Sustainability with Return on Investment
Paper, board, pulp, and tissue manufacturers are faced with the challenge of reducing their production costs while producing in an environmentally friendly and resource-saving manner. But is it possible to conserve resources and the environment while reducing production costs?
Yes. The IBS Group has been helping customers achieve these targets for decades. Based on countless successful projects to optimize board, pulp, tissue, and paper machines as well as current developments in the areas of environment, energy, and resources, the company has identified seven sustainability targets for paper producers and prioritized them based on a typical production cost structure for containerboard in Central Europe. In this article, IBS has outlined the most effective measures for each target—measures that show both ecological benefits and a return on investment of three to 12 months. They illustrate that even small investments can bring considerable savings.
Systems such as the IBS iFiber system shown here can help mills reduce fresh fiber requirements.
OPTIMIZE FIBER COMPOSITION
Measures to optimize fiber composition while maintaining or improving product quality are highly lucrative. Fiber costs account for almost 50 percent of production costs, regardless of whether production is based on virgin or recycled fiber. The costs and availability of raw materials often vary considerably. In addition, the quality of wastepaper is continuously deteriorating. These are just some reasons to use high-quality raw materials as selectively as possible.
One highly efficient strategy for optimizing the use of fibers is to shift the raw material composition toward more sustainable, but usually lower-quality, raw materials. Another measure is aimed at reducing or shifting the basis weight. Alternatively, measures can be taken in fiber preparation to achieve a higher fiber yield. These also lead to a reduction in reject quantities and associated disposal processes. The sustainable savings potential of the measures described is considerable and the ROI usually just a few months. All approaches have already been successfully implemented by IBS.
REDUCE THERMAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Around 20 percent of production costs are attributable to thermal energy consumption. Steam consumption for paper drying is the largest cost factor, followed by the thermal energy required for the preparation of mass starch. Outdated steam boxes are also significant steam consumers. These often work inefficiently and consume a disproportionate amount of steam.
A key approach to reducing thermal energy consumption is to reduce steam consumption for paper drying. IBS achieves this by increasing the dry content in mechanical dewatering, improving sheet formation or increasing the sheet temperature. With such measures, steam consumption for drying paper can be significantly reduced as part of optimization projects and an ROI of just a few months can be achieved.
Another measure is aimed at reducing steam consumption in the preparation of mass starch. By using a patented thermo-mechanical cooking process for mass and surface starch preparation from PGA GmbH (a member of the IBS Group), it has already been possible to save thousands of tons of steam per year and achieve an ROI of just a few months. In addition, the starch cooker offers maximum flexibility in the use of different types of starch and even offers some starch savings.
IBS is also focusing on optimizing existing steam boxes and installing new steam application technologies. Modern systems work more efficiently and consume up to 50 percent less steam.
REDUCE ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION
Electricity consumption for vacuum supply, drives, and motors accounts for around 10 percent of total production costs. Vacuum sources such as fans, pumps, and blowers are particularly large consumers of electrical energy.
A key strategy for reducing power consumption is to adapt the vacuum requirement to the actual production requirements. This includes optimizing the vacuum curve across the entire wire section and using automatic vacuum control valves. The aim is to optimize vacuum consumption in such a way that existing vacuum pumps and the associated power consumption can be saved. Replacing outdated dewatering systems and adapting existing dewatering blades and suction covers to the current production conditions is also likely to reduce the required drive power. These measures are highly profitable and have been implemented many times over.
REDUCE CHEMICAL CONSUMPTION
The cost of chemicals and their handling are a significant factor in paper production. Experience shows that chemical costs account for around 10 percent of production costs. The main cost drivers are mass starch and surface starch, whereby the prices and availability of the different types of starch vary greatly. These are followed by paper strength additives and other process chemicals. Due to the lower quality of recycled fiber, these are increasingly used to at least keep the strength parameters and machine availability stable. The handling of chemicals is often complex and demanding.
The central measure for reducing chemical consumption is the use of the patented thermo-mechanical cooking process for mass and surface starch preparation from PGA GmbH. By improving the preparation of starch, this process reduces starch consumption considerably, requires less thermal energy, and offers maximum flexibility in the use of different starch types. Within various IBS projects, surface starch consumption was reduced by hundreds of tons per year, the switch from potato to corn starch was made possible, or steam consumption for mass starch preparation was reduced by up to 70 percent.
Mills can also save chemicals through measures that improve sheet formation. By installing an iTABLE®, for example, it has been possible to reduce the amount of mass starch required by 12 percent. All of these measures lead to considerable savings and an ROI of just a few months.
REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION
Water has always been an important issue for the paper industry, but it varies greatly from region to region. In some areas, fresh water cost is rising sharply and climate change is exacerbating the issue. The cost of wastewater treatment is also rising continuously, which further increases the financial burden. In addition, different qualities of water are available within the production process, the costs of which also vary. In view of these developments, water management is becoming increasingly important in the paper industry, encompassing both ecological and economic aspects.
A key strategy for optimizing water consumption is to reduce the amount of fresh water required and therefore also the amount of wastewater produced. Such measures not only help to conserve resources, but also reduce the costs of water treatment.
In the course of our projects, mills have reduced fresh water consumption for felt cleaning by 80 percent. Another approach is to replace fresh water with lower-quality water for selected applications. Through targeted measures in the treatment of mass starch, around 80,000 m3 of dilution water was replaced by clear filtrate.
REDUCE WEB BREAKS AND BROKE
Broke and web breaks waste all previously invested resources. In addition, web breaks disrupt continuous production, put a strain on personnel and machines, and reduce production volumes—and therefore profitability. Along with the direct loss of production, a web break always results in a quality-restricted ramp-up phase until stable operation is achieved. The reduction of broke and unplanned downtime not only saves resources, time, and money, it leads to an increase in production.
A central solution approach offering great potential in this area is recognizing and understanding the causes of web breaks. Through precise analysis, these causes can be identified and avoided in the future. In one project, a mill customer reduced web breaks by 40 percent by replacing an outdated web monitoring system with modern technology. This led to a production increase of several thousand tons per year.
EXTEND SERVICE LIFE OF MACHINE CLOTHING
Increasing the service life of dewatering wires and press felts reduces material consumption and increases productivity. The longer the service life, the lower the material requirement for clothing and the production downtime caused by necessary stoppages. In most cases, the costs of production downtime are higher than the material costs. In addition, every machine clothing usually requires a certain start-up time.
The decisive measure for sustainably increasing the service life of machine clothing is to optimize the cleaning process. Appropriate measures have increased the service life of dewatering wires and press felts by up to 25 percent within the scope of projects.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
These seven sustainability targets show that ecological responsibility and economic success can go hand-in-hand. By taking targeted measures to conserve resources and optimize processes, paper manufacturers can not only reduce their environmental impact, but they can also achieve considerable cost savings and increase their competitiveness.
A strong basis for any optimization is an in-depth audit by IBS experts. The practical examples and solutions of the IBS Group illustrate how these targets can be effectively implemented to ensure a sustainable future for the paper industry.