As part of the sustainability program ‘Papermaking for Life’, Voith has set the goal of supporting a 90% recycling rate by 2030 through new fibre streams and an optimised recycling process. For this purpose the supplier is continuously developing its existing product portfolio.
In parallel, Voith is working on new, disruptive innovations that completely rethink the current papermaking process. One example is an innovative pulping concept that reduces energy consumption by more than 30% compared to conventional systems. In particular it is designed for pulping special raw materials.
At Papierfabrik Palm, Voith’s pulping technology is already in profitable operation as a pilot project. The stock preparation system is designed for a production of 500 tons per day and enables the company to save 1,000 MWh of energy per year. In addition, high accept consistencies are possible, which leads to advantages in the downstream process steps.
Stephan Gruber, Chief Technology Officer, Palm, said, “Voith’s innovative stock preparation system has started up well. Thanks to Voith’s tailor-made concept, expertise and professional support, we were able to achieve and even exceed the performance targets within a very short time. In the area of sustainability, the technology takes a top position and is a good tool to further increase our resource efficiency and achieve our goals.”
Voith’s intensive preparatory work with a test prototype has paid off. The technical solution behind the optimised recycling process links two pulping technologies. The new pulping concept involves continuous HC pulping in a trough with horizontal pulping shaft and downstream screening section. At Palm, it is installed in a separate line for pulping processing waste and reject rolls and is already in continuous operation. The pulping of standard raw materials with increased dirt loads has already been successfully tested. Here, too, the system has been able to demonstrate its advantages.
