Chemical recovery system considered cutting-edge

“Rising paper consumption in Asia and growing global demand for more environmentally friendly fibres for the apparel industry are driving the increase in pulp-making capacity to convert renewable fibres into a variety of fine paper products and viscose staple.”

A SPECIALLY- designed system designed by Veolia Water Technologies is set to optimize the chemical recovery process in the transformation of hardwood cellulose into pulp for textile fibres and fine paper making.

Rising paper consumption in Asia and growing global demand for more environmentally friendly fibres for the apparel industry are driving the increase in pulp-making capacity to convert renewable fibres into a variety of fine paper products and viscose staple.

In tropical Indonesia, the Riau province is a major hub for the forestry industry and is home to the operations of the Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) Group, the world’s second-largest producer of bleached hardwood kraft pulp.

APRIL-owned Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) produces pulp of the highest purity at one of the world’s largest paper mills in Kerinci (Riau).

As a result, RAPP performs pulping washing and cleaning steps which produce an organics-rich liquid stream. When this liquor is burned in the recovery cycle, it generates renewable power that helps the mill become energy self-sufficient. Over time, however, the process creates chloride and potassium accumulation which, if not tightly controlled, causes corrosion and boiler fouling increasing maintenance costs so to prevent efficiency losses and boiler downtime, these chemicals need to be managed.

To this end, Veolia will treat 550 tons per day of precipitator ash through its Enhanced Chloride Removal Process (ECRP). Featuring best-in- class HPD crystallization technology, this advanced system is designed to yield the best control of sodium recovery and chloride and potassium removal steps while minimising energy consumption and related emissions, states Veolia.