Frequently asked questions
| What is tall oil used for? | |
Tall oil is used in the production of biofuels and can be fractionated into a wide range of substances with very different properties. | |
| Which products and processes can contain Södra’s tall oil? | |
Södra’s tall oil appears in almost any product and process, often replacing fossil-based substances. Examples include soap, glue, tape, facade and wall paints. | |
| Why is tall oil an important raw material? | |
Tall oil is a renewable raw material, which means it can replace many different fossil-based components without compromising on quality. | |
| How does tall oil help replace fossil-based substances? | |
Tall oil replaces fossil-based substances in many products and processes, making it a sustainable alternative in our everyday lives. |
Biochemicals from the Forest
Tall oil with extra long-lasting sustainability
Every year, Södra’s crude tall oil helps reduce the climate impact of the biofuel industry by around 90,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. You might wonder – is that a lot? The answer is yes. The amount of CO₂ saved is equivalent to a car journey around the Earth nearly 12,000 times.
Another important environmental aspect is that the raw material for our tall oil is already part of our regular production. It’s simply a product of maximised resource efficiency – where the entire tree is used.
The raw material comes from our members’ sustainably managed forests. Since our members are more than 50,000 famiily forest owners, each with their own goals and visions, this contributes to diversity and variation in the Swedish forest.
Tall oil from family forestry
How we produce tall oil
Depending on the raw material used at our pulp mills, Södra has the capacity to produce around 46,000 tonnes of tall oil (crude tall oil) per year.
After the cooking process, where wood raw material is turned into pulp, the spent cooking liquor – black liquor – is sent for chemical recovery. The black liquor contains extractives that have been separated from the wood and formed soap. This soap can then be separated from the black liquor through decanting in liquor tanks.
The soap is then treated with acid to revert to various organic acids – and the resulting product is what’s known as crude tall oil. The term “tall oil” is used regardless of the tree species used as raw material.
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