Recent advances in the chemistry of eucalyptus wood used for pulp and papermaking.

Eucalypt is a fast growing tree whose wood is the main raw material for paper pulp production in Southwest Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and other countries. Eucalypt is the largest single global source of market pulp and its use for pulp production has greatly increased during last decades, the world production attaining nearly 20 million tons per year, which is about 60% of the total hardwood pulp produced. An additional capacity over 10 million tons/yr is expected in the next 5 years. Different eucalypt species are used for pulp and papermaking, including Eucalyptus globulus, E. nitens, E. maidenii, E. dunni, E. grandis, E. urophylla and E. saligna, and single, double and triple crossings hybrids among these species. The major interest in eucalypt wood comes from its low production cost in certain regions, particularly in the tropical areas of South America, due mainly to high forest productivity and high pulp yield, and the outstanding quality of their fibers. The interest in the use of eucalypt wood for paper pulp production has promoted the research of the chemical characteristics of different species, including hybrids aiming to improve the industrial use of this interesting raw material for pulp and paper manufacturing.