Methods for producing pulp and paper products from plants having bast and hurd fibers

A method for producing a pulp or paper product from a plant material having bast and hurd fibers, the method comprising:

• processing of a plant hurd fiber material into a hurd fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a first stream;
• processing of a plant bast fiber material into a bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry in a second stream comprising steam and pressure refining of the plant bast fiber material;
• blending of the hurd fiber pulp or pulp slurry and the bast fiber pulp or pulp slurry to provide a blended pulp or pulp slurry;
• and
• producing the pulp or paper product from the blended pulp or pulp slurry,
• wherein the first stream and the second stream are performed separate from each other, and
• wherein the steam and pressure refining in the second stream comprises a chemical pulping of the plant bast fiber material comprising heating the plant bast material in a citric acid solution followed by heating the plant bast material in a sodium bicarbonate solution, both under steam and pressure conditions.