The processes investigated include using either a soda or a

soda-AQ cook followed by either oxygen delignification

and peroxide bleaching or simply peroxide bleaching.

TCF BLEACHED SISAL MARKET PULP:

POTENTIAL REINFORCING FIBRE FOR
COMMODITY PAPERS - PART 2

It appears that the final pulp brightness will be in the 8084% ISO range if cooking is followed by peroxide
bleaching only, and that the brightness will increase to the
85-90% ISO range if cooking is followed by oxygen
delignification and peroxide bleaching. In both cases, it is
anticipated that process optimization of all stages in the
process - cooking, oxygen delignification and bleaching will improve the overall results.

Robert W. Hurter, P. Eng.

President
HurterConsult Incorporated
4-5330 Canotek Road, Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1J 9C1
Phone: (613) 749-2181
Fax:
(613) 749-1382
e-mail: bobhurter@hurterconsult.com
Presented at 1997 TAPPI Pulping Conference, October 19 - 23,
1997, San Francisco, California (published in Conference
Proceedings, Book 2, 655-665)

ABSTRACT
Sisal pulp has physical characteristics superior to softwood kraft
pulp. Depending on the furnish components and paper quality
requirements, sisal pulp can replace softwood kraft at a rate of up
to 2.8:1. This offers many opportunities for sisal pulp. For
example, sisal pulp may be used as a reinforcing fibre in high
recycle content papers, or its use may permit basis weight
reductions while maintaining product quality. Sisal pulp as a
value added replacement to softwood kraft in commodity papers
is considered a viable alternative market.
Part 1 of this paper reviews the laboratory work to establish
conditions for producing TCF bleached sisal pulp, and discusses
the results of pilot scale trial tests on pulp samples which were
distributed to paper companies for testing in various furnishes.
Part 2 reviews a sisal estate plan to provide pulping fibre,
tentative flowsheets for fibre preprocessing stations and a sisal
market pulp mill using processes and equipment which are
currently available on the market, and the estimated capital and
manufacturing costs and economic analysis for a 50,000 metric
ton per year sisal market pulp mill.

Sisal pulp has a tear strength twice that of softwood pulp

and three times that of hardwood pulp.

Minor refining is recommended to develop the tensile

strength of sisal pulp without hurting the tear strength.

Sisal pulp could be used as a reinforcing fibre in many

commodity paper grades, including grades which contain a
high recycled fibre content.

Sisal pulp could be used to replace softwood or other

expensive high strength pulps.

Although the specialty paper market would pay high prices

for sisal pulp, the potential reinforcing fibre market would
pay lower prices for sisal pulps, and the price would be
relative to softwood kraft pulp and the respective properties
of the two pulps.

The market survey established a potential market for

286,000- 363,000 admt/year of sisal pulp of which 53,00055,000 admt was unbleached pulp and the balance was
bleached pulps of varying brightnesses from 80-92% ISO.

Part 2 of this paper establishes the overall project concept from

the plant nurseries to the final pulp product taking into
consideration various constraints such as the acreage required for
sisal cultivation and the market opportunities.

PROJECT CONCEPT
Keywords: sisal, line fibre, bole fibre, TCF bleaching

INTRODUCTION

The proposed sisal market pulp project was not simply the
building of a pulp mill to exploit available fibrous raw material.
Rather, it is the sum total of three distinct elements which
together form the complete project:

In Part 1 of this paper, the following key issues were established:

Although the process parameters were not optimized, the

experimental and pilot plant work clearly show that high
quality bleached pulp can be produced from fibre extracted
from Agave sisalana.

the sisal estates,

the sisal fibre preprocessing stations, and
the 50,000 admt/y sisal pulp mill.

Efficient growing of the sisal plant, harvesting of the leaves, and

extraction of fibrous raw material to provide low cost pulping
fibre are important elements to the success of the pulp mill.

Further, as the project location would be in Tanzania, several key

parameters were established at the onset of the study which were
reflected in both the research work and the mill design:

The mill processes all would be based on well known and

commercially well proven technologies currently in use in
nonwood plant fibre or wood fibre pulp mills.

The equipment used would be commercially available.

The mill would be simple and easy to operate and maintain

in a remote location.

is by means of bulbils or suckers, each generation is the same as

the parent plant.

TRADITIONAL SISAL FARMING AND PROCESSING

As traditional sisal processing for line fibre is the basis of
available sisal fibre used for specialty pulps, a description of the
current method of sisal cultivation and processing is provided.
a) Planting Material & Nurseries
The sisal plant flowers only once during its life. In Tanzania, if
left uncut, the plant will flower after about 5 years, but plants
whose leaves have been harvested regularly may flower only
after as many as 9-10 years. After the plant has flowered, it dies.
When the plant flowers, a pole emerges from the top of the bole.
The poles which grow at a rate of 10-12 cm per day reach a
height of 5-6 m and are 10-15 cm in diameter. Just before
reaching full height, the poles send out flowering branches. In
Tanzania, seeds rarely develop on the flowering stem. After
blooming, the flowers shrivel and, together with their ovaries,
drop off the poles before seed formation. However, in addition
to reproduction by seed, Agave sisalana also can reproduce itself
vegetatively by means of both rhizomes and bulbils.
The rhizomes grow underground radially from the bole and then
surface to form a new plant known as a "sucker". Left
undisturbed, the sisal plant may produce up to 20 suckers.
Suckers are removed as they tend to reduce the growth rate of
the parent plant and would result in a field of sisal plants varying
in age and fibre quality

Sisal poles with bulbils

Bulbils are formed on the flowering stem immediately below the

point where the flowers and ovaries have dropped off. Bulbils
are plantlets with reduced leaves and a rudimentary root system.
A large flowering pole may bear 2,000-3,000 bulbils. When the
formation of the bulbils is complete, they fall off the poles.
Both suckers and bulbils are collected from the fields and planted
in nurseries. Immature plants are kept in the nurseries for about
6 months and then planted in the fields.
In Tanzania, the fact that sisal propagates itself only vegetatively
is an advantage. The lack of seeding prevents the development
of seedlings in the fields and allows controlled cultivation and
harvesting by nursery and field hand planting. As propagation

New sisal field

offset rows with alleys between the rows. The planting

arrangement has been designed to allow cutters access to
individual plants.
First cutting of the plants can occur when the plants are 40-48
months old depending on climate and soil conditions. Leaf
harvesting may be done once or twice per year, and a total of 5060 leaves are removed per year. The leaf harvesting continues
until the plants are 9-12 years old.
Leaf cutting is done entirely by hand. The cutters remove the
mature bottom leaves, cut off the spines and tie the leaves in
bundles of 30 leaves. The cutters deposit the bundles at the end
of the rows for pick-up and transport to the decorticating plant.
Sisal Plantation

c) Line Fibre Processing

At the decorticating plant, the bundles are untied and the leaves
are fed to the decorticators which crush the leaves and scrape off
the epidermis and pithy material from the line fibre. The line
fibre is draped over fences and dried. Dried fibre is classified
and baled for shipment.

Sisal decorticator feed

Leaf bundling
b) Estate Development & Harvesting
For line fibre production, the sisal fields are planted with about
3,000 plants per hectare. The sisal plants are planted in double

Line fibre sun drying

d) Line Fibre Cost

MODULAR SISAL ESTATES

During 1992/93, the delivered cost of #3 grade sisal line fibre,

the industry standard, was about US$ 400-500 per metric ton
FAS Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Including transportation,
brokers fees, handling etc., the cost to end-users (the cordage
industry and specialty pulp mills) amounted to US$ 750-850 per
metric ton which partially accounts for the high cost of bleached
sisal market pulp which ranges from US$ 2,400-2,600 per admt.

Based on the pulp mill's sisal raw material requirements and

considering transportation costs for moving sisal leaves which
contain a high fluid volume, agronomists working with
HurterConsult developed the concept of self contained modular
estates to supply fibre to the pulp mill. For sisal estates
dedicated to producing raw material for the pulp mill, the
proposed modular estate has the major parameters described in
table 13.

The use of sisal pulp as a reinforcing fibre in commodity papers

will not be possible at the price range indicated above. In order
to achieve a lower selling price for sisal pulps, the cost of raw
fibre must be reduced.

RAW MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A PULP MILL

The modular estate is premised on clear cutting a preset number

of hectares per day and transporting all of the leaves to a central
preprocessing station located on the estate. At the preprocessing
station, the leaves would be chopped, masticated, washed and
screened. The process will provide clean, chopped fibre suitable
for charging directly into the pulp mill digesters.

The traditional approach to sisal cultivation and processing was

developed to produce "line fibre" which is used for the
production of twine, cord, ropes, mats, etc. This approach
ensures that the leaves have matured sufficiently to develop the
required line fibre strength properties and to obtain the longest
possible line fibre (0.6-1.0 metres length). Furthermore, the
extracted line fibre must be light in colour and free from
impurities. Any immature leaves remaining at the end of the
cycle can be salvaged and used for second quality "line fibre".

Four (4) of modular estates would be required to supply the sisal

raw fibre requirements of the proposed 50,000 admt/year
bleached sisal pulp mill.

However, the pulp mills sisal raw material requirements are

substantially different to those of line fibre. For the pulp mill,
the strength and length of line fibre is not important. Line fibre
is composed of bundles of smaller (3 mm in length on average)
fibres, and it is these smaller, intrinsic fibres that are of interest
to papermakers.

After preprocessing, the volume delivered to the pulp mill is

only about 10-15% of the volume delivered to the
preprocessing station significantly reducing transportation
costs to the pulp mill site and allowing flexibility in the pulp
mill site selection relative to the sisal estate locations.

In the pulp mill, all fibre bundles will be reduced to intrinsic

fibres which are then bleached, dried and sold as pulp. As such,
the fibre bundles can be as short as 0.5 cm and, in fact, the pulp
mill will operate better if the line fibre is chopped into pieces not
more than 5 cm in length. Also, the colour and cleanliness of the
chopped line fibre are not a factor for the pulp mill.
Given the significant difference presented by the pulp mill's raw
material requirements, the entire sisal plant can be harvested at
one time (including immature leaves at the top of the plant) for
processing by the pulp mill.
Also, this difference from traditional line fibre requirements
permits a rationalization and modification to the present practice
of growing, harvesting and processing the sisal plant in order to
meet the needs of the pulp mill for lower cost feedstock.
Regardless of the form of delivery of the sisal raw material to the
pulp mill, the mill will require about 69,300 bdmt/y of sisal fibre
to produce 50,000 admt/y bleached pulp.

Using the modular approach offers several advantages and

interesting opportunities including:
In the modular estate, the maximum travel distance is 5 km
which minimizes the transport cost for leaves.

Central preprocessing on the estate means that the juice

removed from the sisal plants during preprocessing is
retained in one location on the estate at which it can be
treated or used as a raw material for other products.
Other solid non-fibrous materials removed from the sisal
leaves during preprocessing also are collected in one location
and can be used for other products.
Per table 14, the estimated capital cost for developing one
modular estate is US$ 8.674 million. Thus, the capital cost of
developing the four modular estates would be US$ 34.7 million
spent over a three year period.
However, the modular estate design includes the concept of
using one quarter of the estate land for a rotational crop of maize
and soybeans at any given time. This rotational crop would be
developed from the onset of the project and would provide an
estimated revenue of US$ 1.107 million per year per modular
estate. Given that the rotational crop would not provide revenues
during the first year as the fields are being cleared, it is estimated
that the rotational crop would provide total revenues of US$
2.21 million per estate during the second and third years of the
sisal estate development. This additional revenue if applied back

to the sisal estate development would reduce the total cost of

developing the four modular sisal estates by US$ 8.84 million
leaving a balance of US$ 25.86 million which would have to be
financed from other sources.
The total annual cost for operating one of the modular estates
was estimated at US$ 1.45 million. Deducting the estimated
revenue from rotational crops (US$ 647,300 per year per estate)
reduced the cost of raw sisal fibre production in leaf form to US$
803,500 per year, or US$ 46.38/bdm

PREPROCESSING STATIONS
Each of the four modular sisal estates includes a preprocessing
station which has the major parameters described in table 15.
The preprocessing station receives whole leaves. The whole
leaves are chopped and masticated, and the fibre extracted.
Then, the fibre is washed and readied for shipment to the pulp
mill. A block diagram of the system is provided in figure 1.
The capital cost estimate for one preprocessing station is
provided in table 16. Thus, the estimated capital cost for four
preprocessing stations, one per modular estate, was US$ 13.72
million.
The total estimated cost of operating one of the preprocessing
stations and of delivering the fibre to the pulp mill based on a
round trip of 60 km amounted to US$ 22.62/bdmt raw fibre.

Table 14. Estimated capital cost for one modular estate

Cost Component
Pre-production
expenses

000's US$

estate design, operations plan,

training, start-up expenses, etc.

860

Land (leased)

---

Estate Roads

860

Estate buildings

housing for permanent

employees only

526

Equipment &
machinery

mainly mobile equipment

3,002

Production inputs

fertilizers, herbicides, lime,

pesticides, planting stock, fuels,
oils, lubricants, spare parts,
personnel costs

3,426

8,674

TOTAL

Table 15. Preprocessing station parameters

Operating days

270 days/year

Operating period

24 hours/day

Raw material received

1,320 mt whole leaf per day

Processed raw sisal fibre

64.17 bdmt/day
17,325 bdmt/year

Employment

47

Table 13. Sisal modular estate parameters

Total estate size

6,000 hectares

Area under sisal

4,500 hectares

Sisal planting density

6,000 plants/hectare

Rotational area

1,350 hectares

Nursery area

200 hectares

Buildings & civil works

1,020

Nursery production

45,000 plants/day

Equipment & machinery (delivered)

1,600

Estate Roads

35 km main estate roads

Erection & installation

190

215 km secondary field roads

Services

280

Table 16. Estimated capital cost for one preprocessing

station
Cost Component

Subtotal Base Cost

Harvest year

4th

Harvesting days

270/year

Working capital

Harvest

1,320 mt whole leaf/day

Contingency

Employment

600 persons

TOTAL

Preprocessing centres

000's US$

3,090
30
310
3,430

DELIVERED-TO-PULP MILL COST OF RAW FIBRE

The mill layout follows an axial roadway design with the

mill pulping and bleaching line on one side of the central
roadway, and chemical recovery and mill services on the
other side. Pipe bridges and walkways connect the main
process building with the chemical recovery system and mill
services.

As the mill is in a remote location, it must include all

services required to maintain and operate the mill.

Housing is provided nearby the mill site for most mill

personnel.

As the availability of suitable transport equipment is limited,

the mill will own and operate its own truck fleet.

Both the modular estates and the preprocessing stations would be

owned by the pulp mill and would be considered as cost centres.
Table 17 summarizes the operating costs of the modular estate
and the preprocessing station to arrive at the estimated cost of
raw sisal fibre on a delivered-to-the- pulp mill basis for the case
where a rotational crop is not included in the estate plan and the
case where revenues from the rotational crop are included.

Table 17. Delivered-to-pulp mill cost of raw fibre

Excluding
Rotational Crop
Revenue

Including
Rotational Crop
Revenue

US$/bdmt raw fibre

Modular estate
operating costs

83.74

46.38

Preprocessing &
delivery costs

22.62

22.62

106.36

69.00

Total delivered cost

Thus, by viewing the fibre requirements of the pulp mill as being

different from traditional line fibre, we developed an appropriate
system for the sustainable supply of sisal raw material to the pulp
mill at a cost significantly lower than the cost of line fibre
production.
Sustainable supply and low cost of the sisal raw material are key
elements in the establishment of the sisal pulp mill project.
Further, the additional income from the rotational crop reduces
the raw fibre cost by a further 35% which, in terms of the final
production cost of the pulp, amounts to a savings of about US$
57.00 per admt of bleached pulp.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED PULP MILL

a) General Design Features
The following general design features were used in the
development of the proposed mill:

The mill output would be 50,000 admt/year of TCF

bleached sisal market pulp.

35-40 hectares would be allocated for the mill site to

provide space for future expansion.

Due to the warm climate, outdoor construction would be

used as much as possible, and fully enclosed buildings used
only where absolutely necessary.

Figure 2 provides a block diagram of the fibre processing line.

b) Sisal Raw Material Receiving, Storage and Delivery to the
Pulp Mill
The sisal pulp mill processes and equipment are based on the
sisal raw material being delivered to the pulp mill in cut,
depithed and washed form from the preprocessing stations.
Sisal raw material is delivered to the pulp mill by truck from the
preprocessing stations located at the sisal estates. On entry to the
mill, full trucks pass over a weigh scale. Empty trucks are
weighed when exiting the mill. Weights are recorded to permit
calculation of the delivered weight to the mill.
The sisal fibre is stored in wet bulk form. The storage area
consists of two sloped concrete slabs located on opposite sides
of a conveyor. The trucks bring the sisal fibre to the raw
material storage area, and dump the full load onto one of the
concrete slabs. A bulldozer then pushes the sisal into a sloped
pile approximately 10 m high. Drainage troughs are provided
across the width of the storage area with drainage towards the
belt conveyor. A water collection zone, with perforated covers,
covers the full length of the edge of the conveyor on each side.
The liquid drained from the moist raw sisal piles is collected in
a trough beneath the perforated covers. The troughs are sloped
to allow the liquid to drain towards the raw sisal levelling
system. A pumping system recycles the liquid to the top of the
storage piles for continual soaking of the piles to sustain the
fibres in moist form.
Sisal is taken from the pile on a first-in, first-out basis to provide
uniformity to the feed stock. The bulldozer pushes the sisal
across the width of the pile towards the conveyor. The conveyor
discharges raw sisal fibre into a levelling bin which discharges
the fibre at a controlled rate to the feed conveyor for delivery to
the digesters.

c) Pulping
Sisal fibre is discharged from the conveyors into the batch rotary
digesters (further work on sisal cooking may result in a change
from batch digesters to a continuous horizontal tube digester).
Simultaneously, cooking liquor and low pressure steam are
added to the digesters. When a digester is filled, the cover is
closed, rotation of the digester is started, and high pressure steam
is admitted. When the cook is completed, the digester is stopped
in the vertical position and is connected to a blow line by a
quick-connect coupling. The digester contents are then blown
into the blow tank. The steam flashed on blowing is used in the
blow heat recovery system to produce hot water for washer
showers in pulp washing and bleaching.
d) Brown Stock Washing, Oxygen Delignification and
Screening & Cleaning
Pulp from the blow tank is pumped to a belt washer, where the
pulp is washed and thickened. The washed, thickened stock is
pumped through a continuous oxygen reactor where oxygen is
added for further delignification after which the stock is washed
again on a belt washer.
After the oxygen delignification washer, the pulp is screened in
pressure screens, cleaned in centrifugal cleaners, and thickened
by a decker before dropping into the screened stock chests.

The formed wet pulp sheet (2600 mm wide) is dried in a

continuous multi-pass tunnel air dryer. The dried sheet is then
cut into four 650 x 900 mm sheets in the cutter/layboy. The cut
sheets are accumulated in piles and are then automatically
transferred onto a conveyor to the wrapping and baling line.
Finished bales are transported by forklift truck, and loaded into
standard 20 foot containers for shipping.
g) Chemical Recovery System
The chemical recovery system includes a complete soda recovery
unit including evaporators, concentrator, recovery furnace,
recausticizing line and lime kiln.
The spent liquor (black liquor) extracted from the brown stock
washers and the post oxygen delignification washers is pumped
across the pipe bridge to the chemical recovery system.
Recovered white liquor is pumped back to the main process
building using the same pipe bridge which also carries the steam
lines, the fresh water line and the main power cables.
Lime mud from the lime mud filter is conveyed to the lime kiln
where it is combined with fresh limestone, and burnt at high
temperature to provide burnt lime (CaO). The burnt lime is
conveyed to the lime slaker.
h) Water Treatment

The rejects are accumulated in a box fitted with a perforated

bottom and are added to the lime mud prior to the lime kiln.
e) Pulp Bleaching
The two-stage bleach plant (Q-P) has an upflow tower for the Q
stage (chelating stage) and a downflow tower for the P stage.
Provision has been made in the mill layout for a second peroxide
bleaching stage if required. As in the case of pulp washing, belt
washers are used after each stage. A solution of chelating agents
is added to the first stage and a solution of hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2) is added to the second stage. After the second stage
washer, the washed pulp is acidified with SO2 water and is
pumped to high-density storage tower. The Q stage washer
filtrate is sent to the effluent treatment system and excess P stage
filtrate pumped to other upstream process areas.

Fresh water drawn from the nearby river flows through bar and
cup screens into a concrete wet well from which it is pumped to
the mill site.
The mill process water is pumped through a grit removal system
to a reactor clarifier where lime, alum, etc., are added to the
water. Overflow from the clarifier passes through gravity filters
to the filtered water clear well from which it is distributed to
various points in the mill.
Cooling water for the evaporator condenser follows a separate
loop. As it does not contact the process, the cooling water does
not contain any process contaminants, and it is discharged back
to the river without treatment.
i) Effluent Treatment

f) Pulp Forming, Drying & Baling

Bleached pulp from the high-density storage tower is moderately
refined and pumped to the pulp dryer machine chest. From this
chest, the pulp is pumped to the twin-wire pulp former which dewaters the pulp to a consistency of 35-40%. Next, the pulp sheet
goes through roll presses which bring the consistency to 46-48%
before the sheet enters the multi-pass tunnel dryer.
Wet broke is returned to the machine chest. Dry broke is
repulped in a small pulper and is cleaned before being returned
to the machine chest.

There are three mill systems - the storm water drainage system,
the sanitary sewer system, and the mill process sewer system.
The storm water drains discharges directly into the river. The
sanitary sewers discharges into a septic tank and sanitary sewage
treatment system.
The mill effluent is collected in the mill process sewer system
from various sections of the mill, and combined prior to
treatment. It is neutralized and then fed to a reactor clarifier
which precipitates and removes the solid material. The clarified
effluent is sent to an activated sludge aeration lagoon to convert
BOD material. From this lagoon, the effluent is sent to a

secondary clarifier to remove the resultant solids before returning

to the river. The solids removed by the clarifiers are thickened
using a belt press. These solids are sent either to a sanitary land
fill site or, more likely, will be used as a fertilizer/soil
conditioner on the surrounding sisal estates or farms.
j) Power Generation
The pulp mill produces its own electric power requirements
using two diesel oil fired gas turbines. Waste heat from the
turbines is recovered in a waste heat boiler which generates
process steam. The waste heat boiler is equipped for additional
oil firing to ensure that the total steam demand of the mill is met.
A diesel-electric set is provided for plant start-up and
emergencies, and to supply the power required during
construction. Air compressors to supply compressed air for the
mill also are located in the steam and power area.
k) Mill Support Facilities
The mill includes the following support facilities:

mill shops including machine shop, welders and pipefitters

shop, carpenters shop, electrical and instrument shop,
painters shop, oilers shop and cleaners shop which include
the equipment required for preventive and routine
maintenance for the mill

mill stores which carry a stock of consumable materials,

spare parts, tools, and maintenance materials required to
keep the mill in operation

an equipped garage for servicing mobile equipment

a fully equipped and air-conditioned central laboratory and

test stations to monitor the operation of the mill and to test
raw materials and finished product.

a fire protection system, including an internal dry pipe

sprinkler system, an exterior hydrant system and an alarm
system

fully equipped and air-conditioned offices for

administrative, engineering staff and production
superintendents; and locker rooms, washrooms, toilets, firstaid station, and cafeteria for all personnel.

TOTAL PROJECT ESTIMATED CAPITAL COST

The estimated capital costs for modular estate development and
the preprocessing stations are given earlier. Table 18 provides
the total estimated capital cost for the project including the pulp
mill, the modular estates and the preprocessing stations.

Table 18. Total project estimated capital cost

Cost Component

000's US$

Modular Estates (4)

25,860

Preprocessing Stations (4)

12,140

Pulp Mill
Pre-Production Expenses
Land

6,200
---

Site Development

1,300

Buildings & Civil Works

9,320

Equipment & Machinery

53,410

Erection & Installation

8,260

Services

15,000

Subtotal Base Cost

93,490

Working Capital
Total Pulp Mill

8,360
101,850

TOTAL PROJECT
Project Subtotal
Contingency
Interest During Construction
PROJECT TOTAL

139,850
10,490
8,930
159,270

Notes: 1. Estimated costs for site development, civil works & buildings,
and erection and installation jointly developed with Tanzanias
largest general contractor.
2. Interest during construction is generated by the computer
model.

SISAL PULP MANUFACTURING COSTS

Table 19 provides the variable manufacturing costs to produce
one admt bleached and unbleached sisal pulp. These costs are
directly proportional to the production output of the pulp mill.
In addition to the variable manufacturing costs identified, the
financial analysis includes shipping costs of US$ 125/admt pulp
and selling costs as 1% of revenue.
Table 19 provides the fixed manufacturing costs such as salaries,
insurance, administration costs, etc., which are independent of
production and which will be incurred regardless of the
production output. Concerning the fixed manufacturing costs, it
should be noted that the financial analysis was conducted in
constant dollars as discussed later.

Table 19.

Estimated variable manufacturing costs per admt sisal pulp

Bleached Sisal Pulp
Raw Material

Sisal pulp
Sisal raw fibre

Unit Cost

Consumption Rate

Unbleached Sisal Pulp

US$/admt

154.00 US$/mt

Consumption Rate

US$/admt

95.54

0.900 bdmt pulp

1.343 bdmt

92.69

0.068 mt/bdmt pulp

9.42

0.066 mt/bdmt pulp

9.14

7.55 US$/mt

0.100 mt/bdmt pulp

0.68

0.097 mt/bdmt pulp

0.66

Caustic soda

754.00 US$/mt

0.065 mt/bdmt pulp

44.11

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

Magnesium sulphate

352.00 US$/mt

0.003 mt/bdmt pulp

0.95

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

EDTA

1,115.00 US$/mt

0.010 mt/bdmt pulp

10.04

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

DPTA

1,215.00 US$/mt

0.002 mt/bdmt pulp

2.19

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

Hydrogen peroxide

742.00 US$/mt

0.040 mt/bdmt pulp

26.71

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

Sulphur

130.00 US$/mt

0.008 mt/bdmt pulp

0.94

0.000 mt/bdmt pulp

0.00

Diesel oil (power generation)

311.50 US$/mt

0.263 mt/admt pulp

81.92

0.235 mt/admt pulp

73.20

Diesel oil (on-road vehicles)

482.71 US$/mt

0.020 mt/admt pulp

9.65

0.020 mt/admt pulp

9.65

Sodium carbonate

69.00 US$/bdmt

0.900 bdmt pulp

1.385 bdmt

Limestone

Water

0.00 US$/m

60 m /bdmt pulp

Consumable supplies & misc. chemicals

TOTAL

Table 20.

0.00

40 m /bdmt pulp

0.00

14.11

9.27

296.26

194.61

Sisal pulp mill estimated fixed manufacturing costs (in 000's US$ per year)
Cost Component

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Years 4-10

Years 11+

Local salaries & fringe benefits (423 employees)

1,110

1,110

1,110

1,110

1,110

Expatriate management assistance

2,500

1,000

1,000

500

Maintenance materials

850

850

850

850

850

Insurance

430

430

430

430

430

General overhead

300

300

300

300

300

10

10

10

10

10

5,200

3,700

3,700

3,200

2,700

Land lease
TOTAL

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The debt/equity ratio would be 75/25.

a) Financial Analysis Assumptions

Terms for the capital loan were set at 8% interest with a 3year grace period from the loan signing date followed by a
10-year repayment period.

Only bleached sisal pulp would be produced.

The selling price was set at US$ 1,200/admt pulp delivered

to the port-of-entry which is the low end of the US$ 1,2001,400/admt pulp for reinforcing fibre.

A tax holiday would be in place for of 8 years as an

incentive for new industry after which a 40% tax rate would
be applied.

The key assumptions used in the financial model were:

The project would be analysed using the discounted cash

flow rate of return method to account for the value of money
over time.

The analysis would be carried out in constant 1993 dollars.

The project would be implemented in 33 months and would

have a productive life of 20 years.

b)

Financial Analysis Results

CONCLUSIONS

Table 21 provides the projected financial results for the total

project which includes the 4 modular estates, the 4 preprocessing
stations and the 50,000 admt/year bleached sisal market pulp
mill.
Sensitivity analysis of the key parameters shows that the project
is most sensitive to variations in the selling price followed by
variable manufacturing costs and production rate.
For example, a 15% increase in the selling price to US$
1,380/admt pulp increases the ROI to 22.7% and the ROE to
32.1%. Given that the study was undertaken during 1992/93
when woodpulp prices were severely depressed, it is highly
conceivable that higher selling prices for sisal pulps would be
achievable under better market conditions.

The laboratory and pilot plant work has established that high
quality TCF bleached sisal pulps can be produced with
brightnesses ranging from 79 - 87 %ISO depending on the
process selection. Process optimization still is required to
finalize the process parameters.
The modular sisal estate concept incorporating preprocessing on
the estates offers a method to provide low cost sisal fibre to the
pulp mill.
The suggested 50,000 admt/year TCF bleached sisal market pulp
mill project offers a good rate of return while providing a low
cost, high quality pulp suitable for both specialty papers and as
a reinforcing fibre in commodity papers.

Table 21.

Projected Financial Results

Project
Return

Total capital requirements

US$ 159,268,000

ROI

18.5%

Net Present Value (NPV)

US$ 187,229,000

Pay back period

4.6 years

Total equity requirements

US$ 39,817,000

ROE

23.9%

Net Present Value (NPV)

US$ 116,541,000

Pay back period

3.4 years

Return on
Equity

The market survey establishes that there is a market opportunity

for high strength pulps, an opportunity which could be filled by
sisal pulps. Although specialty pulp markets exist, the larger
market would be as a reinforcing fibre in commodity paper
grades.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The work cited in this paper could not have been carried out
without the cooperation of the Tanzania Sisal Authority (TSA),
Tanga, Tanzania which provided the sisal fibre and assisted in
local data collection and the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) which co-funded the feasibility study. Also, the
modular sisal estate design by Canada Overseas Agro-Industrial
Development (COAID) Inc., Kirkland, Quebec, Canada proved
critical to reducing the fibre costs.