Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

capability for both chemical and energy recovery, have minimal
environmental impact, have a scale-up and turndown capability to meet
current and future mill needs, allow the mill to continue as a zero effluent
operation, and be affordable.
The spent liquor gasifier is designed to processes 115 Metric tons per day of
black liquor solids (at 40% moisture content). The chemicals are recovered
and sent to the mill for pulping and the energy is recovered as steam which
offsets the production of steam using purchased natural gas. The process
started up in September of 2003. The project completed its performance test
in April of 2005 and it completed air emissions testing in October 2006
thereby transitioning from commissioning to full commercial operation. The
gasifier has logged more than 18,000 hours of operation.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Big Island, Virginia
Georgia-Pacific Corporation, one of the world’s largest paper companies. The
Big Island mill produces 900 tons per day of linerboard from OCC and 600
tons per day of corrugating medium from mixed hardwoods semi-chem
pulp. The project was environmentally driven and displaced two 50 year-old
smelters that provided chemical recovery but no energy recovery. The project
was funded 50% by the U.S. Department of Energy as a demonstration
project for low temperature spent liquor gasification. The system was
designed to process 200 tons per day of black liquor solids (at 40% moisture).
Starting in the first quarter of 2004, Georgia-Pacific commissioned TRI’s
steam reforming spent liquor gasification process at its Big Island, Virginia
mill. The start-up and operation of the reformer system was not nearly as
successful as the similar system at Norampac, and in October of 2006,
Georgia-Pacific decided to no longer continue operation of their reformers.
Their decision was based on the expected cost of modifying the reformer to
improve performance. In contrast to Norampac, GP’s system was designed by
another engineering company and incorporated significantly different process
designs than those implemented by TRI at Norampac.
Suppliers
TRI
3700 Koppers Street, Suite 405 Baltimore, MD 21227
Telephone: 410-525-2400 Fax: 410-525-2408
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