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Content archived on 2024-06-10

Closed Bleaching in Kraft Pulp Production

Objective



The objective of CLEAR is the development of a novel and cost effective bleaching process that will not produce any effluents. CLEAR will revolutionise the bleaching process and develop integrated measures for the whole process including the evaporation and the chemical recovery processes in order to eliminate completely all liquid effluents. The key measure to be developed in CLEAR will be the revolutionising of the washing of pulp which occurs at many points in the bleaching process. Presently this cannot be done in a completely closed system due to unacceptable scaling problems which cause frequent shut downs. The goal is the development of a completely closed cycle, with the ultimate prize of no liquid effluent or pollution load. The increased internal recycling will also provide efficiency gains in terms of reduced water and energy usage, and reduced effluent treatment costs. Eliminating scalin problems will require the development of new washing equipment capable to be operated even under chemical conditions that induce scaling. It also needs a novel and improved control strategy for the whole bleach plant filtrates in order to optimise the solubility of calcium and other substances contributing to scaling. Specifically, CLEAR will:
reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 40 kg/ton of pulp (the value for open loop bleaching) to zero;
reduce the water usage from 30 m3/ton of pulp to below 10.
reduce chemical costs by 5%;
reduce the number of shut-downs required to clean the pulp washers when in closed-loop bleaching from once a week to once a month;
reduce the open-loop discharge which, in open-loop bleaching varies, from plant to plant, between 30 and 50 m3/ton of pulp, to zero. CLEAR is an end-user driven project. The impetus behind the development comes from the final end-users of the system: the pulp and paper manufacturer (partner A). CLEAR is concerned with effluent free processes for the pulp and paper industry, and the project includes a machine manufacturer and technology supplier for the pulp and paper industry (B).CLEAR is also concerned with control of the filtrate circuits and the consortium also includes a very innovative SME specialising in software design and process modelling (C). CLEAR will thus be created by a Consortium of three partners from three different countries, covering three very different industrial sectors (pulp and paper, machinery and software). The partners are working together in a Consortium for the first time. Apart from a substantial research team, each partner has a senior member of staff in the project whose main responsibility is the commercial exploitation of the results. The CLEAR advantage over the only commercial alternative (activated sludge) is 20 ECU/ton. If we consider that the EU production capacity is about 13.3 million tons per year in kraft pulp alone, the total potential savings in just that market are over 250 MECU per year, thus well over 70 times the size of the project. CLEAR will have an immediate application in the sulphite pulp sector. Paper and fibreboard are the next two markets CLEAR will address. Such exploitation will start within one year of the end of CLEAR and will be led by the pulp technology supplier (partner B). The use of the new processes by the pulp producer (partner A) will however start earlier.

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

MoDo Paper AB
EU contribution
No data
Address
6,Hörneborgsvägen
891 80 Örnsköldsvik
Sweden

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Total cost

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Participants (2)

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