How ANDRITZ’s Reject Treatment System reduces water use, saves space, and simplifies mill operations.

Insights from ANDRITZ senior experts and leading paper producers.

At this pivotal moment when China's paper industry is advancing towards green and low-carbon transformation, solid-waste management has emerged as a central issue which is crucial to corporate sustainable development. With the ongoing implementation of the "Dual Carbon" goals and the new Solid Waste Law, conventional wet treatment processes for coarse rejects – notorious for high water consumption, poor workshop conditions, and elevated labor costs - are increasingly becoming bottlenecks that hinder the high-quality growth of paper enterprises. Where does the solution lie?

Against this backdrop, ANDRITZ has successfully launched its innovative dry rejects treatment technology for the paper industry. In a recent interview with China Paper Industry Magazine, key individuals discussed the application of this technology: Mr. Shi Wei, Senior Vice President, APAC, Paper and Textile ANDRITZ; Mr. Zhu Zhipeng, Technology Manager, Recycling, ANDRITZ; and Mr. Ying Guangdong, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer at Sun Paper.

Addressing Industry Challenges with Innovation, Redefining Reject Treatment Benchmarks

“Through meaningful innovation, we help our customers achieve growth that goes beyond financial gains - growth that secures future competitiveness,” says Mr. Shi Wei, emphasizing ANDRITZ’s strategic vision for global pulp and paper sustainability. “Our brand promise is ‘Creating Growth that Matters,’ and our dry process technology is a true embodiment of that commitment.”

Through meaningful innovation, we help our customers achieve growth that goes beyond financial gains - growth that secures future competitiveness. Our brand promise is ‘Creating Growth that Matters,’ and our dry process technology is a true embodiment of that commitment.”

Shi Wei
Senior Vice President, APAC, Paper and Textile ANDRITZ

Compared to traditional wet coarse reject treatment, ANDRITZ’s dry process offers significant advantages. Mr. Zhu Zhipeng explains, “Our dry system features a proprietary integrated process combining high-consistency dewatering, all-in-one shredding, and dry sorting, completely eliminating the need for fresh water and preventing secondary wastewater pollution at its source.” Utilizing advanced multi-stage screening technologies, the system efficiently separates fibers, metals, and combustibles, dramatically reducing fiber loss. “Most importantly,” Mr. Zhu emphasizes, “precise separation ensures residual impurities are below 0.01%, which significantly lowers emissions such as dioxins during incineration. This enables mills to comply easily with even the strictest environmental regulations.”

“Our dry system features a proprietary integrated process combining high-consistency dewatering, all-in-one shredding, and dry sorting, completely eliminating the need for fresh water and preventing secondary wastewater pollution at its source. Most importantly,” Mr. Zhu emphasizes, “precise separation ensures residual impurities are below 0.01%, which significantly lowers emissions such as dioxins during incineration. This enables mills to comply easily with even the strictest environmental regulations.”

Zhu Zhipeng
Technology Manager, Recycling, ANDRITZ

The effectiveness of this technology has been proven at Sun Paper. In 2014, ANDRITZ delivered two dry coarse reject treatment lines for Sun Paper’s Zoucheng facility, a 1.6-million-ton-per-year packaging paper project. Mr. Zhu recalls, “The first line was successfully commissioned in 2016 and has been running reliably for ten years. Its outstanding economic and environmental benefits directly led to multiple repeat orders for Sun Paper’s projects in Laos, Nanning, and Yandian. The Nanning line boasts a design capacity of up to 250 bdt/d, achieving remarkable economies of scale.”

“The ANDRITZ reject treatment line can separate virtually everything contained in the rejects from the pulper. This means we can recover and process materials: some are incinerated in the boiler, while metals can be sold as scrap. Most importantly, we no longer need to resort to landfill.”

Ying Guangdong
Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer at Sun Paper

Turning Value into Growth for Our Customers

ANDRITZ's dry process technology generates "meaningful value growth" that is both significant and multi-dimensional. This value is demonstrated not only in economic returns but also in its role as a catalyst for green transformation within the sector.

In terms of economic value, the most tangible benefit is achieving zero freshwater consumption, eliminating both costly water charges and subsequent wastewater treatment expenses for reject handling. At the same time, the system’s high level of automation reduces staffing requirements from more than a dozen operators under traditional wet processes to just two, significantly cutting long-term labor costs.

In terms of safety, the system fully embraces the “No Harm” philosophy. Operators can manage all key tasks from the control room, eliminating the need for frequent entry into harsh environments and significantly reducing exposure to harmful dust and corrosive substances. This ensures employee health and safety while safeguarding the company’s most valuable asset - its people.

ANDRITZ’s Innovative Technology Supports RDF Production

Mr. Shi Wei adds, “Through localized production at our Foshan facility, ANDRITZ has achieved full in-country integration across the entire value chain - from design and manufacturing to service. This allows us to help customers cut initial investment costs by up to 30%, which is a clear example of how we deliver on our promise of ‘Growth that Matters’.”

Building Operational Resilience Through Full Lifecycle Services

ANDRITZ’s competitive advantage lies not only in its technology but also in its comprehensive lifecycle services. “We regard the dry reject treatment system as an integral part of the entire pulp and paper production ecosystem,” explains Mr. Zhu Zhipeng. “Leveraging ANDRITZ’s global leadership and expertise across pulp, paper, and energy, we deliver fully integrated solutions covering the entire value chain - from pulping and papermaking to energy recovery and waste treatment. This closed-loop approach significantly boosts operational efficiency and resource utilization.”

ANDRITZ’s full lifecycle service philosophy also delivers clear benefits in maintenance and reliability. “By implementing standardized preventive maintenance programs, we greatly reduce unplanned downtime and help customers lower overall operating costs,” Mr. Zhu adds. “Beyond comprehensive start-up training and complete spare parts support, we tailor maintenance strategies based on real-time equipment performance data. For example, when a customer reported accelerated wear due to high sand content in the feedstock, our technical team quickly designed a new sealing assembly and executed a retrofit, effectively resolving the issue in record time.”

Coarse Rejects from Recycled Fiber Line

Rags/Reject Handling

Coarse Reject Treatment workshop

High-Quality Output from the ANDRITZ Coarse Reject System

Looking ahead, ANDRITZ is aligning its innovation roadmap closely with evolving customer needs. Mr. Zhu Zhipeng expands: "A significant industry pain point remains the heavy reliance on manual sorting for complex material streams, which also represents a key opportunity. ANDRITZ is accelerating the development of intelligent sorting systems to help customers achieve fully automated and smart sorting processes."

Mr. Shi Wei reaffirms ANDRITZ’s commitment: “Our brand promise - ‘Creating Growth that Matters’ - is setting a new benchmark for value across the industry. We are committed to working hand in hand with paper manufacturers, leveraging innovative technologies and comprehensive services to build a greener, more efficient future for the sector.”

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