Procesos

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Cellulose

Cellulose

Industrial Complex

Our industrial complex is located in Punta Pereira, near Conchillas, in the department of Colonia. It consists of a pulp mill, a power generating unit and a port terminal.

The pulp mill uses the Kraft process to produce 1,400,000 tonnes of bleached eucalyptus pulp per year, which is exported to Europe and Asia.

This plant, which began operation in 2014, applies the Best Available Techniques in the world according to the European reference standards (IPCC-BAT).

1,100 people work at Punta Pereira daily, 99% of they are Uruguayan and 80% come from the department of Colonia.

Exportation Logistics

We export cellulose from the Punta Pereira Port Terminal, located in our industrial complex.   This terminal connects to the Martín García canal through an access canal that is 800 meters long x 200 meters wide.

With two docks, one for barges and another for oceanic vessels, it is possible to receive raw materials and supplies for pulp production, as well as to export products directly to its final destinations.

The purpose of the river dock is for unloading wood from barges coming from our Río Negro Logistics Terminal on the coast of the Uruguay River. Each barge is 90 meters long and has a cargo capacity of 5,000 tonnes - the equivalent of 170 truckloads.

International ship owners have recognized the Punta Pereira Port Terminal as one of the most efficient in the world for loading cellulose.

Cellulose and Its Uses

Cellulose is the main constituent of vegetable cell walls and constitutes the most abundant organic compound on the planet. 

Wood pulp produces not only different types of paper (high-quality, tissue, packaging, etc.) but also cardboard and a variety of sanitary products, such as diapers, as well. The pharmaceutical and food industries also use cellulose, and most recently as an alternative to plastic usage.

At our industrial complex, we produce short-fiber cellulose from several Eucalyptus species.

Learn more about the uses of wood:

 

Pulp production process

  1. Wood chipping

    Wood entering the industrial complex is converted into small pieces called chips to reduce and standardize their size and facilitate the digestion process.

  2. Cooking

    The chips enter the digester, where a mixture of water and chemicals called white liquor is added. Cellulose fibers are separated from lignin, a high-energy value wood component, at high pressure and temperature.

  3. Bleaching

    The pulp obtained through the cooking process, still brown colored, is filtered, washed and then bleached.
    A method commonly called ECF-light (elemental chlorine free) which uses oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide is used to obtain white pulp.

  4. Drying

    White sheets pass through dryers until the water content falls to 10%. Then they are cut, grouped in bales and packaged, ready to be shipped to their final destination.

Recovery 

In the cooking process, the white liquor -used to separate the cellulose from the rest of the wood- is mixed with organic components of the wood, turning into black liquor. Black liquor then is concentrated, its water removed in evaporators and derived to the Recovery Boiler. It is then burned to generate heat and thus, steam and electricity. The noncombustible portion of black liquor is extracted from the Recovery Boiler and treated to recompose white liquor, which reenters the process. This almost closed cycle, where energy and chemical inputs are recovered and reused, makes the Kraft process economically and environmentally viable.

Waste treatment 

In modern plants, the production incorporates processes to minimize the generation of residues or improve their quality. Most of the water used is recycled and reused, but also a part becomes steam and goes into the atmosphere, and another is returned to the river as effluent. This effluent is previously subject to physical, chemical and biological treatments in our Wastewater Treatment Plant in order to ensure the quality level required to be discharged into the Río de la Plata. Atmospheric emissions are 99% water vapor and meet the most demanding national and international environmental standards, just as liquid effluents do.

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Energy

Energy

Clean and renewable energy

Montes del Plata is the largest private power generator in Uruguay, the third largest producer after the hydroelectric stations of Salto Grande and Palmar (Constitución). It injects 5% aprox of the domestic energy consumption into the national power grid, while the rest is consumed in internal mill operations.

The extracted pulp from the wood leaves high-quality hemicellulose and lignin residue with high energy content. This renewable and clean energy resource is sufficient to power the entire industrial complex as well as to generate an energy surplus, which we transfer to the national electric grid.

The surplus, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of 200,000 homes, contributes to the diversification and expansion of Uruguay's energy matrix based on 100% renewable resources. The energy surplus results in lower dependence on petroleum and consequently leads to monetary savings, while concurrently reducing environmental impacts caused by burning fossil fuels.

Visitas al Complejo Industrial

Días y horarios

Visitas de centros educativos y organizaciones (con ómnibus propio): Todos los jueves a las 9.00, 10.30, 14.00 y a las 15.30 horas.
Duración aproximada: 1 hora. Las visitas comienzan en la Oficina Montes del Plata en Conchillas (Calle David Evans s/n).

Agendar visita

Comunicarse al teléfono: (+598) 4577 2832 o por correo electrónico: visitas@montesdelplata.com.uy. También puede inscribirse en Oficina de Montes del Plata en Conchillas de lunes a viernes de 9.00 a 17.00 horas.

Condiciones

  • Las visitas están sujetas a disponibilidad de la empresa.
  • El Complejo Industrial se reserva el derecho de cancelar las visitas hasta una hora antes de la misma.
  • Una vez reservada la fecha de la visita, los grupos deberán enviar información de los visitantes y documentación del vehículo.
  • Todos los visitantes deberán presentar cédula de identidad o pasaporte original vigente para el ingreso al Complejo Industrial sin perjuicio de haber enviado el número del documento con anterioridad.
  • Se reciben grupos estudiantiles a partir de tercer año de escuela.
  • No está permitido descender ni tomar fotografías o grabar videos durante el recorrido en el Complejo Industrial.

Visitas al Bioparque M’Bopicuá

El Bioparque M’Bopicuá ha sido acondicionado para recibir visitas de instituciones educativas, fundamentalmente escuelas y liceos. Estas visitas son guiadas por personal capacitado y se restringen a los meses de marzo a agosto para no afectar la reproducción de las especies.

El circuito guiado comprende tres áreas: la estación de cría de fauna, un sendero de interpretación del monte indígena y las ruinas del “Saladero M`Bopicuá” que datan del siglo XIX.

Por consultas e inscripciones: contacto_bioparque@montesdelplata.com.uy.

Nuestras oficinas

Nuestras oficinas

  • Colonia 

    Conchillas: Calle Evans s/n - Tel: +598 45772832

    Punta Pereira Planta Industrial Tel: +598 45775000

  • Montevideo 

    Luis Alberto de Herrera 1248, Complejo World Trade Center, Torre 3, piso 9. Tel: +598 26236300

  • Durazno 

    Artigas 369 Tel: +598 43620853 

  • Paysandú 

    Av. España 1552. Tel.: +598 47227575

  • Río Negro 

    Vivero Montes del Plata - Ruta 24 Km 0. Tel.: +598 4562 7523

    Terminal Logística - Ruta 24 Km 0. Tel: +598 45627000

    Centro Tecnológico Forestal - Ruta 24 Km 0. Tel +598 45631037

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