The world's largest single-line pulp mill in Ribas do Rio Pardo (Mato Grosso do Sul), Brazil, was inaugurated on December 5th, 2024. PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, and PENEBAR SW-55 waterstop strips were specified to protect the mill’s concrete structures from high groundwater levels and moisture.

Ribas do Rio Pardo is a municipality of around 25,000 in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul of southern Brazil.

A Brazilian producer of paper and pulp, Suzano Paper and Pulp (Suzano Papel e Celulose) is the largest paper and pulp company in Latin America, one of the 10 largest global producers of market pulp, and the world’s largest producer of eucalyptus pulp (paper). Active in over 80 countries and headquartered in Salvador, Brazil, the company has offices in Buenos Aires, Fort Lauderdale, London, and Shanghai.

The new Ribas do Rio Pardo plant ("Cerrado Project") is the largest single-line pulp mill in the world, with a production capacity of 2.55 million tons of eucalyptus pulp per year. The new plant increases Suzano’s production capacity by more than 20%, bringing it to 13.5 million tons annually. The company also has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tons of paper per year, including sanitary paper, printing, writing and packaging lines, and other products that use pulp as raw material.

“The Cerrado Project represents the largest investment in Suzano's 100-year history and is also one of the largest private investments in Brazil in recent years,” adds Cláudio Neves Ourives, CEO and Managing Partner of Penetron Brazil. “The R$22.2 billion (~U$4.3 billion) project includes construction of the pulp mill, logistics infrastructure, and development of the region’s forestry base.”

Due to the high-water table of the construction site at Ribas do Rio Pardo, the builder specified the need for a durable solution to protect the numerous below-grade and on-grade concrete structures of the plant.

“Familiar with the success Penetron has enjoyed with similar paper and pulp mill projects in Brazil, AFRY, the Cerrado Project architect, came to us for a solution,” notes Cláudio Neves Ourives.

PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was added to the concrete mix for the pulp mill’s slab foundation, plant floors, cooling towers, and network of drainage channels. PENEBAR SW-55 swellable waterstop strips were applied to permanently seal all construction joints.

Once exposed to moisture, the active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. These crystals permanently seal micro-cracks, pores, and capillaries against the penetration of water or liquids from any direction, making the concrete impermeable.

The PENEBAR SW-55 waterstop strips create a physical barrier against water penetration in cast-in-place concrete joints.

“PENETRON ADMIX also gives the Cerrado Project’s concrete structures the ability to self-heal hairline cracks that may form in the future,” adds Cláudio Neves Ourives. “This minimizes future maintenance and repair costs for Penetron-treated concrete and maximizes the service life of the Ribas do Rio Pardo plant.”