Finnish chemical company Kemira has started up new production lines for alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) emulsion and cationic rosin sizing agents at its site in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. Capacity details and investment costs were not disclosed.

Kemira said it can now produce and supply all types of sizing agents, such as alkyl succinic anhydride (ASA), AKD, cationic rosin and surface size, serving customers in mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries. Sizing agents are used for improving water resistance in paper and board.

Nichlas Kavander, senior vice president, commercial, at Kemira Pulp & Paper, said demand for high-quality sizing products is increasing in Asia-Pacific, especially for packaging and board grades.

This latest project follows another expansion at Nanjing, for sizing agent ASA, which Kemira announced last January. An investment of “multi-million euros” is being made in the additional capacity, which is expected to be available from December 2017.

At the time of the announcement, the company said the Asian pulp and paper market was growing at an annual rate of 3%, and even faster for consumer board, as a result of increased living standards and the growth of online shopping. In addition, the region was seeing new investments in printing and writing paper machines in China, India and the rest of southeast Asia.

At Nanjing, Kemira produces a range of functional and process chemicals for water-intensive industries such as pulp and paper. The site’s total annual capacity is approximately 100,000 t.