the environment.
  • mplementing a strategic plan for controlling the bronze bug (Thaumastocoris peregrinus), a new pest with significant potential to cause damage.
  • Training of teams, testing for chemical and biological control and studies into the possible introduction of natural enemies of the pests affecting the eucalyptus plantations.
  • Studying of new technologies for the monitoring and control of forest fires, using satellite images, and developing a new initial response system.

Environmental sustainability technologies

  • Implementation of the “Fibria Bio-Index”, an important environmental management tool, based on indicators that assist in forest management assessment, with a view to carrying out maintenance or improving the biological diversity of areas where the company operates. Calculating the diversity is based on landscape measurements that attempt to include all the different variables that comprise an environment formed by eucalyptus plantations and natural areas. These include, within the plantations, the varieties of genetic material planted, their age variations and water surplus. In natural areas, it includes the varieties of existing specimens, their percentages in relation to the total area, the measurement of borders, proximity, and central area and the conservation value of the area.

Process technologies

  • Mapping of the Carbon Footprint and optimization of the technologies for cooking and bleaching.
  • Investment in processes that increase the return from the raw materials used and bring down the operating costs.

Product development

  • Research into new applications for the pulp and investigation of other kinds of products derived from our processes.
  • Research into ways of processing the pulp that might be more environmentally friendly.

Technological forecasting

  • Advances in basic and applied knowledge in the areas of biofuels and energy from biomass, derived from eucalyptus and other crops.

Responsible for the information on this page: Robert C. Sartório