As the pulp & paper sector market continues to grow each year, so does the consumption of caustic soda in the industry. Over the past seven years, the average annual growth rate of caustic soda consumption in the paper industry has been around 1.5%. Although there was a slight slowdown in 2020, the growth rate has rebounded significantly since 2021. Tecnon OrbiChem’s ResourceWise sister company Fisher International anticipates that paper industry caustic soda consumption will be 9% higher by the end of 2023 compared to 2019.   Figure 1: Caustic Soda Consumption in the Paper Industry Which processes can we find caustic soda in? Caustic soda is primarily consumed by fibre lines and paper machines during pulp production. Caustic soda is first consumed in the fibre line, then feeds the paper machine. The three major pulp grades that feed the paper machine are chemical pulp, mechanical pulp, and recycled pulp. Among these grades, caustic soda is predominantly used in chemi...