A passion for innovation
ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER’s continuous research and development activities focus on supporting customers to achieve sustainable production with higher capacities as well as higher energy efficiency and at the same time minimizing the consumption of energy, chemicals, and water. New technologies concentrate on the by-products of pulp production and on creating green energy.
Sustainable production
R&D for biomass power boilers continues to focus on the combustion and emission behavior of different biomass feedstocks. The focus on developing low-effluent and chemical recovery systems for chemi-mechanical pulp mills continues.
To lower the environmental impact, ANDRITZ has been able to reduce the consumption of chemicals required for cooking and bleaching. Consumption of fresh water has also decreased.
Technology development in evaporation is focusing on producing highly efficient, low (or zero) effluent evaporation systems.
White liquor plant development is further reducing gaseous emissions and cleaning solid wastes to reduce toxicity.
Energy efficiency
Electricity generation in pulp mills is boosted with High Energy Recovery Boilers (HERB) that increase the amount of electricity generated from black liquor. Developments in mechanical pulping include new high-capacity and energy-efficient machines and systems.
For industrial grades of recycled fiber, development work is centered on the pulping process to reduce energy consumption. A compact partial deaeration system has been developed for inclusion within paper machine approach systems. One of the benefits of this development is lower power consumption.
Biofuels
ANDRITZ is developing technologies for ethanol production from non-food based raw materials such as wood and agricultural waste. Development of pressurized oxygen-blown gasifiers, which are used in liquid biofuel production, continues. A gasification process for biodiesel production is currently under development and the site selection process for the first production plant is ongoing.
Services
The focus in service development is to continuously improve the efficiency of installed equipment and lower the operating costs. In support of this, sophisticated balance calculation tools, which model production costs, have been developed. Upgrade packages for specific equipment are being introduced to reduce energy consumption, maintenance costs and the consumption of consumables, and to increase reliability.
R&D activities in 2011
ANDRITZ successfully developed technology for the first full-scale Advanced TMP (ATMP) mechanical pulping line. This technology achieved a world record in reducing energy demand for newsprint TMP (less than 1,500 kWh/t – a 30% reduction compared to traditional technology).
ANDRITZ developed a new auto-hydrolysis process for the continuous production of dissolving pulp which improves pulp quality, increases yield, stabilizes the operation, and is very cost-effective. With this, existing chemical pulp lines can be easily converted to the production of dissolving pulp with only minor modifications. This new ANDRITZ technology has gained rapid acceptance and is being delivered to several customers in Asia where viscose fiber growth is the highest.
In the effort to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel consumption in a lime kiln, ANDRITZ recently supplied a kiln to a pulp mill in Sweden that burns 100% wood powder via its modified burner management system.
After successful operation of several pilot plants, the first commercial-scale system using ANDRITZ’s new continuous pre-treatment technology for producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass is scheduled to start up in Europe in 2012. In the USA, another order for a demonstration facility was received. The ANDRITZ technologies being employed are proven in other industrial processes and have been modified to satisfy the requirements for biofuel pre-treatment.
The development of E-Line fabrics reduces energy consumption in the forming section of a paper machine up to 30% compared to standard fabrics. The new yarn technology decreases the drive load on paper machines significantly, without sacrificing performance and quality.
Reduced energy consumption is a critical factor for success also in the panelboard industry. ANDRITZ is developing a new generation of dewatering housings which reduce thermal energy consumption of the fiber dryer by approximately 20%.
Pilot plant work continued with a new system for flue gas desulphurization. The main benefit of the system is a 20% reduction in operating costs.
