With increasing regulatory pressure and growing customer demand
for better products, the pulp and paper industry faces many
challenges. To be successful, the industry must find new ways to
improve environmental and process performance, enhance product
quality, and reduce operating costs.
For over 40 years, Air Products has been helping the industry by
providing innovative solutions to such challenges. We work closely
with pulp and paper manufacturers to design, develop, and implement
improvements throughout the mill.
For example, we're a world leader in the manufacture of
industrial gases and chemicals that are used extensively to improve
pulp and paper quality, help plants meet environmental guidelines,
and reduce processing and other operating costs. Air Products also
designs, constructs, and operates environmental and energy
facilities that produce energy and reduce the cost of solid waste
disposal. And we strive to anticipate future industry needs. Our
research teams work with industry specialists to find new ways to
increase manufacturing efficiency, meet demanding environmental
compliance guidelines, and improve product quality and performance.
Air Products' Technologies and Services
for the Pulp and
Paper Industry
Air Products' Technologies and Services
for the Pulp and
Paper Industry
Steam/Power Generation
1. On-Site™ cogeneration services for steam/power
generation
- Achieve energy savings and long-term cost stability with
reliable supply of cogenerated steam and electric power
- Reduce costs, whether you burn natural gas, coal, oil, hog, or
waste fuels
- Reduce development, capital, and operating risks through Air
Products' On-Site concept
2. On-Site residual fiber disposal
- Reduces cost of solid waste disposal through weight and volume
reduction
- Recovers energy content of residual fibers
- Mitigates environmental impact of solid and gaseous waste
streams
Chemical Pulp Mill
3. Oxygen delignification
Oxygen delignification is the step just before the pulp enters
the bleach plant. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of lignin (the
glue-like substance which holds the wood fibers together) that
passes through to the bleach plant. Oxygen delignification lowers
bleaching chemical consumption, increases pulp brightness, and
reduces waste loading to the wastewater treatment facility.
- Reduces bleaching chemical consumption
- Increases paper brightness
- Improves yield selectivity
- Reduces organic loading to the waste treatment
facility
4. Ozone bleaching
Ozone bleaching offers the ability to close a mill's water system
and produce totally chlorine-free pulp. To ensure the lowest
evaluated cost of supplying a mill with ozone, a total mill impact
study must be conducted considering the overall oxygen and ozone
requirements and fiber line constraints. This study should also
include a technical/economic evaluation of the basic ozone supply
options: short loop, long loop, once-through with reuse. Medium- and
high-consistency ozone bleaching alternatives should both be
evaluated along with these various supply alternatives.
- Facilitates conversion to chlorine-free bleaching
- Enhances pulp brightness
- Reduces bleach plant effluent
- Improves environmental compliance
5. Oxygen alkali extraction
Oxygen Alkali Extraction (EO) is one stage in a pulp bleach plant
where oxygen is used together with alkali to lower consumption of
other more expensive bleaching chemicals.
- Improves performance of extraction stage
- Reduces consumption of more expensive bleaching
chemicals
6. Total Heat Recovery (THR™) Process for black liquor
oxidation (BLO)
Black Liquor Oxidation (BLO) is used in the chemical recovery
process to lower total reduced sulfur (TRS) emissions (which
contribute to the characteristic kraft mill odor) to levels in
compliance with government regulations.
The THR (Total Heat Recovery) Process is a patented,
energy-efficient black liquor oxidation technology that recovers
nearly all of the heat of oxidation to reduce evaporator steam
requirements.
- Recovers heat of oxidation to reduce evaporator steam
requirements
- Lowers total reduced sulfur emissions
- Improves economics and reliability compared to air-based BLO
systems
7. Lime kiln oxygen enrichment
Lime Kiln Enrichment (LKE) is an economical alternative for
increasing lime kiln capacity and/or reducing TRS emissions from
this recovery process. Supplemental oxygen is introduced into the
kiln burner section to promote more efficient combustion.
- Increases lime production
- Reduces average fuel consumption
- Lowers total reduced sulfur emissions
- Eliminates lime mud disposal
8. White liquor oxidation
White Liquor Oxidation (WLO) is a technology that is primarily
used in conjunction with oxygen delignification and oxygen alkali
extraction. Oxidized white liquor is used as an economical alkali
source to maintain optimum pH and assist in lignin solubilization in
the oxygen delignification and oxygen alkali extraction stages. WLO
reaction systems offer the ability to customize the degree of
oxidation including complete oxidation to sodium sulfate.
- Produces an economical alkali source
- Helps maintain mill's chemical balance
- Assists in metals management and effluent closure
Paper Machine
9. Airvol® polyvinyl alcohol for paper coating and sizing
applications
- Strongest binder for the paper industry
- Improves oil, grease, and solvent resistance for paper and
paperboard
- Enhances optical brightening and gloss, allowing for lower
optical brightener addition levels
- Replaces protein, CMC, starch, and other chemically modified
natural binders
10. Airflex® and Vinac® polymer emulsions for coating binder,
saturation,
and specialty
applications
-
Provide superior brightness, glueability, opacity, and blister
resistance; improved ink receptivity; and excellent control of
water interference print mottle when used as paper and paperboard
coating binders
- Used in high-performance saturation applications, such as
filtration medium and wallpaper groundcoats
- Broad product line provides versatility when used in specialty
coating applications, such as label papers, barrier coatings, and
release coatings
11. Surfynol® surfactants and defoamers for paper and
paperboard coatings
- Control foam and reduce pinholes in paper and paperboard
coatings without causing fisheyes
- Provide smoother, more consistent coatings by reducing dynamic
surface tension, which helps improve flow and leveling
- Reduce water resistance compared to conventional surfactants
- Increase hold-out due to controlled penetration of the coating
- Improve glueability on cylinder board
- Reduce ink mottling
Hog Fuel Boiler
12. Hog fuel boiler oxygen enrichment
- Increases hog fuel steaming rate
- Lowers average fuel consumption
- Improves hog fuel throughput
Wastewater Treatment
13. Oxygen for wastewater treatment
Three wastewater treatment techniques (bubble diffusion, side
stream polishing, and total stream polishing) are available for
supplying supplemental oxygen to increase dissolved oxygen (DO) and
to reduce biological oxygen demand (BOD) in mill effluent.
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