Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Rosenthal

Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Rosenthal (ZPR), now operating as Mercer Rosenthal GmbH, is a German pulp producer located in the Blankenstein district of Rosenthal am Rennsteig in Thuringia, on the Saale river near the Bavarian border. Founded in 1882 by Anton Wiede as Wiedes Papierfabrik Rosenthal (WPR), the company initially produced paper and later expanded into chemical pulp and specialty paper production. Over its long history it has undergone significant transformations, from a private enterprise to a state-owned combine in East Germany, and after reunification became part of the Mercer International Group in 1994. Today the mill is one of the most modern pulp facilities in Europe, producing up to 360,000 tonnes of pulp per year and employing around 365 people plus apprentices. It primarily uses spruce and pine wood sourced from the Erzgebirge, Thuringian Forest, Frankenwald, and Fichtelgebirge regions, as well as from the Czech Republic and Poland. The site has seen over €500 million invested in modernization since 1994, including a new kraft pulp production line that started operation in 1999, making it the first pulp plant in Germany to use the kraft process. The company is a significant regional employer and ships about 90% of its pulp by rail, with a rail terminal for roundwood receiving opened in 2017. Despite being the smallest mill within the Mercer Group, it plays a key role in the European pulp market.

The company was founded in 1882 by Anton Wiede as Wiedes Papierfabrik Rosenthal (WPR). In 1891, it began producing chemical pulp and high-quality specialty paper. In 1894, Wiede acquired the neighboring paper mill in Blankenberg. After the turn of the 20th century, the company expanded, with production and profits rising. In the years following World War I and World War II, the plant was continually expanded. During the East German era, in 1976, a new sulfite pulp production facility was built according to the state of technology at the time, further increasing production. The state-owned enterprise VEB Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Rosenthal later became part of the Kombinat Zellstoff und Papier Heidenau. Located directly on the inner-German border, the plant was considered a contributor to significant air pollution in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a long-standing border conflict known in historical studies as the "Katzendreckgestank-Affäre" (cat dung stench affair). After German reunification, in 1994 the plant became part of the Mercer International Group. While the old facility was shut down in 1999, construction of a new facility began in 1997 as part of the conversion to a more environmentally friendly kraft process. This new plant went into operation in 1999 and was the first pulp plant in Germany to use the kraft process. The facility is considered one of the most modern in the world. Since 1994, more than 500 million euros have been invested in conversion and modernization. Up to 1,500 tonnes of pulp are handled daily by ZPR for shipment across Europe. Twice daily, pulp is shipped by rail. The share of rail shipping was gradually increased to around 90% by 2017. In 2017, a rail terminal for receiving roundwood was put into operation, aiming to increase the rail share for inbound transport as well. As of December 31, 2017, ZPR employed 365 people and 14 apprentices. The plant produces up to 360,000 tonnes of pulp annually. Its sister mills are Zellstoff Stendal and Zellstoff Celgar in Canada. Within the Mercer Group, the Rosenthal plant is the least powerful. In 2007, a study for capacity expansion was prepared, which would allow an increase in pulp production to up to 400,000 tonnes per year, at a cost of 100 million euros. ZPR has expressed interest in reactivating the Höllentalbahn railway, which was closed due to the division of Germany and connects Thuringia and Bavaria, citing poor delivery connections toward Bavaria. From August 2008, preparations were made for the dismantling of the 175-meter-high chimney. Originally it was to be demolished by the end of 2008. A special excavator demolished the chimney from the top down, as blasting was not possible due to the unfavorable location, unlike the second chimney that stood until 1987. Some residents of Blankenstein advocated keeping the chimney, as they considered it a landmark. By early February 2009, the chimney had been demolished to a height of 90 meters. From that height, the 6.5-tonne excavator was replaced by a larger 16-tonne excavator because the masonry thickened from 25 to 65 centimeters below that height. The chimney's diameter was eight meters. The demolition work took a total of six months. The demolition produced 4,500 tonnes of construction debris, with about four meters removed per day. By April 2009, the demolition work was completed. Technically, ZPR has an annual wood requirement of 1.8 million solid cubic meters, of which two-thirds is used as wood chips, a byproduct from sawmills, and one-third as roundwood for pulp production. Mainly spruce and pine wood is used, sourced primarily from the Erzgebirge, Thuringian Forest, Frankenwald, and Fichtelgebirge, but also from the Czech Republic and Poland. The digester has a height of 65 meters and the adjacent chimney 125 meters. Production there is fully automated. In the digester, wood chips are cooked for four hours at 160 °C in an alkaline solution. This produces an aqueous pulp suspension, which is then cleaned and bleached. Bleaching is done either using the ECF process (elementary chlorine free) with hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, and chlorine dioxide, or completely chlorine-free using the TCF process (total chlorine free) with hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, and ozone. After bleaching, the pulp is pressed to pre-dry and later dried with thermal drying. It is then sent to the finishing line, part of the baling line, where it is cut and stacked into 250-kilogram bales. The liquor line is connected with the fiber line in a closed chemical cycle. The plant operates in parallel with pulp production.

• 2017

  Rail terminal for roundwood receiving opened; rail shipping share reached about 90%.

• 2009

  Chimney demolition completed in April.

• 2008

  Dismantling of the 175-meter chimney began in August.

• 2007

  Study for capacity expansion to 400,000 tonnes per year prepared.

• 1999

  Old facility shut down; new kraft pulp plant went into operation, first in Germany to use kraft process.

• 1997

  Construction of new kraft pulp facility began.

• 1994

  Became part of the Mercer International Group.

• 1976

  New sulfite pulp production facility built in East Germany.

• 1894

  Acquired the neighboring paper mill in Blankenberg.

• 1891

  Began producing chemical pulp and high-quality specialty paper.

• 1882

  Founded by Anton Wiede as Wiedes Papierfabrik Rosenthal (WPR).

One of Europe's most modern pulp mills, producing high-quality pulp for European markets with a strong focus on rail logistics and environmental modernization.

• Bleached kraft pulp

  Produced using ECF or TCF bleaching processes.

• Specialty paper

  Historically produced high-quality specialty paper.

1. 1Wikidata entry for Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Rosenthalwikidata.org
2. 2German Wikipedia article on Mercer Rosenthalde.wikipedia.org