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054 PULP & PAPER
RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
The business area is focusing its R&D activities
on both new greenfield plants and plants
that are already in use (brownfield plants).
Activities are focused on optimization of energy,
raw materials, and effluents; upgrades
of existing products to improve their energy
efficiency and reliability; and new products
which will continue to maximize production
while lowering investment and operating
costs.
ANDRITZ technologies that support the drive
for sustainable production considerably reduce
waste of energy, chemicals, water, and
fibers. This is also evident in the development
of new systems which efficiently process
both wood and plantation fibers and
systems which maximize energy efficiency.
Considerable effort is being employed to effectively
utilize biomass as an energy source.
Advanced control systems for all pulp and
paper mill processes are being developed
and tested.
The divisions’ R&D programs in detail
are as follows:
Wood Processing
The increasing importance of environmental
performance and the push towards full utilization
of renewable resources is focusing the
development of wood processing systems
for biomass handling and processing.
Fiberline Systems
Technology development continues to focus
on lowering the investment cost per ton of
pulp produced, which is being accomplished
through process simplification, increased
unit capacities, standardization, and modularization.
In terms of scale and capacity, the
5,000 t/d single fiberline is already a reality.
To lower the environmental impact, less
chemicals are now required for cooking and
bleaching, and fresh water consumption has
been reduced. Simplified process design and
improved equipment efficiencies are also
consuming less energy.
Chemical Systems
The division is further developing technologies
for environmental sustainability and increased
capacities of pulp mills. In terms of
capacity, a new lime kiln has been commissioned
with a capacity of 1,000 t/d. The
application of centrifuge technology for dregs
dewatering and washing is gaining acceptance,
which minimizes the volume of dregs
in landfills. A new front-end technology for
lime kilns, LimeFlash , is now in operation
to considerably boost the throughput
that can be achieved from existing conventional
or LMD kilns .
Recovery Systems
Rising energy costs have boosted the demand
for advanced biomass-fired power
boilers which are suited for bark, forest residues,
and short-rotation small trees. The first
biomass gasification plant using Carbona
technology to produce fuel gas is now in operation
in Denmark; ANDRITZ’s affiliate Carbona
is a specialist in gasification systems.
Applications for lime kiln fuel gas production
(to replace oil/natural gas) are ready for the
market. Development of pressurized gasifiers
for liquid biofuels continues. Other gasifier
applications under development include upgrading
of the steam parameters in recovery
boilers and integrated gasification combinedcycle
plants (IGCC ) for improved electrical
efficiency.