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PAPER

TECHNOLOGY

INTERNATIONAL

VOLUME 62, NUMBER 3 AUTUMN 2021

THE JOURNAL OF THE BIOFOREST PRODUCTS SECTOR

SHOTTON PAPER MILL: UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT FEATURING: AQUAPAK; NIPMAN; PIXACT; SIMEONI; SOLENIS; TASOWHEEL WATER: NOVEL BIOCIDES; WASTE WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY: DIRT MEASUREMENT; FIBRE MEASUREMENT; FUNCTIONAL BARRIER COATINGS COLUMNS: CPI; LETTER FROM INDIA; NEWS; ORDERS; PEOPLE; STANDARDS

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PITA Training & Conferences

B PO AC DE P K B Kate Leach presents . . . . M UL Y AN AR Energy Optimisation D! Essential Cost Saving Knowledge for All involved in the Paper Industry

Paper Industry Technical Association

8th & 9th December 2021 / Union Papertech - Bury This two-day online Course focuses on Modern Energy Optimisation Techniques specifically relevant to the production of Paper, Fibre-based Packaging Products and Converting. Starting from an up to date overview of the Energy Market, the course provides essential background knowledge for anyone (manufacturer or supplier) who is involved in the implementation of Energy Saving / Carbon Emissions Reduction strategies throughout the Fibrous Forest Products Sector.

Kate is an effective and entertaining trainer with a thorough and grounded knowledge of papermaking processes with good insight into the world of soft tissue manufacture.

A great primer/motivator for those looking to increase Energy Efficiency

Day One: 

Energy & Trends: A look at energy trends locally and globally.

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Motors: Understanding how motors work, to make them work more efficiently in our mills.



Context & Scale: Looking at energy use in the Home, Office and Industry.



Processing & Pumping Efficiency: Learning how to spot process inefficiencies in pumps.

I can honestly say that after 38 years in the paper industry and having attended a large number of courses this was truly one of the best both in terms of content and supporting material.

Day Two: 

Dewatering: Relative costs of water removal throughout the papermaking process, how small changes can bring about big savings.



Employee Engagement: The importance of involving the whole workforce in energy optimisation and some tools to do this.



Compressed Air: How to ensure one of the largest single energy users in the mill is working optimally.



Refining: A background to refining leading on to an understanding of how to optimise refining results whilst minimising energy requirements.



Energy Generation: Generation options for the paper industry (including: heat exchangers and steam systems).

per AT) ll V s g fu (plu 699 includin six £ y l On rson , otes & tary pe urse n plimen A. co s com of PIT th ip ts o m n mbersh iscoun d e m mber Me

For further details & to book your place on this course, contact Helen in the PITA Office (0300 3020 150 / info@pita.org.uk)

PO Box 721 Bury BL8 9UZ

Tel: 0300 3020 150 If calling from outside the UK: +44 161 764 5858 Fax: 0300 3020 160 E-mail: info@pita.co.uk

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Volume 62 Number 3 Autumn 2021

Published by PITA PO Box 721, Bury, BL8 9UZ, United Kingdom Tel: 0300 3020 150 Tel: +44 161 746 5858 (from outside the UK) Fax: 0300 3020 160 email: info@pita.co.uk website: www.pita.co.uk Editor Daven Chamberlain St Johns House Spring Lane Cookham Dean Berks SL6 9PN Tel: 0300 3020 159 email: editor@pita.co.uk UK Advertising Sales Contact the PITA Office Tel: 0300 3020 150 Email: info@pita.co.uk European Representative Nicolas Pelletier RNP 16 Rue Bannier – 45000 Orleans, France Tel: +33 6 82 25 12 06 Fax: +33 2 38 42 29 10 email: europe@pita.co.uk Designed and typeset by Upstream Ltd, Deepcar, South Yorkshire Printed by Mixam UK Watford, Herts

Contents 2 ........ Comment

Advertising List

4 ........ Industry

News 6 ........ News Bytes 32 ........ Stop Press 33 ........ A Letter from India 37 ........ Exhibition Report 38 ........ People in the News 39 ........Compendium of Recent Orders 40 ........Standards Update

ABB 3 Axchem 7 DITP 19 Paper One Show 9 Paperex OBC PITA Energy Optimisation IFC PITA Engineering Manager IBC PITA Essential Guide 36 PITA LinkedIn 15 Pixact 23 Unwasted - Classified 33

Features 10 ........ A

Novel Biocide for Cooling Towers (Solenis) 16........ Interview with Alfred Simeoni 20........ Overview of Nipman Paper Technology 21........ Improving Basis Weight Uniformity (Tasowheel) 22 ....... A New Dimension in Online Process Control (Pixact) 24........ Soluble Bio-digestible Barriers for Packaging (Aquapak) 34........ Correlation between Air Permeance Instruments (PITA) 36........ Drivers for Future UK Growth (CPI) Papers FRONT COVER PICTURE

© PITA reserves all copyrights for the contents of this Journal. Technical papers may also carry first-authors’ copyrights jointly with the Association. None of the contents may be extracted, circulated, or re-published without permission. Registered Number*2928961 England Limited Liability. ISSN (Print) 0 306-252X ISSN (Online) 2632-5799

Supplier Index A.Celli ...............................................5, 8 ABB ......................................5, 6, 34, 39 AFRY ................................................6, 8 AFT Global ...................................20, 39 Andritz ...........................................6, 39 Aquapak ........................................24-32 Archroma .......................................5, 38 Aurelia Group ....................................20 Avatron Systems.................................20 Axchem ..........................................24-32 Bellmer................................................39 BIM ...............................................22-23 BTG .......................................................8 BW Papersystems...............................39 De Iuliis .................................................5

SHOTTON MILL UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT UPM ceased production of Newsprint on 28 September, and handed over the site on 1 October to new owners, Eren Paper. Now begins the hard work, as the Turkish group plans to invest £600M in equipment and buildings, transforming the site to production of packaging and tissue grades. Packaging production is slated to start in 2025; tissue possibly earlier. We wish them well for this mammoth project, and hope to report on progress periodically.

Dieffenbacher .....................................39 Endress-Hauser .................................39 FlowControl........................................20 FMW ...................................................39 Greycon...............................................39 Gurley ................................................34 Hergen.............................................8, 39 Kadant.......................................8, 38, 39 Kemira ..................................................8 L&W ...................................................34 Ledinek ...............................................39 Leonhard Breitenbach.......................20 Nipman................................................20 Pesmel .................................................20 Pilz ...................................................5, 37 Pixact .......................................20, 22-23 Projet...........................................6, 8, 39 Raumaster.............................................5

Recard .................................................39 Replus Tissue & Eil ...........................39 RollResearch International ..............20 Runtech ...........................................8, 39 SansOx ................................................20 SEYI ......................................................7 Siempelkamp .......................................8 Simeoni ..........................................16-18 SKF........................................................8 Solenis ............................................10-15 SPM .....................................................40 Tasowheel......................................20, 21 TMI ....................................................34 Toscotec ...............................................40 Urbas Energietechnik ...................40 Valmet ..........................8, 16, 22, 23, 40 Visilab Signal Technologies ...............20 Voith ....................................8, 16, 39, 40 1

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Comment Change Points and New Beginnings I write this column after having just returned from my first large trade show for 17 months (which is described later in this issue under ‘Exhibition Report’). Such a large indoor gathering in the UK has not been sanctioned since March 2020. With the significant crowds it is apparent that there is a desire to recommence in-person events; I am sure that ‘digital’ has not had its day, but if things continue to improve it is likely that it has at least peaked for the time being. (Barry experienced something similar when he attended the ChemUK event a couple of weeks later, again at the NEC in Birmingham, to represent the UK paper industry in a panel discussion. Again there were large crowds and a desire to get out and meet people.) The high numbers coupled with almost non-existence of mask wearing suggest that large numbers of people feel we have the virus ‘beaten’ – or at least tamed. The hunger for a different way of living (compared to the last 17 months of stop-start lockdown and ‘freedom’) is understandable, although whether this marks a real change point is something only time will tell. But in only a few weeks’ time a true change point is due to occur when the mighty Finnish UPM company vacates Shotton Mill, which it commenced building in 1983 on the site of a derelict steels works, and opened on 8 May 1985. At this time only Aylesford Mill (PM13) and Consolidated Bathhurst (Ellesmere Port Mill) were producing newsprint in the UK; as a nation of newspaper readers we were heavily dependent upon imports. Over the succeeding 36 years Shotton mill has formed a mainstay of the UK newsprint industry, which burgeoned to include Aylesford PM14 (installed in 1995 and closed in 2015), Bridgewater Paper Company (who took over Ellesmere Port Mill, and who closed the site in early 2010) and most recently, Palm Paper at King’s Lynn (opened 2009 and soon to be the only newsprint mill still operating). Over the years Shotton Mill changed many times. The single machine in 1985 using TMP refining of indigenous wood was joined in 1989 by a second machine and TMP operation – and also a flotation deinking plant. Almost a decade later a second recycled fibre plant was installed, which raised the RCF content of their paper to 50%. Over time the economics changed, and TMP (which is an energy intensive operation that produces significant SOx and NOx emissions) was phased out by 2003 when Recycled Fibre Plant 3 was installed, and the site went over to 100% recovered paper as a raw material. Further investment in 2006 saw a huge Biomass CHP plant installed, then in July 2011 the mill became the first in the UK to have its own modern Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) on-site. Although PM1 was closed in February 2015, the mill still continued to innovate, and in 2016 a deal was signed with the operators of a huge solar farm adjacent to the mill, and from then on almost every daylight hour they have run on 100% renewable energy. Yet nothing lasts forever. A major change in reading habits over a decade ago is the ultimate cause. Figures from wikiwand.com for newspaper circulation suggest that in 1987 UK hardcopy readership of the big newspapers (those with a daily circulation over 100,000 copies) was around 15M daily, which by 2017 had dropped to just over 8M. Since then, readership has declined further, caused most obviously in the past year by a change of working practices with many staying home, so ‘commuter publications’ such as the

Metro saw a massive fall of maybe a million issues per day. Yet we still remain avid consumers of news, but rather than obtaining it from printed matter we now harvest the internet in addition to radio and television. Habits have changed, and a major catalyst was the advent of the iPad and its competitors; tablet computers made consumption of digital news on-the-go so much easier, and since then smartphones have supercharged the revolution. On top of the earlier change point in reading habits (which affected both magazines and newspapers) was added the change point of a pandemic, such that in August 2020 UPM announced their intention to sell the mill, on the proviso that it not be used to produce graphical papers. Fortunately for the site’s employees, a far-sighted company has stepped in to purchase the site and so we reach another change point – this time in both ownership and product mix. Eren Paper Ltd, a subsidiary of Modern Karton (which itself is part of Eren Holding, of Turkey), will take charge of the site on 1 October. This purchase marks their first foray outside of their home territory – a major change point in itself since it involves blending of different work cultures and practices. Initially it was thought they would convert the two existing machines already on site – which would have been another change point (MK not having performed a machine conversion to date). But very recent information suggests a much more radical approach, namely the installation of a single new machine (slated capacity 650,000tpy), corrugated converting plant (slated capacity 105,000tpy), redevelopment of the existing site to encompass three new tissue production machines (total capacity 210,000tpy) and a new CHP to power the upgraded plant. The company correctly assesses that the UK is nowhere near self-sufficient in tissue manufacture; but this is yet another change point because neither Modern Karton, nor their parent company Eren Holding, have operated in the tissue or hygiene arena to date. While we are sorry that UPM Shotton is leaving after almost four decades, we are delighted to welcome Eren Paper to the UK. We are confident that they will bring new innovations – new ways of producing the world’s most popular packaging material (corrugated board) and hygienic tissue. They are starting from a very strong base, with the current CHP, nearby the solar farm, and with a site that combines excellent transportation links with ample room for expansion. In conclusion, life – whether personal or business – is full of change points. Some are unwanted, and most we cannot sidestep – they just happen, regardless. What is important is how we react – either with positive acceptance, realising that change is the one constant in life, or negatively, fighting vainly against the changing tide. Ultimately, life is what you make of it – so I am proud to paraphrase the well-known aphorism and announce that

Shotton Mill is dead; long live Shotton Mill! Daven Chamberlain

ABB-Ad

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— Journey to profitability ABB Pulp and Paper is coming to a mill near you

The ABB Pulp and Paper European tour will be in the United Kingdom in December 2021. We are taking bookings NOW for us to stop at your mill. Your teams can see, try and learn about the latest digital technologies and industry solutions you need to enhance your process and bottom line – all in a mobile unit that we bring to your site. No travel required! To book a visit, contact one of the United Kingdom Pulp and Paper Account Managers: paul.d.clark@gb.abb.com or colin.goodchild@gb.abb.com Learn more at: abb.com/pulpandpaper

ABB-Ad_PnP Truck Europe_A4_210712.indd 1

12.07.2021 16:23:23

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY SPRING 2016 MONOTIER®: THE MILLION-TONNE DRYER FABRIC

Industry News UK NEWS Biffa, one of UK’s biggest waste companies, has been found guilty of exporting rubbish illegally. Biffa Waste Services, based in Buckinghamshire, exported 1000 tonnes of household waste to Asia, but labelled it as paper. It’s the second time in two years the company has broken the law – in 2019 it was convicted of trying to ship household waste from Southampton to India and Indonesia. An investigation by the environment agency stopped them from shipping sixteen 25-tonne containers for onward export between Southampton and India and Indonesia in 2018 and 2019. All of it was destined for one paper mill in India and two more in Indonesia. In a statement, Biffa said: “No public interest has been served by the Environment Agency in bringing this prosecution. The UK does not have the infrastructure to recycle all of the wastepaper that householders send for recycling, meaning export is essential to avoid having to landfill or incinerate this valuable resource. The case established that the paper we were sending for export was over 99% pure. This is no different from the waste paper that is recycled in the UK. It would have been used as raw material to make cardboard packaging. The recycling industry has tried to engage with the Environment Agency on developing standards for export that reflect the realities of recycling that it can be measured against, but the Agency has not cooperated. Biffa no longer exports wastepaper outside the OECD but the industry overall has no choice but to do so. We urgently request that a set of coherent policies are put in place that either put exports on a stable footing or stimulate the necessary investment in the UK so that it is no longer needed”. The company was fined £1.5M. BillerudKorsnäs is to divest the paper mill in Beetham, UK. The process is ongoing and no binding agreement to sell the mill has yet been entered into. Since BillerudKorsnäs’ machine glazed (MG) paper business has primarily been focused in Skärblacka (after the investment in 2018 involving PM10 which increased MG kraft capacity by 180,000tpy), the strategic importance of Beetham to the rest of the group has been reduced. Beetham produces kraft paper for packaging of medical equipment, food packaging and other types of industrial applications and has a capacity of around 45,000tpy. Reports have been circulated about possible investment by a Chinese company into a paper recycling plant in the Telford area (rumoured capacity 150,000 to 250,000tpy), specifically to produce dry recycled fibre as a raw material, which can then be shipped to China for use in indigenous mills. Cyclelink UK, a subsidiary of Cyclelink International, the global sourcing arm for Shanying International, is behind the project. The stated plans are to take OCC from supermarkets and offcuts from boxmaking plants, presumably slush them, maybe clean, then dry them to the extent that they can be shipped abroad. DS Smith has invested in ten Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to increase sustainability and efficiency at its Kemsley Paper Mill in Kent. The all-electric Rocla vehicles, supplied by AGV pioneers Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe Oy, operate 24/7 and perform a variety of tasks around the fully automated warehouse including collecting reels from the production conveyor, storing them and picking them for orders. When the AGVs aren’t tasked with work, they automatically switch to ‘housekeeping’ mode, rotating stock in order of age to maximise warehouse ca-

pacity. The robots, which have an average lifespan of 12 years, can transport paper reels safely around the warehouse at speeds of up to 8mph. They operate with zero local emissions and when their battery level drops to 30%, they complete their current task before going to the Automated Battery Exchange Station where they choose the optimum charged battery as they get ready for another 10-hour shift. As the largest mill for recycled papers in the UK with an annual production capacity of over 840,000 tonnes, Kemsley is embracing robotic technology to operate safely, efficiently and sustainably. Eren Holding has released plans for the future of the Shotton Mill site. Rather than convert the two newsprint machines, they will be removed and a single new state-of-the-art containerboard machine (slated capacity 650,000tpy) will be installed. Alongside this the company plans to add corrugating plant with a total capacity of 105,000tpy. Then, in a surprise move, they envisage adding tissue manufacturing capacity with three large machines each of capacity 70,000tpy. To account for the extra manufacturing capacity, the warehouse will be enlarged (to hold up to 25,000 pallets or 300,000 tonnes of material), and a gas-fired CHP (capacity 50MWe) will be added to run alongside the biomass plant. Currently the site employees just over 500 staff; this is envisaged to rise to around 850 when all of the planned changes take effect. Nearly half a million coffee cups have been saved from landfill as part of a new recycling drive. Cup bins had been placed around Bristol by a waste company, making it easier for people to recycle. So far 5.6 tonnes of single use cups have been turned into greetings cards, paper bags and gift boxes. The success of the scheme means it will now be expanded, with recycling bins now placed in hospitals across the region. Since the ‘For Cups Sake’ recycling scheme was rolled out in February 2020, more than 465,000 cups have been collected. Once gathered, the cups are baled at the Bristol Waste site in Avonmouth before being sent to the James Cropper paper mill in the Lake District. The project was initially awarded funding through the charity Hubbub, which launched The Cup Fund thanks to the 5p charge on disposable coffee cups introduced to reduce plastic pollution. Lenzing Group, a provider of wood-based speciality fibres for the textile and nonwoven industries, is to build a new, stateof-the-art wastewater treatment plant at its site in Grimsby. The investment is part of the company’s plans to reduce wastewater emissions by 2022. Once it has implemented this project, Lenzing will have biological wastewater treatment plants that meet the best available techniques (BAT) quality standard at all of its production sites. British tissue manufacturer Northwood is pushing for growth and will make significant investments at its headquarter in Telford, in particular a new tissue converting line, capacity 13,000tpy, and expansion of warehousing premises and investment in automated packaging equipment. Portals Paper has signed a deal to produce a specialist cotton/polymer banknote substrate that is an alternative to the polymer materials increasingly being used instead of traditional banknote paper. The firm has now signed a licensing agreement with Banque de France, which developed the product, to produce its multi-layer EverFit banknote material. EverFit was first used in Madagascar in 2014, and is now used by nine countries

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 INDUSTRY NEWS

with more than 500M banknotes issued. Saica Pack successfully manufactured more than 1M square metres worth of corrugated cardboard at its Thrapston facility near Northampton. Over 24 hours, a dedicated team of professionals oversaw the production of 1,150,000 sq.m of corrugated cardboard. The event, called T1M (Thrapston 1 Million) abided by strict social distancing measures, reflecting the team’s commitment to achieving the feat despite facing several logistical challenges. BENELUX NEWS DS Smith is to sell De Hoop paper mill in the Netherlands to De Jong Packaging. After the sale, DS Smith will continue to purchase from and supply to the paper mill a certain amount of containerboard and fibre in support of a smooth and orderly transition. The mill produces around 370,000tpy of mainly heavier grades of recycled paper per annum. DS Smith said the sale supports its strategy to have a ‘short paper’ position in Northern Europe where there is a greater amount of external paper capacity available to the company. It further aligns the company’s internal paper production with priorities in lightweight fibre-based packaging solutions for FMCG and e-commerce customers. The proceeds from the sale will be used to partly offset this year’s enhanced investment in packaging capacity, with new greenfield corrugated box plants in Italy and Poland. It will also be used for a significant expansion of Arnstadt packaging facility in Germany. Italy’s white lined chipboard (WLC) producer Reno de Medici has finalised the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Fineska, the Dutch holding company that owns solidboard and packaging manufacturer Eska, from US investment firm Andlinger. Solidboard applications include luxury packaging, stationery, bookbinding, puzzles and games. Foresco Group has acquired Lapack, a Dutch company that produces export packaging and tailor-made wooden pallets at three production sites in The Netherlands (Musselkanaal, Zeewolde, Foxhol), one in Germany (Marsberg) and one in Belgium (Aalter). The addition of Lapack will reinforce Foresco’s position as market leader in production of wooden pallets, export packaging and pallet recycling in the Benelux Region. On Thursday, July 29, Meerssen Papier BV filed for bankruptcy following damage caused by the flooding of the Kleine Geul on 15 July. Initial hopes that the 183 year old mill which employs 45 employees might be sold faded after the trustees reported that, having spoken with a number of interested parties, there was no chance that the papermaking operations will restart. Pregis, a leading global manufacturer of protective packaging systems, expanded its paper converting capabilities in September when production began at its new facility in Born, the Netherlands. The 12,000 sq.m plant will be cutting and slitting large master rolls of 100% recycled paper into smaller rolls and fanfolded stacks for use with Pregis EasyPack cushioned paper packaging machines and other e-commerce applications. Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier has successfully rebuilt and started PM3 with the help of A.Celli. The machine restarted after A.Celli rebuilt the press section, with the substitution of the whole frame and the change of the press loading system from pneumatic to hydraulic; the first group of the pre-dryer section with four new dryer cylinders and three vacuum rolls, including the relevant new hood; mechanical and piping erection services. PM3 is a line dedicated to the production of 1000tpd of 2-layer liner packaging paper with basis weight ranging from 125 to 220 gsm and a width of 5090mm. In 2020, Smurfit Kappa Roermond

Papier produced 635,000 tonnes of recycled paper from over 1.3 million bales of recivered paper. VNP awarded the following prizes during the summer. In the field of energy, Schut Papier performed excellently: the company achieved a good result in terms of its own efficiency improvements in the field of process efficiency, chain measures and CO2 reduction and thus earned a place on the top rung of the podium. Essity Cuijk finished in second place, third place being taken by Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier. The health and safety cup winner was DS Smith Paper De Hoop. This prize is awarded to the paper and cardboard company that achieves the best performance in the field of health and safety, absenteeism due to illness and safe work. Crown Van Gelder finished in second place and Sappi Maastricht in third place. PITA CORPORATE SUPPLIER NEWS ABB has won a first order for its recently-launched Sheet Break Performance, as part of a major digital transformation project at PT. Riau Andalan Kertas mill (RAK) in Indonesia, part of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited. Sheet Break Performance is the latest addition to several other ABB Performance Services, including Wet End Control and Paper Machine Drives Performance, at the mill. The site is capable of producing up to 2.8Mtpy of pulp and 1.15Mtpy of paper. Archroma announced the launch of The Safe Edge, an online platform for instant access to product related regulatory & compliance certificates and information. The Safe Edge covers standards, regulations and information such as air emission factors, animal origin, halal, kosher, plant origin, food contact, Blue Angel, bluesign®, Cradle-to-Cradle, chemical inventories, Composability EN 13432, conflict minerals, EU Flower/Ecolabel, GOTS, CONEG, ISEGA, Nordic Swan, Oekotex® Standard 100, California Prop 65, REACH, RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substance), Screened Chemistry, SDS, SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern), VOC (US), ZDHC (Zero Discharge Hazardous Chemicals), and brand standards (like Coats A&F MRSL, Decathlon RSL 2020, Jack Wolfskin RSL and The List IV by Inditex). Pilz has launched the second generation of safety light curtains, PSENopt II, which provide safe access to the production process and provide finger, hand and body protection, depending on the requirement. The first Type 3 safety light curtains are specifically designed for applications up to PL d of EN/IEC 61496-1/-2. Type 4 light curtains are also available for applications up to PL e of EN/IEC 61496-1/-2. The safety light curtains are available in lengths from 150mm to 1800mm. In combination with the safe small controllers PNOZmulti 2, the result is a safe, complete, one-stop solution. Raumaster Paper has expanded its toolbox for on-site training and remote support. They are currently developing video channels for all product systems containing visualisations of system processes, technical solutions and operator and maintenance tasks. Channels contain 3D-pictures, animations and work step videos for training, marketing, and service purposes. If required, system and sequence videos are tailored for each project. They also offer entirely new possibilities for remote support. Finally, we welcome De Iuliis, Italian speciality Designers and Manufacturers of Paper Machinery, Systems and Components for the production of paper & board as well as Central Cylinders for Flexographic Printing Systems, as our latest Corporate Members.

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News Bytes HEALTH & SAFETY An explosion occurred at the Evergreen Packaging LLC Paper Mill, in Canton, North Carolina, due to a build-up of methane; two workers were injured. A Packaging Corporation of America employee was killed in an apparent workplace accident at Counce Mill, Tennessee, whilst he was operating a clamp truck that is used to move heavy bales of paper. It appears that the employee was beneath the machine for some reason and the clamps released and bales fell on him. Fires occurred at: Dunn Paper Co., Port Huron, Michigan, caused by materials surrounding a paper machine catching fire during the manufacturing process; Fourstones Paper Mill, Hexham, a large blaze requiring 7 fire engines; GeorgiaPacific mill, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on a conveyor system (which was extinguished by a sprinkler system); GeorgiaPacific tissue facility, just north of Palatka, Florida, with the fire constrained to one machine; Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill, Big Island facility in Bedford County, Virginia, in the dryer hood of PM4; Nine Dragons Paper Mill, Rumford, Maine, USA, on a conveyor belt in a building handling wood chips; Paper Excellence Catalyst paper mill at Powell River, Canada, in the warehouse; Sonoco, in a warehouse in South Brunswick, which caught fire for the second time this year. EUROPE - EASTERN Chelny Paper in Naberevny, Tatarstan, Russia, has started two tail cutters with a radial saw, supplied by ProJet. Karelia Pulp Company plans to modernise their Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill in the Republic of Karelia, transforming it from a producer of newsprint to one focussing more on packaging. In addition, the company plans to add dissolving pulp manufacture on the site. Mayr-Melnhof Group has finalised the acquisition of International Paper’s former Kwidzyn mill in Poland, and the acquisition of Kotkamills in Finland. Due to the changing portfolio MM Karton has changed its name to MM Board & Paper. Mayr-Melnhof Packaging plans to expand their Neupack Polska (Poland) operation with a focus on e-commerce and high-quality fine corrugated cardboard (microflute).

PPM Pitkyaranta Pulp Mill, one of the oldest enterprises in the Karelia region of Russia, will be modernised next year to both raise productivity and improve environmental performance, in particular reducing release of Methyl Mercaptan by 90%. The mill, which currently produces 110ktpy of unbleached cellulose, is celebrating its centenary in 2021. Segezha Group to build a new paper machine at its Sokol Pulp and Paper Mill in Sokol, Vologda region, Russia. The new machine will be 135m long and will be designed to switch between greaseproof and sack paper manufacturing. Stora Enso and Tetra Pak have joined forces to triple the recycling capacity of beverage cartons in Poland, with a large-scale carton repulping line at Stora Enso’s Ostrołęka production unit. Viru Keemia Group, an oil and chemicals company, is exploring whether to build a new bioproducts mill in Estonia, for production of pulp, dissolving pulp, tall oil and renewable energy. Approximate planned capacity is 330500ktpy of pulp. AFRY has already completed a preliminary feasibility study for the project. ZAO Murom, a Russian wood-based materials producer, has inaugurated a new OSB line in the Vladimir region, Russia. A large (5ktpy) paper factory is due to be built this year in Kazakhstan, in the North Kazakhstan region, according to recent statements made by Kumar Aksakalov, head of the region. Russia plans to start cultivation of silk grass as a raw material for the production of paper pulp. A pilot project is planned in the Russian Tula region under jurisdiction of the “Center of Competence and Sustainable Development in the Field of Agroindustrial and Food Security and Environmental Protection”. EUROPE - WESTERN German investment company Accursia Capital has acquired coreboard producer Cenpa based in Schweighouse-surModer in eastern France (capacity 70ktpy), from German private equity company Mutares. Ahlstrom-Munksjö has acquired the electrotechnical paper business from German speciality paper manufacturer Kämmerer; through the acquisition A-M will expand its paper offering in the area of

semiconductor papers. Amcor is to invest in two new Innovation Centres in Asia and Europe; the new facilities in Ghent, Belgium, and Jiangyin, China, will welcome customers as of mid2022. Cascades will divest its interest in Reno de Medici to Apollo Global Management, who plan to take Europe’s second largest recycled cartonboard manufacturer into private hands. With this transaction, Canadian group Cascades will end its operating history in Europe. Essity has invested heavily in its Hondouville mill in France, allowing it to increase the recycling capacity of cartons to 24ktpy. The fibres from these cartons are used in the fibre mix to manufacture Tork branded products within Professional Hygiene. Fedrigoni has acquired 70% of NewCo that will produce 3-D thermoformed, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly packaging from cellulose instead of plastic. Fibre Excellence (which is owned principally by Canadian firm Paper Excellence) has gained approval for the take-over of the 250ktpy pulp mill in Tarascon, France. A deal agreed by Fiskeby to acquire Baden Board GmbH, a German producer of recycled board, has fallen through, and BBG has now filed for insolvency. Fitesa s.r.l., an Italian spunmelt nonwovens manufacturer, employed ProJet to service and update their OMEGA-line. Hamburger Containerboard, Austria, employed Andritz to install a new Multi Motor Drive (MMD) and drive control system on PM3. Koehler has been equipped with stateof-the-art Dryer Fabric cleaning equipment by the ProJet service team. Model Group employed ABB to modernise one of its key paper machines with energy-efficient motors and state-ofthe-art variable speed drives at its facility in Weinfelden, Switzerland. Palm Paper has started its huge new containerboard machine (PM5) at the Aalen Mill in Germany. With a trimmed width of 10.9m, and a capacity of 790ktpy, this machine displaces three smaller machines (combined capacity 380ktpy) which have been sold to Bangladesh. German company Progroup is mooted

Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 7

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEWS BYTES

to build its planned Italian corrugated sheet feeder plant in Vimercate, near Milan. The company is also preparing to construct new corrugated sheetfeeder plant (PW15) near the villages of Petersberg and Höheischweiler, in RhinelandPalatinate, Germany. Schilliger Holz AG plans to build a new facility for manufacturing woodfibre insulation board out of Swiss wood at its existing Perlen site. Smurfit Kappa Group is to acquire Verzuolo paper mill, a containerboard business in Northern Italy, from the Burgo Group. The PM9 machine was newly constructed in 2002 and converted into a 600ktpy capacity recycled containerboard machine in 2019. Solidus Solutions, a Dutch solid board manufacturer, has acquired Mölle, a German-Polish producer of partitions and inserts (many made from solid board), from Ernst & Cie. Thimm has modernised its corrugated board plant in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, allowing the company to produce F-flute grades for the first time. Additional investments in process automation are planned for the fourth quarter of 2021.

NORDIC REGION Corex, an integrated cores producer, is expanding in the Nordic countries, where it already operates five core plants and one coreboard mill, by acquiring Topcore, a cores producer based in Liljendal in southern Finland (capacity 12ktpy). Corex is a division of the Belgian VPK Group. Duni Group is the first in the world to use fossil free propane gas (BioLPG) in paper production. The company views this as a major step in transitioning their subsidiary Rexcell Tissue & Airlaid’s paper mill in Skåpafors, Sweden, to a fossil-free future. Huhtamaki has partnered with RiverRecycle and VTT to develop technology to tackle floating river waste; the new technology river waste collector is now operational on the Mithi River in Mumbai, India. Metsä Board plans to increase folding boxboard capacity at its Husum mill in Sweden, raising the capacity of BM1 from 400ktpy to 600ktpy. The additional capacity will enter the market during 2024-2025. Metsä Fibre laid the foundation stone for its Kemi bioproduct mill project on

13 September. Mill capacity is slated at 1.5Mtpy of softwood and hardwood pulp, as well as many other bioproducts. Metsä Group is planning to construct a new Kerto LVL mill on its expanding mill area in Äänekoski, Finland. Metsä Spring Ltd, the innovation company of Metsä Group, has made an equity investment in Innomost Ltd, a Finnish startup converting forest industry side streams into high-value bioactive products. PulPac and HS Manufacturing Group jointly announced a cooperative partnership in the developing of sustainable barrier technologies adapted for PulPac’s “Dry Molded Fiber”. The goal is to refine, develop and test HSMG’s platform of PROTĒAN® barrier technologies for industrial scale application methods. The Stora Enso pilot facility for producing bio-based carbon materials from lignin has started operations at the Sunila production site in Finland. Pilot production of Lignode® by Stora Enso, woodbased carbon for batteries, is currently being ramped up. . NORTH / SOUTH AMERICA Bracell has commissioned the first of its two new fibre lines at the Lençóis Paulista

+44 (0)845 301 6710 info@axchem.co.uk

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEWS BYTES

pulp mill in Brazil’s São Paulo state; the first batch of pulp was produced on 9 September. Case Paper announced the completion of a massive solar panel installation on the roof of their converting and warehouse facility in Chicago, Illinois. The solar panels cover over 60,000 square feet and will provide 90% of the energy needed to run Case’s Chicago plant. Felix Schoeller Group plans to expand its release liners operation in Pulaski, New York. The new operation is designed to coat both solventless and solvent-based silicone systems to best meet the requirements of current and future customers. Glatfelter Corporation is to acquire Jacob Holm, a global leading manufacturer of premium quality spunlace nonwoven fabrics encompassing four manufacturing facilities and six sales offices. International Paper has announced Sylvamo Corporation as the name of its global papers spinoff, with headquarters planned for Memphis, Tennessee. Irani, a Brazilian paper producer, has employed Hergen to modernise PM2, in particular to replace the drying section including the MG dryer. Jeld-Wen Holding, Inc. intends to sell its Towanda, Pennsylvania operations, a manufacturing site for wood fibre composite building products. Klabin, has successfully started a new kraftline line (PM27) in Ortigueira, Paraná, Brazil. Supplied by Valmet, the line (capacity 1555tpd) is part of the PUMA project. Klabin has started construction of its new terminal on the quay of the Port of Paranaguá, Brazil; this location is a primary site aimed to further streamline their pulp and pulp byproduct operations. Klabin is to invest in dispersible barrier technology at its Monte Alegre paper mill in Paraná, Brazil, which will allow for the on-site application of sustainable barrier coatings to paperboard produced at the mill. Kruger Products L.P. is to implement a digital twin of its supply chain, using real-time data augmented with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to boost operational efficiency and agility, at its Sherbrooke Tissue Plant. Martco L.L.C. announced that its Texas subsidiary, Corrigan OSB, L.L.C., will construct a second oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturing facility near its current, state-of-the-art OSB plant located in Corrigan, Texas, to start operations in 2023. Pactiv Evergreen is to permanently cease production of coated groundwood paper at its Pine Bluff, Arkansas location.

The Company will continue extrusion manufacture and liquid packaging board manufacture at the site. Paper Excellence proposes to reopen and transform the NBSK pulp mill in Pictou County that it closed in 2020. Phoenix Paper has recommissioned their pulp dryer at the pulp and paper mill in Wickliffe, Kentucky. Pratt Industries is to invest in a new 100% recycled paper mill in Henderson, Kentucky; construction on the 450,000 sq.ft. mill will begin next March with a startup date scheduled for Fall 2023. Roseburg is undertaking a restructuring programme and will close its particleboard plant in Dillard, Oregon. The company will continue to manufacture particleboard at its plants in Missoula, Montana; Simsboro, Louisiana; and Taylorsville, Mississippi. Spain’s paper and packaging group Saica is set for further growth on the US market. The company announced it would invest $800M over the next five years to expand its presence. The money would be spend on “strategic acquisitions or new plant construction”. Smurfit Kappa has acquired Folding Carton producer Cartonbox, located in Monterrey, in the north-east of Mexico in Mexico. Sonoco has provided a progress report on Project Horizon, in which PM10, a corrugated medium machine in Hartsville, South Carolina will be transformed to make uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) capacity of 180ktpy. Conversion of PM10 should be completed by Q2, 2022. As part of the project, cylinder machines PM1 and PM9 on the site, both of which produce URB (capacity 70ktpy) will close. Smurfit Kappa is to modernise and expand its Corrugated Plant in Culiacan, Mexico. Plans include a new building to house a new corrugator and die cutter. The facility will produce corrugated boxes made with a moisture barrier that helps resist condensation. . REST OF WORLD Berli Jucker Cellox Co. Ltd, started a Tissue rewinder installed in the Prachinburi plant, Thailand, supplied by A.Celli. CenturyPly, an Indian wood-based panels producer, has released details on a proposal to establish a new MDF manufacturing facility in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a proposed capacity of 213,000 sq.m, to start in 2023/24. Kipas Kagit has successfully started the first production line for board and packaging papers at its Söke site in western Turkey; the entire plant of PM2 (capacity 700ktpy) was supplied by Voith.

Klingele Paper & Packaging Group is continuing to expand in West Africa with a new corrugated sheet plant with two production lines near Dakar, Senegal. Modern Karton, employed ProJet to install new forming fabric cleaners on PM5 at their mill in Çorlu, Turkey. Rengo has taken over Taiko Paper Mfg., Ltd., transforming it to a wholly owned subsidiary. Shandong Huan Ge Decoration Co, Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer of MDF panels located in Linyi in China’s Shandong Province, has started a production line for ultra-thin MDF supplied by Siempelkamp. Packaging entrepreneurs Dermot Smurfit and Michael Smurfit have led the takeover of Whakatane mill in New Zealand, after its owner Swiss packaging company SIG Combibloc announced plans to close the facility SUPPLIERS AFRY has acquired Cubiq Analytics Oy, a Finland-based consulting company delivering end-to-end data and analytics consulting and solutions. BTG announced the release of a software upgrade for VigilancePRO, including enhanced features around creping doctor management. Kadant has acquired Balemaster, a leading U.S. manufacturer of horizontal balers and related equipment used primarily for recycling packaging waste at corrugated box plants and large retail and distribution centres. Kemira has invested in a new production line for alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) sizing agent on their Nanjing site in the Jiangsu province, China. Kemira is an investor in SimAnalytics, a Finnish start-up known for its advanced process harmony prediction and analysis tool. The partnership strengthens Kemira’s ability to support customers’ business with data-driven predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions. Runtech Systems and Nash are joining their sales activities in Europe. SKF has completed the acquisition of Rubico Consulting AB, an industrial consultancy firm based in Luleå, Sweden. SKF has launched a new Oil Conditioning Unit to prolong bearing life. Valmet will build its fourth service centre in China, in the city of Beihai, to further develop its local presence in the fast-growing pulp and paper industry in the Guangxi province. STOP PRESS Page 32

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2020 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Reduction on Water Consumption on a Cooling Tower with the application of a Novel Biocide Anderson José Beber, B Sc. Chemical Engineer, Applications Project Manager, Solenis Especialidades Químicas, Brazil ajbeber@solenis.com; +55 47 991864948

This paper shows the results of the application of a novel mild oxidiser on a large cooling tower at a power plant in Southern Brazil. This cooling tower utilises grey water (tertiary treated domestic sewage) as make up. With the application of this technology, there was an improvement in both microbiological control and corrosion rates. Additionally, the plant was able to increase concentration cycles from an average of 4.5 up to 6.5, resulting in annual savings of over US$400,000. Introduction Chloramines have been used as mild oxidisers for many years. There are many known applications of this chemistry for a complete substitution of traditional strong oxidisers such as chlorine gas and sodium hypochlorite. A major advantage of chloramines is that they are more selective compared to the strong oxidisers. This feature makes them very good candidates for industrial cooling water systems in which there is a high oxidant demand. Bromide Activated Chloramine (BAC), the microbiocide in this case study, was produced by the reaction under controlled conditions between sodium hypochlorite and ammonium bromide, both diluted in water. The result of this reaction is a unique biocide, BAC. BAC is a mild oxidiser that is very effective in controlling a wide range of biofilm-producing microorganisms in recirculating cooling water process streams. The reaction is controlled by a specific piece of equipment which is designed to generate and slug dose the required amount of BAC into the cooling water system. This mild oxidiser does not exhibit some of the adverse effects that are often experienced with most commercially available oxidisers. For example, BAC controls microbiological growth at an overall lower system Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP), resulting in improved corrosion control. BAC technology has been used to control microbiological growth for many years in paper machines and paper production. In 2003, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved it as a substitute for chlorine as an oxidiser. Materials and Methods BAC is produced from the stoichiometric combination of ammonium bromide salt and sodium hypochlorite, described by Equation 1 below. NH4Br + NaOCl 씮 [NH2Cl] Br- + Na+ + H2O Eq. (1) (Kiuru, 2011) The reaction product, BAC, is a mild oxidiser which has the property of being a selective biocide. The reaction occurs on site, utilising the specially designed BAC generating equipment. Figure 1 describes the on-site reaction and consequent dosage to the cooling tower basin. Once the BAC is produced, it is immediately dosed to the cooling tower basin. These slug dosages may vary from 2 up to 5ppm BAC measured as total chlorine. The amount of BAC required is dependent on the cleanliness of the system, where fouled systems may require higher dosages. Also, since it is a mild oxidiser, as explained later it usually operates within lower

Figure 1: On-site production and dosage of BAC.

ORP range compared to a strong oxidiser. Biofilm formation – Figure 2 describes the 5 stages process of biofilm formation and migration to the bulk water. Whenever a system is not well controlled – and biofilm is formed – most strong oxidisers (such as chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite and chlorine gas), will not have a high effectiveness on stages 3 and 4. The biofilm is formed from the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) by bacteria and provides a natural protection for the bacteria. Once it is formed, this natural EPS layer consumes most of the strong oxidiser since it is not selective. Thus this strong oxidiser will hardly penetrate the biofilm to effectively attack the microorganisms. Due to the ability of being selective, BAC does not react with EPS and is able to penetrate the biofilm and attack the microorganisms. In fact, with proper application, BAC is capable of providing on-line clean-up of a bio-fouled system. However, it is important to mention that the main objective is to avoid any kind of biofilm formation, by constantly controlling the key operating and key performance indicators. As described above, BAC dosage requirement is quite low compared to strong oxidisers in a fouled system. For this reason, the usage of BAC reduces significantly the amount of chlorinated and/or brominated organic materials and chloride residuals. If sulphuric acid is used to control pH, sulphate residual is also reduced. ORP Control Range – In most microbiological control programs using an oxidising biocide, achieving a certain minimum oxidation-reduction potential, aka ORP, is essential to providing good microbiological control. Strong oxidisers are usually controlled to generate an ORP range between 400-600mV, depending upon the chemical program. The greater the ORP level, the more effective the biocide is. The corrosivity of a cooling water system is primarily a function of the following variables: temperature, pH, ORP, dissolved solids (especially chloride and sulphate ions), and deposits (i.e. underdeposit corrosion) (Baron, 2012). However, high ORP values may result in higher corrosion rates. BAC is a mild oxidiser, generating a maximum ORP level of approximately 375mV. The usual control range is between 200300mV. The effectiveness and benefits of this lower ORP range will be detailed ahead, with the comparison on the usage of

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 REDUCTION ON WATER CONSUMPTION ON A COOLING TOWER

Figure 2: Biofilm evolution and formation in an uncontrolled water system (Graphic by Peg Dirckx and David Davies, 2003, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University).

sodium hypochlorite and BAC at the selected cooling tower. Selectivity – The acting mechanism on how BAC is more selective is most likely due to its capacity to react with specific chemical bonds. Although the exact mechanism is not yet proven, it is believed that BAC is selective to react with: 쎲 sulphihydryl bonds (-S-H-) also called thiol bonds in the microorganism; 쎲 disulphide bonds (-S-S-) between proteins in the microorganism. This possible selectivity of BAC to break sulphur bonds can be compared to the ability of chloramines reacting with the same bonds (Peskin and Winterbourn, 2006). The redox reaction destroys and deactivates the various biochemicals inside the cell and stops the production of energy. This lack of energy for the microorganism cell leads either to death or cell release from the biofilm to the bulk flowing water. These cells which were previously entrapped in the biofilm will then react with BAC in the bulk flowing water. Very important, BAC is not consumed by other organic compounds. This is considered one the great features of BAC technology, especially in a fouled system or in cooling systems that suffers regular contamination. Also it is especially effective in cooling systems where the makeup water may have a high oxidant demand, for example, grey water or recycled water. Power Plant Cooling Tower Operation A large power plant in the South of Brazil was selected for a case study with BAC as a substitute for sodium hypochlorite, because of several concerns arising from high hypochlorite usage. Table 1 shows the operational data of the cooling tower at this power plant. Total power produced at this site is around 469MW. System volume Recirculating rate Evaporation Total blowdown

3000

m /h

24325

m /h

430

120

m /h

Concentration cycles

4.50

°C

10.85

m3/h

550

Make up rate

Table 1 – Operational data of the cooling tower in study.

This power plant is located in an industrial/refinery area, where there is a local water and sewage company that provides grey water (treated and clarified sewage) as the make-up water to the cooling tower. As expected, this source of water has several com-

ponents that in fact represent oxidant demand: organics and ammonia mostly. Table 2 describes the average condition of the make-up water. pH

–

6.90

ppm CaCO3

Conductivity

µS/cm

410

Chlorides

ppm Cl

Sulphates

ppm SO4

Total Hardness

ppm CaCO3

Calcium Hardness

ppm CaCO3

Silica

ppm SiO2

Ammonia

ppm NH3

ppm Fe

0.20

Alkalinity

Iron

Table 2 – Average chemical profile of the make-up water to the cooling tower.

Other important variables such as TOC, COD and suspended solids unfortunately are not controlled by the plant personnel. Because of the high oxidant demand in the make-up water, the consumption of sodium hypochlorite was quite significant. An average of 40,000kg per month was quite common. Because of this high sodium hypochlorite consumption, large quantities of sulphuric acid were also necessary to maintain an adequate pH level and also for better performance of sodium hypochlorite. Sulphuric acid monthly usage was around 15,000kg per month. However, even with this large consumption of sodium hypochlorite, the residual free chlorine was very low. Also typical ORP was around 350-400mV which is low for good MB control using hypochlorite. This was caused by a major decision taken by the plant a few years back: to limit a maximum of 600ppm of chlorides + sulphates in the cooling water. The plant established that this is the maximum desirable limit to avoid SCC (stress corrosion cracking). Our company did not agree with this upper limit based on the lack of historical information and failures. However, our company respected this guideline and used this to assess the benefits of BAC over sodium hypochlorite. According to the plant personnel, this limit was established in accordance between themselves and the equipment (surface condenser) provider. The consequences of this limitation on the chlorides + sulphates residual were frequent biological fouling of the surface condenser despite the large quantities of hypochlorite used. Typical sodium hypochlorite dosages varied in the range 6-20ppm, depending upon the amount of chlorine demand present in the

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 REDUCTION ON WATER CONSUMPTION ON A COOLING TOWER

Figure 3 – ORP profile during slug feeds of BAC.

makeup water. This restriction chlorides + sulphates residual resulted in an average of 4.5 cycles of concentration. The challenges presented by the plant were: 쎲 Enhance cleanliness and reduce biofouling in the system, especially in the surface condenser tubes 쎲 Reduce sodium hypochlorite and sulphuric consumption 쎲 Reduce tower blowdown and consequently water consumption 쎲 Reduce Cl and SO4 residuals in the recirculating water Table 3 shows the average results for chemical testing in the recirculating water at the cooling tower. Note that even with a high sodium hypochlorite consumption, average free chlorine was not significant. pH

–

7.50 – 7.90

ppm CaCO3

90 – 280

Conductivity

µS/cm

1700 – 2200

Chlorides

ppm Cl

200 – 350

Sulphates

ppm SO4

420 – 520

350 – 400

Total Hardness

ppm CaCO3

300 – 400

Calcium Hardness

ppm CaCO3

180 – 280

Silica

ppm SiO2

55 – 75

Iron

ppm Fe

0.4 – 0.9

Free Chlorine

ppm Cl2

0.1 – 0.2

Alkalinity

ORP

Table 3 – Average chemical profile of the recirculating water prior to the BAC dosage.

Other important variables such as TOC, COD and suspended solids unfortunately are not controlled by the plant personnel. BAC Proposed Dosage A complete substitution of sodium hypochlorite (12% active) by BAC was presented along with elimination/reduction on sulphuric acid dosage for pH correction. The objectives were: 쎲 Eliminate sodium hypochlorite dosage to the tower (sodium hypochlorite only necessary to produce BAC) 쎲 Eliminate sulphuric acid consumption 쎲 Water savings after concentration cycles change 쎲 Better biofilm/sludge control in the system

The dosage was started in April 2015, after the set up and preparation of the plant. The control equipment was adjusted to produce BAC according to Equation 1. Also acid feed was stopped. This new biological growth control program was designed to provide at least 3ppm BAC (measured as total chlorine) during the feed cycles. The slug feed frequency was initially set for 3 times each 24 hours. Figure 3 shows the ORP profile with its typical spikes which correspond to the slug feed. Note that on each feed, a higher ORP is reached which is an indication that the system was becoming easier to treat and control. Results and Discussion As described previously, on the immediate start of BAC usage, sulphuric acid dosage was interrupted. Figure 4 shows the pH profile before and after the BAC dosage start. Since there was an immediate interruption of sulphuric acid consumption, a very large reduction was observed on the average sulphate residual in the recirculating water (Figure 5). That represented a 41% reduction in sulphate concentration in the recirculating water. Once the sulphate residual was greatly reduced, the plant was comfortable in raising the concentration cycles for the cooling tower. This was not possible before since the plant was highly focused on keeping Cl + SO4 below 600ppm. With the change of oxidiser, the plant went from an average of 4.5 cycles up to 6.5 cycles, representing a reduction of 18% of water being lost to the blowdown (Figure 6). As described before, due to its mild oxidising nature, the application of the chloramine resulted in a less corrosive environment. Once the chloramine dosage started, there was a reduction in average ORP as can be seen in Figure 7. This resulted in a reduction in 316 stainless steel corrosion rates, as shown in Figure 8, measured with corrosion coupons according to NACE and ASTM standards. The corrosion rate before BAC usage was below/on the limit for this metallurgy. However, the BAC provided an improvement of 20% reduction on 316 SS corrosion rate. The plant took its programmed shut down for maintenance and inspection in September 2015. This provided an opportunity to compare inspection findings on the surface condenser and cooling tower with the previous inspection findings from the turnaround in September 2014 (5 months before BAC start). The visual inspection showed an absolute improvement in biological control. In 2014, slime and biofilm was evident in the condenser and the cooling tower. In 2015 there was a complete absence of slime and biofilm as can be seen in Figures 9 & 10. In 2014 and in the previous years, it was very common to observe formation of biofilm almost in all areas. Not only was it possible to discern

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 REDUCTION ON WATER CONSUMPTION ON A COOLING TOWER

Figure 4 – pH profile before and after the BAC dosage start.

# #

# # # # # "# "#

! #

Figure 5 – Sulphate reduction in the recirculating water.

a much cleaner surface in the interior of the condenser, the cooling tower itself was also free of any kind of biofilm, sludge or suspended solids results. Figure 9 shows the surface condenser during the inspections in September 2014 and 2015. Figure 10 shows the cooling tower fill and basin during the inspection in September 2015. It is also very important to notice that during the application of this new technology the bacteria counts were always below 102 CFU/ml. Savings The observed data from the cooling tower showed many ad-

Figure 6 – Reduction on tower blowdown.

vantages on the application of the novel mild oxidiser technology compared to the previous period using sodium hypochlorite. Prior to BAC it was common practice for the plant to pressure wash the condenser and cooling tower during turnarounds. For 2015, the plant decided no cleaning or flushing in cooling tower fill nor the condenser was necessary. In keeping with the objectives set by the plant prior to the biocide change, the direct savings in chemicals and water are shown in Table 4. However, it should be noted that there are other significant savings that are not captured here – such as improved condenser efficiency and elimination of cleaning costs.

Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 14

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 REDUCTION ON WATER CONSUMPTION ON A COOLING TOWER

Figure 7 – ORP residuals before and during the BAC usage.

Figure 8 – Reduction on 316 stainless steel corrosion rate (measured by standard corrosion coupons).

Item

Before

After

Savings

NaOCl consumption (kg/month)

~ 40000

~ 4000

US$ 13,703/month

H2SO4 consumption (kg/month)

~ 15000

US$ 4,263/month

Dispersant

~ 1400

~ 800

US$ 4,959/month

Phosphonate

~ 450

~ 350

~ 2000

Ammonium bromide Makeup water (m3/month)

쎲 쎲 쎲

쎲

~ 353,400 ~ 324,850 US$ 11,523/month TOTAL

US$ 34,448/month US$ 413,376/year

Table 4 – List of benefits with the application of BAC.

Conclusions The application of the new bromide activated chloramine provided the established objectives defined in the project. The mains observations and conclusions include: 쎲 Greater selectivity of the new biocide for microorganisms and little or no consumption by other oxidant demand. In this specific case, especially ammonia and organics.

쎲 Elimination of sulphuric acid usage. This allowed the sys-

tem for a reduction of 41% in sulphate residual and the plant personnel felt more comfortable about past SCC failures. Reduction on hypochlorite consumption in about 90%. Lower ORP levels and 50% reduction on 316 stainless steel corrosion rate. Overall cleanliness and virtually zero formation of biofilm. It was not necessary to perform any kind of flushing or cleaning on both the condenser and cooling tower. Increased cooling water concentration cycles from 4.5 to 6.5.

References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Baron, C. (2012). Biosperse XD3899 Microbiocide: A Novel Microbial Control Agent For Cooling Towers. Cooling Technology Institute, TP12-24. Baron, C. and Hammond, S. (2015). Improve System Performance and Reduce System Corrosivity Using A Novel Biocide For Cooling Towers. Cooling Technology Institute, TP15-20. Baron, C. (2012). Optimization of Cooling Tower Treatment Programs Using a Novel, Mild Oxidant for Microbiological Control. International Water Conference. IWC12-02. Baron, C. (2012). Novel, Mild Oxidant Improves Cooling Water Treatment Performance Relative to Traditional Oxidizers. Cooling Technology Institute. TP12-24. Beardwood, E. (2014). Introduction to the Use of Mono-

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 REDUCTION ON WATER CONSUMPTION ON A COOLING TOWER

Figure 9 – Surface condenser inspected in September 2014 and September 2015.

Figure 10 – Cooling tower inspected in September 2015.

6. 7. 8.

haloamine in Cooling Waters; Field Validation Results. Internal Report, Solenis LLC. Beardwood, E. (2011). Treatment and Performance Management for Cooling Waters. NACE Corrosion 2011, Paper No. 11-388. Frayne, Colin (1999). Cooling Water Treatment: Principles and Practice. McGraw-Hill. Kiuru, J. (2011). Interactions of Chemical Variations and Biocide

Performance at Paper Machines. Doctoral Dissertation, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland. Peskin, A. V. & Winterbourn, C. C. (2006). Taurine chloramine is more selective than hypochlorous acid at targeting critical cysteines and inactivating creatine kinase and glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Vol.40(1), pp.45-53.

Are you ‘LinkedIn’? ® We would like to invite PITA Members to join and contribute to our very own LinkedIn Group and hope you will use this as an opportunity to ‘stay in touch’ with friends and colleagues and, perhaps, renew contact with some of those who you have lost contact with.

To join the PITA LinkedIn Group, please contact the PITA Office for an invitation (info@pita.co.uk) 15

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

An Interview with Alfred Simeoni, Owner and Founder of SIMEONI Water Treatment

PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW

Alfred Simeoni, SIMEONI S.r.l., https://simeoni-srl.it With extensive knowledge and solid experience in the field of paper mill water treatment, Simeoni is ready to face the challenges presented by the pandemic, taking advantage of the requests that have emerged as a result of environmental sustainability and the National Transition Plan 4.0 [Impresa 4.0 – part of the Italian Recovery Fund]. When it comes to water treatment installations, Simeoni has an in-depth knowledge with many years of experience, “The Company was founded almost 30 years ago at a time when our 20 year collaboration with Krofta came to an end,” said Alfred Simeoni, owner and founder of the business. “In order to be competitive in the market, we came to the conclusion that it would be more beneficial to redesign our water treatment systems, maintaining the key benefits, but removing defects found over many years of field experience. Thus, the Easyfloat DAF equipment was born, with its own totally new pressurisation system and with the Trenner filter for advanced water filtration. Even today, every detail of the devices are reviewed and revised as necessary to ensure continu-

How are you handling the current climate? “We have adopted all the necessary precautions as well as some additional measures to ensure that we minimise all possible risks of infection. This was the obvious and ethical choice, which also allows us to remain close to the needs of our customers and be responsive to their requirements. Our organisation structure is very lean and agile; therefore, it has been relatively simple to handle what could otherwise have been quite complex and resourceheavy issues. The inability to travel has inevitably impacted face-to-face meetings and relationships, but modern technology has, in part, made up for the lack of physical gettogethers.

ous improvement.” There has been a global demand for the product since its market introduction. “Since the very beginning, there has been a huge international interest in our technology, allowing us to grow the business and expand our sales network to cover 36 countries. There are some key periods that are worthy of note. “In 2013, after optimising all of our internal processes, the company successfully achieved the ISO 9001 Quality Standard. This was then superseded by ISO 9001:2015 and we have had a regular recertification over the last 8 years.” The company pursues a well-defined business strategy to differentiate from the competitors. “It’s true that our growth strategy differs greatly from that of our main competitors, and we have chosen to focus on what we do best, with the aim of offering the best and highest performing equipment on the market. We have chosen not to expand our offering with other types of systems, preferring not to compromise manufacturing processes for the sake of offering a simpler but less efficient construction. It is for this focus on quality that we have been chosen as suppliers for manufacturers such as Valmet and Voith.”

The treatment of waste water, even in this uncertain period, remains something which cannot be deferred since it contributes to a saving in raw materials linked to fibre recovery and is also the only mechanism to ensure compliance with the various legal and regulatory requirements that govern industrial discharge. Nonetheless, several projects have been postponed due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. That said, for those companies that have urgently needed to complete an upgrade or new installation, they have found us to be a safe pair of hands, ready to respond and provide assistance in line with their requirements, without delay.”

With regards industrial water treatment, what are the needs of paper mills today? “The mandatory legislation that regulates industrial discharges is well documented. We believe that for paper mills today, in particular where industrial equipment is used for water treatment, they must simplify and optimise more than ever before. With the right optimisation, it is possible to obtain the best chemical dosage, without waste, obtaining a maximum output of the machinery. With simplification comes the elimination of damaging machine downtime caused by breakage or wear and tear, which would prevent the regular discharge of effluents, resulting in a halt in production. The ability to achieve these two objectives rests with the paper mill and how it chooses to equip itself, with bespoke systems designed and built without compromises, with only one aim: to carry out their work in an excellent way.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 AN INTERVIEW WITH ALFRED SIMEONI

This is what has prompted us to do what we do, with no distractions.”

If we get into more detail, what are the specific technological features that differentiate your offering from others involved in water treatment in the paper industry? “There are two fundamental focus areas for us: efficiency and robustness. The first is maximised with the use of plant technology featuring zero velocity, the result of which is an absence of motion and turbulence in the water. In this way, the process of flotation is much more efficient and the need to add reactants is significantly reduced. This is the key to the success of this technology. As a result of these conditions, there are improvements in the internal distances of the flotation devices, the flow areas, the distribution, an increase in gradients and optimising of surfaces in contact with water/air. The use of unprocessed water in the pressurisation cycle and the addition of a partial lamellar package has also made it possible to produce devices that are more compact.

The robustness of our machinery is the second area where we differentiate ourselves and is one of our key strengths. The thickness of steel sheets has been increased, all of the individual specifications have been designed to withstand continuous load for decades and the auxiliary equipment, such as gear motors, manifolds, gauges and flow meters have been selected with care, choosing only the most reliable manufacturers. To give an example, the gear motors only operate at 30% of their maximum load potential, thus increasing their useful life. Of course, higher quality comes at a higher price; nevertheless, we are always able to offer a competitive price thanks to the set-up of our organisation. The result is a product of higher quality, available at the same price, or even lower, than that of the market. As previously mentioned, we have chosen not to opt for compromises in manufacturing. We have decided to design and supply only circular flotation units (not rectangular) with zero velocity technology, which, thanks to the shape can be cleaned simply and effectively continually during operation. It’s vital that any water clarification machinery must be able to self-clean whilst operational to ensure that no impurities can contaminate the discharged pure water.”

How do you support paper mills in choosing the right installation for waste water treatment? “Every quotation we produce is accompanied by a preliminary plant design, which, albeit similar, differ every time to accommodate the different requirements and specifications of each paper mill. The parameters that influence this personalisation can range from the type of production, the raw materials, the installation site, the current water management policy for internal and waste water, whether or not there are ancillary treatments, the level of purification required, the space available etc. For all machinery that we supply, at no additional cost, we offer a full engineering solution that allows the paper mill to procure any auxiliary equipment that will be required post installation, fitting of pipes, and any further support structures as necessary. On occasion, and as requested, we provide on-site support during installation and commissioning; however, in the majority of cases, these stages can be managed completely autonomously by the paper mill. A stock of spare parts is held in our warehouse in the rare event that they should be required in the years following installation.”

What are the most critical aspects and challenges when it comes to water treatment in paper mills? “The most critical issues faced relate to the specific load of the water to be treated, which is sometimes higher than the norm. To deal with this we have come up with three different standard configurations. These different plant configurations offer the most suitable pressurisation methods, the airflow rates and the pressures involved as well as the timing of air / water contact, chemical reaction times / flow rates and optimal dwell times. Another critical issue relates to the installation environment, which in the case of a system located outside, can often be severe, characterised by high humidity and significant temperature hikes – up to 80 degrees Celsius. The resulting thermal expansions can be accurately highlighted and verified, taking into account the movement of all internal components within the flota-

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 AN INTERVIEW WITH ALFRED SIMEONI

tion unit. By way of calculations, aided by FEM systems, we check from time to time the suitability of all moving parts and are able to prevent potential problems that arise by conducting a detailed study of each installation.”

human-machine interface. Thanks to the Transition Plan 4.0, many will be eligible for tax credits that will at last give them the opportunity to embark on this journey. The human-machine interface, aimed at the intuitive identification of faults, can do nothing other than reduce the number of failure situations, and consequently, reduce the incidences of pollution. The effectiveness of chemical/physical waste treatment, as well as filtration technology has already reached such high levels that it is not possible to further increase significantly. It could be instead that scenarios open up where we see the development of new biological technologies, with the aim of lowering Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD). We believe there is scope for development in this field, which is still evolving, and we expect to witness important and decisive news that can give greater confidence to paper mills.”

What is the connection between the treatment of waste water in paper mills and the idea of environmental sustainability? “Water treatment in paper mills is hugely important in environmental sustainability, especially when considering that the papermaking industry is amongst those that handle the largest volumes of waste water. In fact, for every kilogramme of paper produced, between 5-40 litres of water are taken and subsequently returned to the environment. The environmental impact can therefore be significant. It is for this reason that a key objective for paper mills is the ongoing reduction of the amount of water used in production processes. In order to do this, it is also vital to eliminate chemical/physical waste treatment facilities – and often also biological – replacing them with highly efficient systems able to deal with the recycling of decontaminated water. It is for that reason that compromises should not be made with the choice of supplier. We all have a duty to safeguard the environment.”

How is the Industry 4.0 concept overhauling technology in the treatment of waste waters? “Enterprise 4.0 and Industry 4.0 have been replaced by the so-called National Plan Transition 4.0. In November 2020 it was revealed that for the new plan, over 23 billion euros will be made available and the goods can be delivered up to June 2023. The rates of tax credits vary according to the category of goods. Water treatment and recovery systems are part of the functional goods subject to technological transformation, as well as smart devices and instruments that are increasingly integrated into water treatment plants. These devices ensure an even greater supervision of the process, simplified by an efficient

What skills are you developing in-house? “Water treatment and recovery systems, as well as measurement devices, fall within functional goods – Quality assurance and Sustainability Systems – the subject of the Transition Plan 4.0, so we started to supply, together with our machines, an integrated automation system, developed with a high degree of customisation, equipped with sensors, transmitters, PLC controllers and Human-Machine Interface (HMI). We have applied our knowledge and have close ties with specialised partners in order to design and build functional systems which can support our customers through all phases of commissioning and postsale.”

Finally, as a company what are your ambitions for the market and technology in 2021 and the near future, considering where we are today? “Our continuous internal research is focussed on constant improvement, both mechanical and technological, and as a consequence our aim is always to reinvent ourselves as we have done every year, perfecting and improving. We are also making significant progress in our expansion into new markets, in particular, the US where we anticipate they will be faster to emerge from the pandemic and resume a “normal” working situation quicker than other countries.”

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Nipman Paper Technology: An Overview Robert Clayhills, Managing Director, Nipman Paper Technology Nipman is a sales agency representing companies with unique machinery and service solutions for paper machine optimisation. The company has operated in Scandinavia since 2000, also in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and since 2015 in the UK market. They offer a wide range of products in addition to maintenance, troubleshooting and analysis services performed by specialists in their respective field. Most principals are from Finland. AFT Global, Japan A Global Leader in Stock Preparation and Wet End Systems with 100+ years of expert knowledge and equipment development. The company produces innovative technologies focused on: Screening - Refining - Approach Flow. Benefits include: Energy savings; Improved sheet formation; Faster grade changes; Fibre recovery; Less maintenance; and Reduced carbon footprint. Recent orders have included an approach flow (POM) system at Stora Enso, Oulu, and three POM systems for the Klabin Puma II Project PM28 in Brazil. Aurelia Group, Australia Aurelia Group has developed a unique measuring system: the PSM-Q measures TSI continuously on the paper machine and, using Aurelia’s PaperForm prediction software, important paper properties like tensile strength, SCT, burst, ring crush and concora can be measured in real time and quality variation can be removed, the cost of inputs to the paper machine can be minimised, process optimisation can occur more quickly, reject material avoided and machine trial times and risk can be lowered. The system has been delivered to many customers of manufacturing multilayer products and is the only one on the market. Avatron Systems Ltd, Finland Microperm was designed and developed by Nokia Forest Automation in 1978, to measure cigarette paper reliably. It was totally modernised by Avantron Ltd. in 2000, and it is recognised to be the most simple, reliable and cost effective fixed point on-line porosity analyser ever designed. Microperm will deliver a repeatable and exact measure of the variation of porosity to QCS and DCS linked to any laboratory method used. Microperm is used by well-known paper manufacturers around the Globe; more than 20 systems were delivered around the world in 2019-2020 alone. FlowControl, Finland Flow Control is a Finnish company that manufactures circulation lubrication systems, flow meters and seal supply systems for the purposes of paper-, pulp- and chemical industry. The company has now developed a new product: Thermosiphon SP8 seal pot system designed to be used with double mechanical seals equipped with pumping feature. Together they form a closed sealing liquid circulation loop and keep the seal lubricated and cooled, prevent dry run, and extend the lifetime of the seal. Thermosiphon SP8 brings substantial savings in sealing liquid consumption compared to an external seal flush arrangement. Pesmel, Finland Pesmel’s automated Material Flow How® concept offers the pulp & paper industry reliable, accurate and intelligent logistics solutions for material handling, packaging and storage. The solutions integrate

production processes with delivery, making sure all products leave the mill in perfect condition and on time. Logistics made simple! Leonhard Breitenbach, Germany This company manufactures special rolls for the paper industry and a wide range of other industries, and offeris a wide range of products and services. In addition to the design, construction, optimisation and refurbishment of rolls for all types of applications, the company also offer contract machining services and consultancy in matters around rolls. Pixact, Finland Pixact provides online measurement solutions for industrial particle, droplet and bubble analysis. Their measurement systems are developed for the demanding conditions of industrial processes, involving dark and dense suspensions, and high flow rates. The measurements are typically conducted in real process conditions: in pipelines, reactors, tanks and other process equipment. (See pages 22 & 23 for a case study.). RollResearch International, Finland This company is the new world leader in roll grinding and measuring technology, which was developed in response to ever increasing paper machine speed and roll width. The company was founded in 1994 by researchers from Helsinki University of Technology, to commercialise research results. The technology has been implemented to most roll grinding machines in Scandinavia. Advantages are: better runnability; better paper quality; less maintenance cost; and ability to increase speed of the paper machine. SansOx, Finland SansOx’s commitment is to develop new solutions and innovative applications for water treatment needs worldwide. They provide new technology and applications for different kinds of water. In particular they have dissolved different gases into water that can be used for both industrial and potable water purification. One such product: OxTube – is the fastest and most efficient way to dissolve gases and chemicals into water with the lowest energy consumption. Tasowheel, Finland Tasowheel is a family-owned Finnish company with a strong, versatile experience in providing customer-specific, first-class solutions and components for diverse power and movement transmission needs. (See blue box opposite for information.) Visilab Signal Technologies, Finland Visilab has supplied portable moisture meters based on infrared reflective technology to the pulp and paper industry since 1985. Visilab’s AK30 portable moisture meter which was introduced in 2010 measures moisture accurately and is very successful in measuring different type of papers including cigarette paper, kraft papers, security papers, liners and SC paper. With an accuracy of 0.1-0.3% it is said to be the only instrument that can measure from a running web. More recently, Visilab has developed a new portable moisture meter MK 50, designed for thick materials like pulp, paper and corrugated board, which uses microwaves that penetrate deep into matter ca. 30mm, and measure with accuracy ca. 0.5%.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Significant Improvement in Basis Weight Uniformity Mikko Kinnunen, Business Director, Tasowheel Tasowheel’s customised solution improved efficiency and customer satisfaction at MRS Kagit Karton. MRS Kagit Karton is a young and innovative producer of highquality coreboard, made of recycled material. The basis weight uniformity is a key quality factor in the production, ensuring good machine runnability and an efficient process. Before investing in a new slice lip control system, the company had an inconsistent CD basis weight profile, especially in grade changes. The adjustments of the manual slice screws were not trouble-free and could lead to a total loss of control in certain areas. For a high-quality coreboard producer, it is crucial to maintain good runnability and separation in the slitting and rewinding processes. The company had no choice but to find a way to reduce the weight variation. The company decided to invest in profile measurement and basis weight profiling. CUSTOMISED SOLUTION NEEDED The design of the existing headbox in the coreboard machine complicated the implementation of an automatic lip control on the entire width. It became clear for MRS Kagit Karton that they needed a custom-designed solution. Tasowheel convinced the company of its ability to both design a solution to meet the specific requirements and to manage the challenging installation. The delivery included motorised slice actuators (Forte) that replaced the old manual slice screws. Tasowheel also provided the company with auxiliary equipment and installation supervision. Basis weight CD control was connected with a recently upgraded QCS using a standard OPC. Tasowheel did an incredible job in designing a customised solution for our specific case. The equipment was delivered on time, and the start-up process was professional and smooth, says Mill Manager Mert Sungur from MRS Kagit Karton. However, good co-operation and support from the customer’s side played also a vital part since no site visits were allowed due to the pandemic restrictions. The CD control tuning was exe-

cuted 100% remotely, supported by clear and open communication from both parties. IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION The team of MRS Kagit Karton is happy with the renewed system. The upgrade of the slice lip control has added significant value to the headbox performance. 쎲 This project improved efficiency in the rewinding stage of our production, which had a direct positive impact on the customer satisfaction of our products, Mert Sungur reports. The most critical basis weight profiling performance factor, 2-sigma, improved over 70% after start-up. Together with Tasowheel, MRS Kagit Karton found an excellent solution to improve the output of an aging and old-fashioned headbox. Our co-operation was a great example of how a relatively small investment in new profiling equipment can remarkably improve the basis weight uniformity and machine runnability. MRS Kagit Karton showed us, once again, the importance of our bright engineering competence that creates unique added value for our customers. Tasowheel Systems is a leading paper profiling actuator manufacturer operating in industries where exceptionally precise and silent transmission and motion are needed. The company provides CD profiling solutions, components, spare parts and maintenance services for paper and board processes. Today, more than 300,000 Tasowheel actuators and dilution valves are operating in paper machines worldwide.

Tasowheel replaced the old manual slice screws with new motorised slice actuators which added significant value to the headbox performance.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Pixact – a new dimension to online process control Hannu Eloranta, Jari-Pekka Heino, PIXACT

BIM KEMI AB

Need for more detailed process data Current industrial trends of digitalization, big data, AI and process modelling set new requirements for online measurements in Pulp and Paper industry. Most of the process controls are still based on physical factors such as temperature, pressure, flow rate and so on. There is very little real-time qualitative information of the product available. For example, data of fibre and stock quality is typically available from offline laboratory analyses. Thus, this data can only be used for quality monitoring purposes. Real-time control of the stock quality requires realtime data of key parameters such as fibre properties, gas content and dirt count. The benefits of inline process microscopy Pixact is addressing these issues by developing and supplying novel measurement technology based on optical imaging. Pixact technology combines online process microscopy with advanced real-time image analysis techniques to produce very detailed information of the suspension properties. The Pixact measurement systems can analyse both the properties of dispersed phase (such as particle size, shape, and colour) and suspension (velocity, turbidity, homogeneity and colour) at the same time. This detailed online measurement information from the production process enables a new level of control and optimisation which can be further enhanced with new technologies like AI. In practise the benefits are realised as decreasing energy, raw material and chemical consumption, increasing yield and capacity of the process and minimising quality variations in the final product. Automated quality monitoring also decreases the need for laboratory resources. Case: Inline pulp dirt measurement Pixact Stock Monitoring (PSM) technology is developed for inline measurement of impurities in flowing pulp suspensions.

Figure 1. Pixact technology provides new insights into the process development and tools for the real-time process control and optimisation.

The measurement system is applicable to brown, bleached and recycled stock. The system reports real-time statistics of impurities (particles, stickies, uncooked components, etc.) including particle quantity (pcs/kg or mm2/kg) and the size, shape and colour of each particle which can be used for further classification of impurities. In the development of this technology Pixact has collaborated with BIM Kemi AB, a supplier of special chemicals to the pulp and paper industry. BIM has evaluated the measurement technology in several applications and customer cases. Projects have been carried out both in pulp mills and paper mills. As a result, the Pixact technology has been adapted to BIM’s service concept. With the data created by PSM technology BIM can support their customers in troubleshooting, selection of optimal chemical concepts and development of new products. In the following, results from one customer case conducted by BIM are presented.

Figure 2. Installation of the Pixact system to the by-pass line.

Trials have been performed in a pulp mill with an objective to monitor impurities in pulp feed to the paper machine in real time. The measurement system has been installed to a DN50 bypass line. Sample has been taken from the pressure side of the pump and returned to the suction side. This type of installation guarantees homogeneous sample to the measurement system and eliminates blockage in the sampling line. A picture of the system installation is presented in Figure 2. The PSM system detects impurities in the pulp suspension and classifies them according to their visual characteristics. In addition to shives, the analysis can also detect and classify other dirt particles, such as those originating from deposits and process disturbances. This feature helps to trace the origin of impurities. Figure 3 presents example images of dirt particles in pulp captured by the system. The image size is 9x7mm2. The reference dirt data has been acquired from the Valmet DCD dirt count analyzer during the trials. The Valmet analyzer has been installed after the dryer, so a perfect correlation with that data is not expected. There is also variation in the time delay between the inline dirt measurement and the measurement performed from dry pulp sheets.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 PIXACT – A NEW DIMENSION TO ONLINE PROCESS CONTROL

Figure 3. Example image data captured by the Pixact system

Figure 4. Chart showing trend in dirt count levels at a mill as measured by Valmet DCD (orange spots) and Pixact system (blue spots).

Figure 4 present a trend plot of the dirt count measured both by the Pixact system and Valmet DCD. Data are presented over a period of 30 days. In the first two-week period, the dirt count remains rather stable and acceptable level. After that, starting around June 5th the number of detections starts rising. The same trend can be observed both in the inline measurement and sheet

Online measurements for

Par�cles

Maximizing eﬃciency

Fibers

measurement. In conclusion, Pixact Stock Monitoring system provides reliable real-time information on stock quality directly from the process. The collaboration between Pixact and BIM continues to further develop the analysis and exploitation of the data generated by PSM technology both in pulp and paper mills.

Enhancing innova�on

Promo�ng sustainability

Bubbles

Increasing safety

Flocks

The Pixact measurement technology is based on op�cal imaging. We provide new tools for the diagnos�cs, op�miza�on, and control of industrial processes involving liquid suspensions. In the pulp & paper industry our technology is used for example in: - Measurement of white-water par�cle size and concentra�on - Detec�on of impuri�es in pulp / recycled stock - Analysis of fiber refining level (fibrilla�on, fines etc.) - Monitoring of gas dispersion in delignifica�on - Diagnos�cs of flota�on process in water treatment

www.pixact.ﬁ

info@pixact.ﬁ

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Considerations for process, product and environmental fate testing of soluble bio-digestible barriers for paper and board packaging Martin Kay, 360 ECO Ltd, John Williams, Aquapak Polymers Ltd, Elizabeth Smith, Aquapak Polymers Ltd, David Meadows, Aquapak Polymers Ltd, Max Phippard, Aquapak Polymers Ltd, Stuart Thomas, Axchem, Aimee Hutton, Axchem, Marcus Philpot, Axchem, Robert Langley, Test Tech Fibre Ltd and Nick Thompson, DS Smith plc There has been increasing interest in functional barrier coatings to design sustainable paper and board packaging which is recyclable within high volume recycling paper mills. Key areas of focus are water-soluble bio-digestible barrier coatings which facilitate fibre dispersion and recovery during the repulping process yet are biodegraded by the mill’s anaerobic and aerobic activated sludge treatments as part of their intended use. These coatings offer potential to replace single-use plastics that are used in multi-material packs which impact negatively on paper circularity. Introducing any new barrier material, including water-soluble bio-digestible barrier coatings, requires rigorous testing to ensure compatibility with the dynamic paper making process. Limited information is available to guide the selection of tests to develop this scientific evidence. Critical areas requiring validation include repulpability, extent of defiberisation and paper making potential of the fibre, impacts on wet end chemistry, potential for deposition, increased organic loading within process waters, effects on dry sheet properties and finally demonstration that the solubilised coating is mineralised and doesn’t impact anaerobic digestion and aerobic activated sludge processes prior to effluent discharge. This work seeks to apply a range of test methods to develop the scientific evidence to confirm the compatibility of water-soluble bio-digestible barrier coatings within high volume recycling mill processes. The study follows on from earlier work 1 and focusses on Hydropol, 2 a new water-soluble bio-digestible barrier polymer which can be adhesive or extrusion coated onto paper and brings oil and grease resistance together with high gas barrier. Hydropol is designed to solubilise at typical repulping temperatures and durations used by high volume recycling mills and has been shown to increase paper strength properties (tear, burst and tensile strength), and can be heat sealed for form, fill and seal fibre packaging applications. The work identified that Hydropol extrusion-coated Recycled liner achieved ‘Level A+ Recyclable with paper’ when tested to the Italian National Recyclability Standard UNI 11743. Substitution of the Recycled liner with Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5% and 10% w/w on fibre didn’t affect key wet end chemistry parameters or dry sheet strength properties when compared to the uncoated control. Micro-colloidal particles and particles identified as stickies (0.1-100µm) associated with pulp substituted with Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on fibre were observed to be lower in number than those recorded for uncoated Recycled liner itself which suggests that the Hydropol extrusion coating has low deposition potential. The organic loading of the process water increased by 20% with 5%

substitution with Hydropol-coated Recycled liner. Biomethane potential (anaerobic biodegradability) and Zahn Wellens (aerobic biodegradability) tests reveal ~34% and 99.3% mineralisation respectively with Hydropol loading rates which equated to over 25% substitution of the fibre furnish with Hydropol coated papers.

1. Introduction

There is increasing demand for barrier fibre-based packaging which is recyclable and eliminates single use plastic such as polyethylene as well as problematic fluorochemicals and paraffin-based waxes. This demand is being driven across a wide range of applications including direct food contact, out of home, on-the-go consumption and e-commerce packaging. The shift to fibre-based packaging has required coatings manufacturers to develop barrier coatings which are compatible with the recycling processes used by high volume recycling mills. However, there remains uncertainty as to the evidence required to demonstrate barrier coating compatibility within the dynamic papermaking process. CEPI Paperbased Packaging Recyclability Guidelines3 note that the ‘design phase should consider the intended purpose and end of life stage of the packaging in order to optimise the recycling of paper packaging’. Regarding paper-plastic laminates and new alternative barriers the guidelines recommend that packaging designers: 1. Optimise the adhesion between the laminate sides and the board to facilitate separation 2. Ensure that the paper fraction of the packaging breaks down into single fibres when pulped within a specified timeframe 3. Give preference to polymers and other sealing agents that can be dealt with efficiently by the papermill process and effluent treatment systems and do not compromise the finished product, the production process or the environment whilst being recycled. Useful guidance also exists within the Italian National Recyclability Standard UNI 117434 to inform coating manufacturers how to demonstrate repulpability and recyclability within high volume recycling mills. The standard provides a method for determining on a laboratory scale the level of recyclability of fibrebased packaging through examination of process parameters (quantity of coarse rejects, flakes and macrostickie adhesive particles with a diameter less than 2mm) and quality parameters of the paper sheet obtained with the recycled fibres (sheet formation, adhesiveness and optical inhomogeneity). To achieve ‘Level A+ Recyclable with paper’, the highest level of recycla-

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 TESTING OF SOLUBLE BIO-DIGESTIBLE BARRIERS FOR PAPER AND BOARD PACKAGING

bility, a coated paper must defiberise when repulped at a consistency of 2.5% w/w, at 40oC, pH 7.0 and 30,000 stirrer revolutions for a duration of 10 minutes and meet the following assessed parameters: 쎲 Coarse rejects – <1.5% of the weight of the test sample 쎲 Macrostickie area – <2000µm.(mm2/kg) 쎲 Fibre flakes (%) – <5.0% of the weight of the test sample 쎲 Adhesiveness – absent 쎲 Optical inhomogeneities – level 1. Fully water-soluble bio-digestible barrier systems for fibrebased packaging are of interest because they offer potential for fibre release and dispersion yet once solubilised the coating is mineralised by the mill’s effluent treatment plant as part of its intended use.5 Such barrier systems align with CEPI design criteria points 2 and 3. Aquapak’s Hydropol is a bio-digestible barrier system which is designed to solubilise within the repulping conditions applied by high volume recycling mills (40oC, 10 minutes). Hydropol is based on a well-established polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Historically, PVOH has not become a mainstream packaging material because it is difficult to thermally process in its standard ‘flake’ form, limiting its usage to niche products where solution casting can be used such as coatings for dishwasher tablets and laundry detergent pods. Aquapak has developed proprietary methods to convert PVOH flake into pellets which are compatible with industry-standard thermoplastic processing equipment used to thermally extrude polymer film directly onto paper or to make mono film which can be adhesive laminated to paper. This development opens up the opportunity to make functional fibrebased packaging which is oil and grease resistant (>Kit 12), has high barrier to ingress and egress of gas, exhibits increased paper strength, such as tear, burst and tensile, is heat sealable for form, fill and seal packaging applications, yet fully recyclable. The transition to sustainable paper and board packaging has placed pressure on regulators, NGO’s and testing organisations to agree EU-wide test methodology to determine the recyclability of fibre-based packaging. The Italian National Recyclability Standard UNI 11743 forms the basis of a harmonised CEPI recyclability test method that is under development. The UNI 11743 standard isn’t intended to address the wider papermill interactions which might arise following the solubilisation of a water-soluble bio-digestible coating. These include impacts on UNI 11743

wet end chemistry, potential for deposition, increased organic load within process waters, impacts on paper sheet physical properties and mineralisation across anaerobic and aerobic activated sludge treatments ahead of safe discharge of the effluent.

Scope of work

The aim of this study was to investigate the repulpability and recyclability of Hydropol coated Recycled liner 100gsm (DS Smith plc) to the Italian National Recyclability Standard UNI 11743. Additionally, the wider impacts arising from coating solubilisation were investigated following substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5% and 10% by weight of fibre furnish, namely impacts on wet end chemistry parameters, potential for deposition, increased organic loading of process waters and mineralisation across anaerobic and aerobic activated sludge treatments. These substitution rates would likely represent the highest levels of Hydropol coated Recycled liner that a recycling mill might receive. A schematic of the testing regime and assessment parameters is shown in Figure 1.

2. Materials and methods

2.1 Preparation of Hydropol extrusion coated papers Hydropol was extrusion coated directly onto paper (Recycled liner 100gsm – DS Smith plc) using Aquapak’s pilot extrusion coater. The coater is equipped with a die which delivers a coat width of 200mm and 10µm gauge (Figure 2). 2.2 Repulpability and recyclability assessment of Hydropol extrusion coated paper Repulpability tests were carried out in a standard laboratory disintegrator using procedures described in UNI 11743 and recyclability evaluated according to Test Method MC 501:2017.6 Hydropol coated or uncoated Recycled liner (control) were repulped at a consistency of 2.5% w/w, 40oC, pH 7.0 and 30,000 stirrer revolutions for a duration of 10 minutes (Figure 1). Measurement of coarse rejects Repulped stock was diluted to 5 litres corresponding to a pulp consistency of 1% w/w and fractionated using a Sommerville fractionator equipped with a screen plate with 5mm holes. Coarse rejects retained by the screen after 5 minutes with a flow of mains water at 8l/min were recovered onto a filter paper and dried in an oven (105oC) to constant weight.

Assessment of dry sheet impacts, wet end chemistry and deposition potential

Assessment of anaerobic and aerobic mineralisation

50g oven dry 3x3cm pieces Hydropol (2,000mg/l) ‐ equivalent to a COD

Substitution with 5 and 10 % w/w Hydropol coated paper Pulping ‐ 2.5%w/w, temp = 40oC, Handsheets (130gsm) ‐ measure physical

Measure coarse rejects

Accepted

Measure flakes Sommeville 150µm slotted

Measure COD

315µm screen Biomethane potential test using papermill UASB granules Measure wet end

Measure colloidal substances

Zahn Wellens inherent biodegradabily test using papermill activated sludge

Measure Macrostickies ISO 15360‐1

Accepted

Handsheets (60gsm)

Adhesion test

Optical inhomogeneity

Figure 1. Schematic of test methodology

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Figure 2. Pilot extrusion coating line showing base-paper unwind and coated paper rewind (left), extrusion die applying a Hydropol polymer to paper (middle) and extrusion die extruding Hydropol polymer curtain (right)

Measurement of flakes 5 litres of repulped stock (1% w/w consistency) were fractionated using a Sommerville fractionator equipped with screen plate with 150µm slots. Flakes retained by the screen after 5 minutes with a flow mains water at 8 l/min were dried in an oven (105oC) to constant weight. Measurement of adhesive particles (macrostickies) Macrostickies were recovered by mechanical separation of the coarse screen accepts fraction using a 150µm slotted screen. Test pieces for the measurement of adhesive particles were produced in accordance with ISO 15460-1.7 The area of adhesive particles less than 2mm in diameter was recorded and results expressed in mm2 of the adhesive particle area per kg of sample. Adhesion test The adhesion test was carried out on 60gsm handsheets made from the fibre accepts which passed through a 150µm slotted screen. The adhesion test was carried out by checking that the handsheet did not adhere to the surface of two metal discs between which it is pressed at 1.18kPa and 130oC. Adhesiveness was judged to be absent if the sheet completely removed from the supporting metal discs without fibre stand-up or sheet damage. Evaluation of optical inhomogeneities Optical inhomogeneities were evaluated by observing the handsheet from both sides and comparing the appearance with references indicated in the method. Evaluating the results Test Method MC 501:2017 allows four levels of recyclability (level A+, A, B and C) as well as an evaluation of ‘non-recyclable with paper’. The judgement is based on the assessment shown in Table 1. Evaluation criteria Course reject (%)

Level A+ <1.5

Macrostickies area <2,000µm. (mm2/kg) Fibre flakes (%)* Adhesiveness Optical inhomogeneities

<2,500 <5.0 absent Level 1

2.3 Evaluation of impacts from dissolved and colloidal substances 2.3.1 Preparation of test samples Uncoated Recycled liner - 100gsm (control) or supplemented with Hydropol coated Recycled liner at either 5% or 10 % w/w by weight of fibre were repulped at a consistency of 2.5% w/w, 40oC, pH 7.0 and 30,000 stirrer revolutions for a duration of 10 minutes. These pulps were used as prepared to determine impacts on wet end parameters and dry sheet properties. The pulps were filtered through a 315µm filter and the filtrates analysed for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and micro-colloidal particle number (Figure 1). 2.3.2 Assessment of impacts on key wet end parameters The pH, conductivity and redox of each pulp suspension was measured using a Hach senION meter. Zeta potential and fibre conductivity were measured using an emtec Fibre Potential Analyser. Cationic demand was measured using an emtec Charge Analysing System. 2.3.3 Organic loading and impacts on pulp drainage The COD of each filtered pulp suspension was measured using the Palintest COD test method. 2.3.4 Assessment of potential for deposition Micro-colloidal, stickies, and pitch particle number of size ranging from 0.1-100µm were enumerated in 200µl aliquots of each pulp filtrate using a Cyflow Cube 6 (Sysmex) flow cytometer. The unit was configured using olive oil for sticky/hydrophobic particles and a doctor blade pitch to categorise pitch forming moieties. Each sample aliquot was stained with Nile red and excited under blue light (488nm) and detection was initiated by forward scatter above a specific threshold value. The acquired data was processed using a flow cytometry data analysis package (FCS Express).

Recyclable with paper Level A Level B 1.5-10.0 10.1-20.0

Level C 20.1-40.0

2,500-10,000 10,001-20,000 20,001-50,000 5.0-15.0 15.1-40.0 >40.0 absent absent absent Level 2 Level 3 Level 3

Non recyclable with paper Non recyclable with paper >40.0 >50,000 (-) present (-)

Table 1. Criteria for evaluating level of recyclability according to Test Method MC501:2017.

*in the case of a clearly identifiable prevalence of non-cellulose based flakes, the fibre flakes result is not assigned and the value is added to the coarse reject value (calculated on the product’s weight) The parameter with the worst value characterises the class to which the sample belongs. If the sample is classified as ‘non recyclable with paper’, this material or product is not suitable for waste collection with paper.

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Evaluation criteria

Recycled liner (uncoated)

Coarse reject % Fibre flakes % 2 Macrostickies <2000µm.(mm /kg) Adhesiveness Optical inhomogeneities

0 0.96 0 Absent Level 1

Hydropol coated Recycled Target to achieve Level A+ liner 0 >1.5 0.29 <5.0 0 <2,500 Absent Absent Level 1 Level 1

Cationic Demand (µeq/L)

COD (mg/l)

Schopper‐ Reigler o Freeness ( SR)

407

-235

1,280

-15.8

308

-225

1,540

-14.8

401

-270

1,960

Fibre Redox (ORP mV) Zeta Potential (mV) Conductivity (µS/cm)

Sample

Conductivity (µS/cm)

Recycled liner (control) Recycled liner & 5% Hydropol coated Recycled liner Recycled liner & 10% Hydropol coated Recycled liner

7.78

233

315

-18.0

7.78

230

252

7.70

233

337

2.3.5 Assessment of dry sheet impacts Tensile Index (Lloyds LRX Tensile Test), burst index (L&W bursting strength) and Short span compression index (SCT) (L&W Compressive strength) were measured on triplicate test samples which were prepared from 130gsm hand sheets made from each pulp. 2.3.6 Mineralisation within anaerobic digestion and aerobic activated sludge Anaerobic (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket-UASB) and aerobic (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids-MLSS) sludges were obtained from DS Smith Kemsley Mill, UK, and used in the Biomethane potential and Zahn Wellens tests respectively. Biomethane potential test (anaerobic biodegradability) UASB granules were stored at mesophilic temperatures for 48 hours to ensure any residual readily biodegradable material within the seed sludge had been exhausted. Hydropol (2,000mg/l) was solubilised in a carbon-free mineral salts media (equivalent to a COD of 3,800g/l O) served as the in-feed to give a COD:mass ratio of 0.05:0.95. This mass ratio was selected to ensure that sufficient gas was produced to analyse the methane quality. Test mixtures were anaerobically digested for 28 days, during which time the quantity and quality of the biogas produced was measured. Test samples were tested in duplicate and the average methane yield calculated. The reactors were agitated daily to ensure mixing. Controls containing seed inoculum and mineral salts media only were prepared in duplicate. Methane yields from the controls were subtracted from the test samples to determine the methane yield for the test material only. Zahn Wellens test (aerobic biodegradability) MLSS was allowed to settle and the supernatant removed to reduce the possibility of previously partially treated substances from affecting the test. Solubilised Hydropol (2,000mg/l) equivalent to 3,800mg/l O COD was added to MLSS to achieve a ratio of 1g/l MLSS:1g/l of COD within a carbon-free mineral salts media. Duplicate negative controls were prepared which conSample Recycled liner-control 5% substitution 5% substitution rep 10% substitution 10% substitution rep

Vol ul 25 25 25 25 25

Total 125,815 118,272 115,709 100,995 95,438

Stickies 464 202 192 158 165

Nat Extractives 2,499 849 962 894 906

Table 2. Recyclability assessment to Test method MC501:2017. Results are the mean of two tests

Table 3. Effects of increasing substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner on wet end parameters.

tained MLSS and mineral salts media only. A positive control comprising MLSS and mineral salts media together with glycol was prepared to verify the viability of the MLSS. The COD of this control should be reduced by 70% after 14 days of the test to demonstrate the viability of the MLSS. All vessels were aerated and mixed throughout the test and kept in subdued light. pH was maintained at 6.5 to 8.0. The biodegradation process was monitored by determination of COD in filtered samples at daily intervals. The ratio of eliminated COD corrected for the control after each time interval, to the initial COD value was expressed as the percentage biodegradation at the sampling time. The percentage biodegradation was plotted against time.

3. Results

3.1 Repulpability and recyclability assessment Repulpability and recyclability assessments of Recycled liner and Hydropol coated Recycled liner to UNI 11743 as evaluated according to Test Method MC 501:2017 are shown in Table 2. Uncoated and Hydropol extrusion coated Recycled liner achieved Level A+ for each of the assessed parameters. Hydropol did not impact on key process impacts as evidenced by an absence of coarse rejects, low % fibre flakes and an absence of macrostickies. The Hydropol coating did not impact paper sheet quality parameters as evidenced by an absence of adhesiveness and optical inhomogeneities. 3.2 Impacts on wet end parameters The effects of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 or 10% of furnish on wet end parameters are shown in Table 3. pH, conductivity, redox, fibre conductivity and cationic demand remained largely unchanged regardless of the extent of substitution. Zeta potential magnitude was noted to decrease. This change would indicate a modification to the charge balance between the water and solid phase - one possible explanation being cationic interaction with the fibre surface, either by neutralisation or ad/absorption. The degree of surface charge modification observed was considered insufficient to warrant further investigation. Pitch 4,836 3,446 3,454 3,162 3,197

Stickies % Nat Ext % 0.37 1.99 0.16 0.67 0.15 0.76 0.13 0.71 0.13 0.72

Pitch % 3.84 2.74 2.75 2.51 2.54

Table 4. Effects of increasing substitution of Hydropol-coated Recycled liner on micro-colloid, sticky, natural extractives and pitch particle numbers.

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140000

500

450 120000 400 100000

350

300

Stickies

80000 Stickies

250

Total 60000 200

150

40000

100 20000 50

Figure 3. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on total micro-colloid and stickies particle count.

0 Recycled liner-control

5% substitution

5% substitution rep

10% substitution

10% substitution rep

3000

140000

120000

2500

100000

Natural extractives

2000

80000 Nat Extractives

1500

Total 60000

1000 40000

500

Figure 4. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on total microcolloid and natural extractives particle count.

20000

0 Recycled liner-control

5% substitution

5% substitution rep

10% substitution

10% substitution rep

6000

140000

120000

5000

100000 4000

Pitch

80000 Pitch

3000

Total 60000

2000 40000

1000

20000

0 Recycled liner-control

5% substitution

5% substitution rep

10% substitution

10% substitution rep

Figure 5. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on total microcolloid and pitch particle count.

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4.5

0.4

0.35

3.5 0.3

Microcolloid number

3 0.25 2.5 0.2 2 0.15 1.5 0.1 1

Figure 6. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on % stickies, natural extractives and pitch (expressed as % of micro-colloidal particle number).

0.05

0.5

0 Recycled liner-control

5% substitution

5% substitution rep Nat Ext %

Pitch %

10% substitution

10% substitution rep

Stickies %

3.3 Organic loading and impacts on pulp drainage Substitution with Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% increased COD by 260mg/l (20% increase) and 680mg/l (53% increase) when compared to the uncoated paper control (Table 3). The increased organic load in the pulp filtrate is expected and is indicative of dissolution of the Hydropol coating. Substitution with Hydropol coated Recycled liner resulted in a faster draining pulp. 3.4 Potential for deposition The effects of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled Liner at 5 or 10% of furnish on micro-colloid, sticky, natural extractive and pitch particle number are shown in Table 4 and Figures 3 to 6. The total micro-colloidal count associated with filtrate from repulped uncoated Recycled liner was noted to be highest and

decreased by ~22% following 10% substitution with Hydropol coated Recycled liner. Particles identifying at stickies, pitch and natural extractives were also noted to decrease with increasing substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner. 3.5 Dry sheet impacts The effects of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 or 10% of furnish on Tensile Index, Burst Index and SCT are shown in Table 5 and Figures 7 to 9. Increasing substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner did not impact on any of the measured sheet physical properties. 3.6 Mineralisation within anaerobic digestion and aerobic activated sludge The results for BMP tests are shown in Table 6 and Figure 10.

Table 5. Effects of increasing substitution of Hydropol-coated Recycled liner on Tensile Index, Burst Index and SCT

Sample

COD (mg/l)

Volume of sample added (ml)

CH4 produced (ml)

Methane yield (L.CH4/kg.COD applied)

% COD destruction

Hydropol

3,800

207

120

34.3

Table 6. Feedstock parameters and methane yield.

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Figure 7. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on Tensile Strength.

Figure 8. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on SCT.

Figure 9. Impacts of substitution of Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on Burst Strength.

Figure 10. Methane evolution profile for Hydropol

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Figure 11 Percentage soluble COD removal curve for Hydropol

The methane evolution profile for Hydropol during the BMP test indicates that no methane was produced over days 0-5, suggesting the UASB microflora took time to acclimatise (Figure 10). From day five, the Hydropol was steadily converted to methane over the 28 day test period; tailing off towards the end of the test period indicating the methane evolution was complete. The results for the Zahn Wellen test are shown in Figure 11. Soluble COD removal was 78.3% by day nine. COD destruction then slowed until day twelve when it slowed even further with an eventual COD reduction of 99.3%. 4. Conclusions Bio-digestible barrier coatings which solubilise under the typical repulping conditions deployed by high volume recycling mills offer a route to design functional yet sustainable paper and board packaging which is compatible with mills thereby increasing paper recycling rates and fibre yield. Since soluble coatings enter mill process waters and are discharged for effluent treatment as part of their intended use their potential impacts need to be quantified. A testing strategy was designed to quantify these potential impacts. The strategy combined repulpability and recyclability tests described in the Italian National Recyclability Standard UNI 11743 together with testing to evaluate the potential impacts arising from solubilisation, namely impacts on wet end chemistry, deposition potential, increases to organic load in process waters, impacts on paper sheet physical properties and mineralisation across anaerobic and aerobic activated sludge treatments. Repulpability and recyclability tests of Hydropol coated Recycled liner to UNI 11743 revealed an absence of coarse rejects and low flake content and an absence of macrostickies with an area <2,000µm (mm2/kg). The handsheet quality was not impacted negatively. Hydropol coated paper was judged ‘Level A+ Recyclable with paper’. The effects of fibre substitution with 5 or 10% Hydropolcoated Recycled liner on wet end chemistry parameters, potential for deposition, organic loading of process waters, effects on dry sheet strength were investigated using accepted test methods. These substitution rates would likely represent the highest levels of Hydropol coated paper that a recycling mill might receive. Substitution of the uncoated fibre furnish with Hydropol coated

Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on fibre didn’t affect key wet end parameters or dry sheet properties when compared to the uncoated control. Micro-colloidal particles and particles identified as stickies (0.1-100µm) associated with pulp substituted with Hydropol coated Recycled liner at 5 and 10% w/w on fibre were observed to be lower than those observed for uncoated paper itself. These results suggest that the Hydropol extrusion coating has low deposition potential. Organic loading of the process water increased by 20% and 53% with 5 and 10% substitution respectively. The increased organic load in the pulp filtrate is expected and is indicative of dissolution of the Hydropol coating. The decrease in °SR value from 50 to 34 with substitution with Hydropol coated Recycled Liner indicates increased pulp drainage. Such a result, if substantiated by further testing and evaluation at mill scale, could lead to a drier sheet entering the press and dryer sections which would lead to energy savings. Biomethane potential (anaerobic biodegradability) and Zahn Wellens (aerobic biodegradability) tests reveal ~34% and 99.3% mineralisation respectively with Hydropol loading rates which equated to over 25% substitution of the fibre furnish with Hydropol coated papers. Pilot scale testing would be required to determine whether this level of biodegradability would be replicated under the process conditions of a full-scale process and whether this could be treated without any other impacts upon the process. The laboratory results align with result obtained by P&G for PVOH mineralisation assessments of PVOH coatings used with their Tide Pod range of laundry detergent pods.8 Henkel also carried out an in-depth environmental safety assessment of PVOH associated with its liquid laundry detergent.9 An extensive set of aquatic toxicological and biodegradation information was collated to develop scenarios on detergent use and to assess the risk associated with the raw material use in the respective scenarios. Dual tests which examined Total Organic Carbon and mineralisation to CO2 qualified PVOH as inherently biodegradable and that a significant proportion would be removed from sewage during biological treatment. The REACH regulations10 classify persistent substances as those that display a half-life of 60 days or more in aquatic environments. Since PVOH is inherently biodegradable it was concluded that PVOH is not persistent and does not accumulate in aquatic environ-

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ments. Acute toxicity data against algae and Daphnia magna revealed low toxicity. When extrapolated, it was concluded that chronic effects would not be expected for a range of end-use scenarios. Henkel concluded for all scenarios addressed, that the use of PVOH with its liquid laundry detergent was safe. Taken together, the results of the laboratory tests together with supporting literature provides evidence to suggest that Hydropol is compatible with the processes used by high volume recycling mills and would likely enable high fibre recovery whilst reducing insoluble single-use plastics which are ejected and sent to landill or waste to energy. The results obtained in the study provide packaging designers with evidence to meet CEPI’s Paperbased Packaging Recyclability Guideline, namely: 1. Ensure that the paper fraction of the packaging breaks down into single fibres when pulped within a specified timeframe 2. Give preference to polymers and other sealing agents that can be dealt with efficiently by the papermill process and effluent treatment systems and do not compromise the finished product, the production process or the environment whilst being recycled. The tests applied and results obtained provide useful guidance for coating manufacturers wanting to demonstrate the compatibility of their coatings with the processes used and products made by high volume recycling mills. Nick Thompson, Materials Development Director, DS Smith Group R&D commented, “It’s clear that materials used in paperbased packaging have to be designed into the packaging with recycling in mind from the start. This is why DS Smith developed circular design principles; to ensure repulpability, recyclability and no negative impact on the end of life of the materials used. It seems like the Aquapak Hydropol product during recycling,

has now been shown to help fibre separation and can itself be eliminated from the process with no negative impact and with no need for finding an outlet for unwanted waste material, such as difficult to recycle plastics.” Acknowledgements DS Smith Kemsley Mill Technical Department & ETP staff; Axchem UK Ltd staff; Test Tech Fibre Ltd staff. References 1.

Kay M, Williams J, Smith E, Meadows D, Phippard M and Langley R (2021), “Designing recyclability into fibre-based packaging using fully soluble bio-digestible barrier systems”, Paper Technology International, Vol.62, No.1, pp.22-28. 2. Aquapak (aquapakpolymers.com). 3. CEPI Paper-Based Packaging Recyclability Guidelines. 4. CEPI. Harmonised European laboratory test method to produce parameters enabling the assessment of the recyclability of paper and board products in standard paper and board recycling mills Version 1 (1 December 2020). 5. CPI Paper and Board Packaging Recyclability Guidelines Revision one: January 2019. 6. Test Method MC 501:2017 Analysis of the recyclability of cellulose-based materials and products. 7. ISO 15360-1:2000 Recycled pulps-estimation of stickies and plastics. 8. https://www.freedoniagroup.com/Content/Blog/2017/08/03/WaterSoluble-PVOH-The-Material-Behind-the-Booming-DetergentPod-Market 9. Meier F, Stelter N, Zeese NJ and Tolls J (2013). Raw material supplier and detergent manufacturer cooperate in Environmental Safety Assessment of a new detergent raw material – a case study. 10. EC (2004) Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on detergents, Offic. J EU. L104,1.

Stop Press Nigel Malone, Operations Manager at Simpson Clough Paper Mill, Union Papertech Ltd., has retired after 20 years at the site in Heywood, near Bury. Nigel started his career with Robert Fletcher and Sons Limited in the early 1980s – in fact, his first Paper qualification was achieved in June 1981, “Skills and Knowledge Associated with the Paper and Paper Products Industry”, just before his seventeenth birthday. Nigel moved to Simpson Clough Mill, then a part of the JR Crompton Group, in 2001, with the mill transferring to the Purico Group in 2006. He rose to the position of Operations Manager for Simpson Clough in 2009, a position he occupied until his decision to retire in October 2021 after more than 40 years of service to the Paper Industry. Matthew Miller, Managing Director of Union Papertech Ltd., commented, “Nigel has been absolutely central to the operation at Union Papertech Ltd. for many years, and he leaves a huge legacy. There are very few people who can claim to be at the heart of a business to the extent that Nigel Malone has been for Union Papertech. He leaves behind a team of people who have enjoyed and benefited from working with him and are all sorry to see him go.” Sam Cropper will replace Nigel as the new Head of Operations.

Metsä Tissue, the tissue paper business of the forest industry group Metsä Group, is planning to invest in a new tissue mill in the UK. The plan consists of 240,000 tonnes of tissue paper production capacity, built in several phases during the upcoming decade. The plans are part of the company’s Future Mill programme to drive world class environmental performance in tissue production. The production of the planned UK mill would be based on using sustainable fresh fibre pulp, and the first phase of the investment would be ready during 2025 to serve the professional and consumer tissue markets in the UK and Ireland. ”Over the past couple of years, we have been developing a Future Mill concept in relation to our planned tissue mill expansion in Mariestad, Sweden. Our studies show that we will be able to utilise more efficient and better technology than today, which will make us more competitive and more environmentally efficient. We see great opportunities for growth in the UK market and are planning to supply the market locally based on our Future Mill concept”, says Esa Kaikkonen, CEO, Metsä Tissue. The mill concept is planned to be based on best available technologies, with a world class environmental performance. As the next step, the location of the mill is planned to be selected during the first half of 2022. The locations currently under investigation are Newark and Hull.

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A letter from India Dr Mahendra Patel,

industrypaper@yahoo.co.uk (www.industrypaper.net) Recycled fibre-based Paper Mills in India: Import-Export Mathematics India is importing waste paper heavily on the one hand but on the other hand, exporting the kraft paper manufactured from this waste paper. The domestic waste paper collection volume was badly impacted during the COVID period. The domestic newsprint paper mills and the printing and writing sectors have been lodging complaints every now and then to the Government for stopping the importation of finished products from abroad, but some amount of printing and writing paper is also being exported. Therefore, the present status of recycled fibre-based paper mills as well as the whole paper industry, depends upon the mathematics of import and export along with few inherent factors of the industry, such as demand (which has reduced due to closure of education establishments, offices etc) and cost of production (including rising prices of coal, energy, chemicals and raw materials). These mathematics govern the overall current status of the Indian paper industry because out of the total production of paper and board (around 20 million tonnes per year), more than 6570% is manufactured from recycled fibre. While the printing and writing papers are mostly produced by the major players, the recycled fibre-based papers and boards are from the medium and smaller size mills, though some of the big paper mills have diverted recently to the recycled fibre source. Nevertheless some big paper mills have already got to grips with producing quality paper from recycled fibre and it is certain that this number will be on the rise. Earlier, it was only the ITC Ltd., which added the recycled fibre-based line to its wood-based stream for producing the paper board; later on the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd (TNPL) and JK Papers commissioned their paper board plant using the recycled fibre; Trident Ltd and Khanna Paper Mill are the other big players having provision for using recycled fibre,

the later producing quality printing and writing paper. In this export-import mathematical operation based on recycled fibre, the role of China has been new because of its policy of stopping importation of waste paper from USA and other countries and sourcing the finished product from India. It is reported that at least 1.4-1.5 lakh tonnes of kraft paper are being exported to China every month from India, which was nil 2-3 years before. It means that the conversion of waste paper to kraft paper is made by the Indian industries, generating the solid wastes of plastic etc. India is also facing the problem of importing waste paper from the Western countries because of COVID as the collection of waste paper was stopped for months together with lack of shipping facilities. There was shortage of availability of containers again, which is being faced even today and there were many restrictions in the ports for releasing the waste papers from the ship. The problem augmented because of reduced collection of waste paper in the country during the COVID period, which was 30-40% lower than in the normal period. All these problems have created the current deficiency of some 2 million tonnes of waste paper now in India, which is likely to accentuate to 4 million tonnes. Moreover, while China has banned imports of old corrugated cartons and waste paper to avoid pollution, it is importing recycled pulp and kraft paper from India, which is burdened with pollution when waste paper is converted to recycled pulp or kraft paper. The immediate future of recycled fibre-based paper industries in the country appears to be very bleak and the overall growth of paper and board at the rate of 6-7% is unlikely to happen this year. This last quarter of the year may show revival but the annual growth pattern is unlikely to sustain this financial year. The export-import mathematics with other factors need to be solved quickly to tackle the situation and attain the normal growth pattern at the earliest.

Unwasted™ is a fast growing materials technology company that has invented a new way of making a high performance panel board from waste fibres utilising true circular economy principles to meet the highest standards of sustainability. It has attracted very substantial investment from private and public sector investors and has completed the construction of a pilot plant at Deeside, north Wales, which will provide the technical and market validation to support the building of full-scale factories in multiple locations in Europe. The company now seeks to recruit:

PILOT PLANT PRODUCTION LEAD With a background in process engineering or similar you will be responsible for running the pilot plant and working closely with the senior management of the company to achieve exacting programme targets. You will be responsible for ensuring the plant is set up for semi-commercial production and compliant with the required legislation. There are real opportunities for rapid career development as the company expands internationally. Salary negotiable.

PILOT PLANT PRODUCTION OPERATIVE You will be a fast learner and able to handle a variety of production tasks including stock preparation, machine operation, finishing and packing, working to the Pilot Plant Production Lead. Salary negotiable. Please send CV and covering letter to Rob Langley, Technical Director at rob.langley@unwasted.co.uk

Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 34

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Correlation Between Air Permeance Instruments Daven Chamberlain, Editor, Paper Technology International Measurement of through sheet air permeance (often, though incorrectly, called “porosity”)1, is one of the most basic tests applied to paper. Results give useful information about the degree of refining, filler content and the presence of coatings, among other things, while for certain applications (e.g. coating, or for processing using suction feeders) it is an important functional property.2 The most common way to make these measurements is to use “air bleed” test apparatus, which fall into two main categories: 1. Those that measure volume flow per unit time (e.g. Bendtsen, Potts, Schopper and Sheffield). This property is referred to as AIR PERMEABILITY; high values indicate open, permeable papers. 2. Those that measure time per unit volume flow (e.g. Bekk, Gurley and Oken). This property is known as AIR RESISTANCE; high values indicate closed, impermeable papers. Since the measurement was first investigated at the turn of the 20th century many instruments have been developed to evaluate the property.3 These all work using a similar principle; an over or under-pressure is applied between the two surfaces of the sheet, such that air is forced to flow through the sheet. If the surfaces are clamped securely to ensure an adequate seal and prevent lateral flow, the rate of air pushed or pulled through the sheet can be calculated according to the general equation: P = V / (1000 x A x Δp x t) where P = Air Permeance (µm/(Pa.s)) V = Volume of air passing through sheet (ml) A = Test Area (m2) Δp = Pressure Difference (kPa) t = Time Duration (sec) This equation comes from ISO 5636-1 (now withdrawn) and relates to a range of test instruments that determine air permeance in a ‘medium’ range (defined as P = 0.01 to 100 µm/(Pa.s)).4 Of particular importance is Δp, the pressure difference, which should be held as constant as possible for the duration of the test. The ability to transform data from any instrument that conforms to the general standard is what has allowed the development of ‘universal’ Air Permeance testers, such as that offered by ABB under their L&W brand (Code 266), and Gurley (Model 3430). (Messmer Büchel, which is now part of TMI, did something similar several years before both L&W and Gurley with their Parker Print Surf instrument, which through a change of Apparatus

Mode

Δp kPa

head could also measure air permeance according to different standards.) However, most mills are likely to have only one, at most two, types of air permeance testers, yet may still want to transform data to match other instruments for comparison purposes; this article lists the correlations reported in ISO 5636-1 and those found by other researchers. Table 1 shows the main instruments and a couple of oddities (Potts, a very old and seldom-used instrument which corresponds to ISO 5636, and Bekk, which is often met with on European sites, but not covered by the standards), and the test conditions they each use. The table also highlights allowable variations from the usual test conditions. Table 2 shows how widely many of these instruments have been adopted by standards agencies around the world. Correlation Equations Table 3 shows the measurement values reported in ISO 56361 for different instruments that are equivalent to an air permeance value of 1µm/(Pa.s), along with the equations used to derive these values.5 Using these equivalence formulae allows numerous sets of correlation equations to be derived between the various instruments, for example: Gurley = 127 / (0.0113 x Bendtsen) These correlation equations have all been calculated from theory. Independently several researchers have published correlation equations obtained from practical experimentation. These authors do not always use instruments recognised by national or international standard organisations; nor do they necessarily use them with standard settings. Nevertheless, they do have the benefit of allowing real data sets to be used to assess the theoretical equations quoted in the ISO standard. Those conversion equations found to date that are products of practical experimentation include: Tollenaar & Van Royen6 t100(Bekk) x V60(Schopper) = 1550 where: V60 = volume that flows in 60 seconds t100 = time for 100ml to flow Chesley, Jones & Truax7 Log(Gurley) = 4.3393 + (1.16 x Log(Sheffield)) Soucek & Motoya8 Log(Gurley) = 4.063 - (1.058 x Log(Schopper))

Area mm2

Allowed Variations

Bekk

Resistance

50.66 to 29.33

100

sec (per 80ml)

Bendtsen

Permeability

1.47

1000

ml/min

Gurley

Resistance

1.22

642

Oken

Resistance

4.90

642

Potts

Permeability

0.98

1000

Schopper

Permeability

1.00

1000

Sheffield

Permeability

10.3 (flow tube) 9.85 (electronic)

283.5

Standard cylinder 20oz (567g); Alternative cylinder 5oz (142g)

sec (per 100ml) sec (per 100ml) ml/min

also 2.50 kPa

ml/sec 2

areas: 71, 1135, 2550 or 4540mm

Table 1. Air permeance testers, and the various test conditions under which they operate.

General Measurement

Sheffield units or ml/min

Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 35

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 CORRELATION BETWEEN AIR PERMEANCE INSTRUMENTS

Apparatus

ISO

AFNOR (France)

APPITA (Australasia)

Bekk

Bendtsen

5636-3

NF Q03-076

1301:440

Gurley

5636-5

NF Q03-078

1301:420

D-726-58

Oken

5636-6

Potts

5636-1

Schopper Sheffield

5636-2 5636-4

NF Q03-075 NA

NA 1301:447

NA NA

SCAN (Scandinavia)

TAPPI (USA)

P26 & P85

D14

P8117

P19 & P53

T460 & T536

NA NA

NA T547

ASTM (USA) CPPA (Canada) JIS (Japan) NA

Table 2. A selection of air permeance standards from around the world.

Brecht & Hampel9 Log(Bendtsen) = 0.32 + (0.907 x Log(Schopper)) Log(Gurley) = 4.36 - (1.123 x Log(Bendtsen)) Log(Gurley) = 4.014 - (1.02 x Log(Schopper)) Chamberlain10 Log(Bekk) = 3.16 - (0.9608 x Log(Bendtsen)) [Practical] Log(Bekk) = 3.25 x Log(Bendtsen) [Theoretical]11 Observations In general it is evident that there is reasonable agreement between theory and practise for most correlations, as should be expected, although care should be exercised for those involving Sheffield in particular because of the different base plates used by some researchers! As regards using the Bekk smoothness tester for measuring through sheet air flow, Bekk is not an instrument that corresponds to any International or even National standards as regards air resistance measurement. This is because the pressure drop varies too much between the start (48kPa) and end (29.33kPa) points of the test. This means air flow cannot be assumed constant over the duration of the test. Nevertheless, that does not stop some commercial users, who have the apparatus for smoothness measurement, using it as a dual instrument and quoting air resistance values. (In this the author has experience!) The above correlations give, with reasonable precision, values for Bendtsen that can then be transposed into those for other instruments using the correlation equations shown. Conclusions In the area of cross-correlation of instruments, few tests are so well placed as air permeance in terms of the ease with which values can be transformed to be representative of several different commercial test apparatus. Although the ISO standards push the use of universal Air Permeance values (P – units µm/Pa.s), irrespective of instrument Apparatus

Value

Equation

Bendtsen

88ml/min at 1.47kPa

P = 0.0113 q

Gurley

127s at 1,23kPa

P = 127 / t

Potts

59ml/min at 0.98kPa

P = 0.0170 q

Schopper

1ml/s at 1kPa

P=V/t

Schopper

2.5ml/s at 2.5kPa

P = 0.4V / t

Sheffield

176ml/min at 10.3kPa and 285mm2 P = 1.62 x (q/A) where q = air flow (ml/min)

Table 3. Equivalence values on different air permeance apparatus equating to an Air Permeance value of 1µm/(Pa.s). The equation linking values on each apparatus to Air Permeance is shown for each instrument.

type, in the experience of the author very few, if any, paper manufacturers quote these. Rather they quote actual values obtained from a specific type of instrument, both in QCS data and in specifications sent to customers. With that in mind, the ability to transform a value from one instrument to that expected for another is a useful procedure for comparative purposes, providing a ‘rule of thumb’ value (typically +/- 20%) is sufficient. Since this general type of test will be expected to show reproducibility coefficient of variation values (that is between different instruments in different laboratories) of 5-15%,12 the ‘rule of thumb’ value provided by use of correlation equations should be perfectly adequate in most circumstances. Notes and References 1.

Strictly speaking, ‘porosity’ is a measure of total void volume of a solid, whereas permeability is a measure of the connectedness of voids within the sheet, allowing gases to travel from one surface through to the other. Voids that do not link up play no part in permeability assessments though they still affect porosity. So porosity and permeability do not describe the same property, but this has not prevented ‘porosity’ being used (however incorrectly) as shorthand for the range of tests described in this article. 2. Anon, “Air Permeability Test”, The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, Vol.138, Dec. 1959, pp.54/56. 3. Chamberlain, The Quarterly (Journal of BAPH), No.52, Jan. 2005, pp.6-15. 4. ISO groups medium range Air Permeance standards under the catchall number 5636. Note also that ISO used to publish a ‘low range’ standard (ISO 11004) for more closed structures with low permeance values, but this has since been withdrawn. 5. Note that for the Gurley equation, newer interpretations have shown that the mean pressure difference for the standard 20oz cylinder is better represented by the equation P = 135.3/t. 6. Tollenaar & Van Royen, Das Papier, Vol.11, Dec. 1957, pp.562566. Schopper Δp = 0.98kPa, A = 10cm2, t = 60 sec; Bekk Δp = variable (50.66 to 29.33kPa), A = 1cm2, V = 380ml (which contradicts ISO 5627 Bekk Smoothness, where the pressure change shown is stated to equate to passage of only 80ml of air). This equation is not recommended! 7. Chesley, Jones & Truax, Tappi Journal, Vol.42(4), Apr. 1959, pp.299-300. Test area for both instruments was 642mm2 (1 sq. in) which was non-standard for Sheffield. Gurley 567g (20oz) cylinder; Sheffield 10.0kPa. 8. Soucek & Motoya, Papír a celulósa, Vol.15(6), 1960, pp.139-141. 9. Brecht & Hampel, Das Papier, Vol.17, Dec. 1963, pp.687-696. Schopper 1kPa; Gurley 567g cylinder. 10. Chamberlain, IPPTA Journal, Vol.22(2), Apr.-Jun. 2010, pp.121126. 11. Using the assumption that Δp = 40kPa (roughly the midpoint between 50.66 and 29.33kPa), A = 0.0001m2, and V = 80ml. Using this approximation, calculated values for Bekk were found to be within 20% of the measured values in most instances. 12. Data in the most recently published ISO 5636 standards suggest Sheffield and Gurley instruments in particular show quite low CoV Reproducibility values, compared to Bendtsen.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Drivers for future growth of the UK’s Paper-based Industries Andrew Large, Director General, CPI It is common knowledge that the last 18 months have been some of the most extraordinary in modern world history. The effects of the pandemic, coupled with the measures taken across the world to preserve public heath, amount to the biggest upheaval in social, economic and political realities in living memory. As the world begins to emerge from these restrictions and economies start to regrow, it is time to take stock of the drivers that will shape the future competitiveness of the UK’s Paperbased Industries. CPI has undertaken an in-depth analysis of these drivers, which I am delighted to be able to share in this article. This work is based on research by CEPI in 2019, and recent events bear out its conclusions. In short, the competitiveness of the UK’s Paper-based Industries will be determined by the ability of the industries to access resources and the public perception of those industries, two factors which are themselves interlinked. We can see today just how important some resources are. You will be aware of the recent and sudden increase in UK Gas and Electricity prices. Since January 2021, gas prices are up by around 250% - with an increase of 70% since August 2021 alone. The causes of this price spike are varied, but the common root is too much demand chasing an inelastic supply of gas in the short term. In other words competition for resources. This resource crunch manifests itself in other ways. The EU’s proposals for a Forest Strategy are an attempt to marry the differing demands on wood. So the supply of pulp must take its place alongside carbon storage, biodiversity, natural amenity, construction and furniture as potential uses for wood resources, again driving up competition for those resources and their cost. Recycling is also a cause of concern as work to reduce plastics may have a knock-on effect on recovered paper supply chains. Human resources are equally stretched. Some 750,000 workers are believed to have left the UK in recent years, caused by a combination of Brexit and COVID, and employment shortages in areas such as HGV drivers are evident, leading to wage competition to attract new workers into these sectors, all of which adds risk to the skills and employment strategies of the industry. If these are the resource challenges that we face, and there are many others beyond the three outlined above, then the challenges of public perception are also growing.

On the one hand, the industry has risen in public esteem over recent months. We are perceived as having risen to the challenge of the pandemic, continuing to work in medical, food and other goods supply chains to maintain the fabric of society. From toilet paper to corrugated packaging and medical kits, the UK’s Paperbased Industries have been in the public eye. This feeds into general perception of the industry that is positive; people know that they can recycle paper easily and it does not raise the same concerns as plastics. But with this exposure, comes scrutiny. As COP 26 approaches in November 2021, questions are asked about the carbon emissions of papermaking and the long term path to net zero compatibility. People also scrutinise packaging, and ask in unboxing videos online whether the volume of packaging provided is appropriate to the size of the package being protected. There is the ever-present accusation that paper drives deforestation which has proved resistant to evidence based rebuttal over many years as well as recent concerns over the quality of recovered fibre exported for reprocessing. The linkage between resources and reputation is key. Put bluntly, how will the UK’s Paper-based Industries persuade Government and wider society of the need to act in our support on resource issues, if they don’t think highly of us? This is the central concern that will drive CPI’s actions in the coming years. We have already started with our Beyond the Box campaign https://cardboard.org.uk/ reaching consumers via social media and using influencers and engaging media to put across key messages. We are also redoubling our efforts to engage with political and media stakeholders. As society reopens post-COVID, we are resuming face-to-face engagement as the most effective way of persuading people of our case. Ultimately, this is a question of future investment. In order to meet the promise of paper’s contribution to the future industrial ecosystem of the UK we need investment, both domestic and international in new facilities, reliable, affordable and renewable energy and infrastructure for the circular economy. The investment case is clear. Paper is essential to meeting the UK’s net zero and circular bio-economy – the question is how to encourage that investment to come to the UK, and not to other competing nations. This is the question that our work on reputation and resources seeks to answer.

The Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating of Paper and Board Still the best introduction to coating components, equipment, and converting.

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Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 37

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

Exhibition Report Daven Chamberlain, Editor, Paper Technology International

HEALTH & SAFETY EVENT

September 2021 (NEC) After well over a year, a major exhibition has finally taken place at the NEC: The Health & Safety Event (co-badged with The Security Event, The Fire Safety Event, The Facilities Event and The Emergency Services Event). Together they ranged over three full halls (3, 4 & 5), and elsewhere there were other events taking place; indeed, a quick check on the NEC calendar shows the venue is booked solidly going forwards – is this the start of ‘business as usual’? I must admit to having my doubts about the appetite for such events, and I am glad to report that I was entirely wrong. I realised this as soon as I left the M42 at J6 and immediately ground to a halt. The final mile to a parking spot took over 40 minutes. The working public were out in force, eager to attend a trade show. COVID security was well to the fore. Everyone was warned prior to the event that some evidence of COVID-status would be required before being admitted to the buildings and everyone was advised to get the NHS app onto which your vaccination status can be loaded. (It was also suggested that some form of photo ID would be required; maybe this requirement didn’t filter down to the door staff because nobody was asked for this.) Once inside things ran smoothly, and the queues of old were not a feature; the aim was to prevent hold-ups and keep people moving, so having printed my badge at home, getting past the final security checks was quick. I am pleased to note that almost every stand was occupied, although having chatted to some stallholders it was notable that in general only UK staff were participating and that foreign colleagues had decided not to attend. I assume this was the same for visitors; if so, it was unusual to be in the midst of a largely UK crowd on this scale. Obviously there were too many stalls to mention them all, but alongside old friends such as Derma Shield Skincare (which I have featured in previous reports on this event, and indeed have tried their product – and it really works!); Pilz (more on them later); and The Healthy Employee (who attended the last CPI Conference in 2019), there were also some surprising newcomers, such as Lavazza Professional (the coffee company – in the Facilities Event) and The Cambridge Mask Company (who gave away free samples of their very high-specification textile facemasks which incorporate filters effective against air pollution, viruses and bacteria – and which have been taken up by several large companies such as Deliveroo and British Airways. Their products can be also be bought direct by the public – check out their website because this product is really impressive). Numerous though the stands were, with many happy to give away a variety of freebies, I tended to spend most of my time in the lecture theatres which offer great quality (free) training. There were seven ‘conferences’ to choose from, of which I decided upon two: Machine Safety and Driver Safety. Starting with Machines, Pilz (Mark Staples) opened proceedings and discussed “A Simple Guide to Sensors for Safeguarding of Machinery”, covering the following:

쎲 Devices for position monitoring and emergency stop-

ping. Offering safety on conveyors, assembly lines and machines, such as emergency stop push buttons or ropepull switches. Also safety position monitoring encoders that assess position and speed which are used in conjunction with safety interlocks to detect machine standstill. 쎲 Safety switches. For monitoring the position of movable guards (e.g. mechanical actuator safety switches; Magnetic non-contact safety switches; Coded RFID non-contact safety switches; and Safety gate locking switches). Note that non-contact switches can be used with difficult environmental conditions. 쎲 Safety gate systems. These include mechanical safety gate systems with guard locking (solenoid locking devices, and fail-safe locking devices). Also safety gate systems (integrated systems comprising safety gate monitoring, safe guard locking and guard access control). 쎲 Optoelectronic sensors – Light Guards. ‘Light curtains’ offering barrier-free solutions to guarding, and can be adjusted in sensitivity to cover finger, hand or body detection. However, environmental conditions need to be considered – in particular they are less suited to areas of high humidity or with high dirt / contamination levels. 쎲 Optoelectronic sensors – Laser Scanners. Good for warning and protection zones, and can be mounted on AGVs, offering 2-D 275° field of vision. 쎲 Safe radar systems. Offer enhanced protection opportunities compared to optoelectronics, in particular due to their insensitivity to dust, dirt, rain, light, sparks, steam and shock. A veritable tour-de-force overview of safety sensors, and their stand was directly next to the lecture theatre, so very well situated for answering any queries. Next onto the podium was PUWER Machinery Guarding who gave a presentation about “Old Machines, New Guards: When to Fit Which Guard”. In particular this was aimed at small machinery items – such as lathes – but the general advice is applicable to larger items as well. The main advice was to concentrate upon Risk Assessment, and how this can be used to decide how to proceed. In addition to identifying all hazards under all conditions, it is also necessary to assess exactly how the machine is used – which means bringing the operators into the equation. There is no point applying a fix to a theoretical problem, if that negates the ability to use the machinery – realism is a necessary part of the equation. So the aim should be to reduce risk to an acceptable level, preferably as low as reasonably practicable (which is different from removing it completely). This target should be agreed by all (management and operators) in advance of any work being performed, otherwise the ‘ideal’ may not in reality be ‘workable’. In conclusion, before starting, clarify the aim (be it compliance with Company Standards, New Machine Standards, Industry Standards etc) then develop and agree the control measures with all parties. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but when done correctly it should lead to an improved and safer working environment for all.

Paper Technology Autumn 2021.qxp_Paper Technology Autumn 2021 25/10/2021 12:11 Page 38

PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 EXHIBITION REPORT

trucks on our roads, and 4.5M vans. Trucks are already highly regulated; vans are not. Data quantifying fatalities for different modes of transport (Figure 1) show that van drivers are by far the most likely to be involved in fatal accidents; this is why the Road Haulage Association is calling for operator licencing to be applied to vans. 20

Rates of Death per Billion passenger miles travelled

A short walk took me to the Driving Safety Theatre, where the first presentation was given by Driving for Better Business (a Government-backed National Highways programme) on “What Companies Get Wrong Managing Driver Safety: 5 Common Mistakes”, viz: 1. Failure to comply with duty of care legislation (e.g. unrealistic work schedules for delivery drivers). Each company should have policies and procedures in place. 2. No visible defect management system in place. Not only should a system be in place, but it should also be monitored. 3. No way of identifying high risk drivers. It should be possible to highlight drivers who are spending more on brakes, tyres etc, as possible indicators of problems in driving performance. Competency checks and collision records should be recorded and assessed regularly. 4. Relying on spreadsheets and multiple data sets. Using multiple data sets will lead to inconsistencies and incomplete records. For large fleets in particular, an integrated software system should be in place, capable of providing alerts where necessary. 5. Lack of appropriate management information. Directors should be aware of what is happening, should monitor the trends and set baselines for improvements. To this was added a sixth point: 6. No robust audit trail. “If you’re not measuring it, and you’re not monitoring it, then you aren’t managing it”. The DfBB website has a lot of free tools available to help drivers and managers improve skills. A 35-part safety toolkit is available (and is being expanded) consisting of downloadable and printable PDFs, and currently work is ongoing to produce resources for Toolbox Talks. And everyone who attended the talks were presented with free plastic tyre-tread gauges; cheap, simple, but measuring a vital tyre property. The final presentation that I attended was again given by DfBB on “Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention”. The single KPI set by DfBB is to reduce road fatalities. In particular they are targeting van drivers: currently there are about 400k HGV

0 Pedestrian

Pedal Cycle

Motorcycle

Car

Van/LGV

Bus/Coach

HGV

Mode of Transport

Figure 1. Chart quantifying the risks to other road uses from each mode of transport, by distance travelled.

In particular, vans tend to have far lower minimum specifications compared to cars, and of course do not have rear-view mirrors. Van compliance checks suggest that far and away the two main issues are load security (unsecured or overloaded) and tyre quality; next on the list, and well below these two, were lights. Currently there is a driver shortage, most notably for HGVs, but also for vans. In the UK car drivers can operate vans up to 3.5T, yet there is no need for specialist training. As has already been noted, DfBB is trying to change this situation, currently with online training. But with the proliferation of vans on our roads, expect Government to apply regulation in due course. In conclusion, my first large-scale in-person event for almost 18 months. Personally, I felt safe, and the high attendance shows there is hunger for people to return to a more normal face-toface event. Let’s hope this is a harbinger of the ‘new normal’.

People in the news ARCHROMA Thomas Bucher has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), replacing Roland Waibel, who will retire. Thomas Bucher has a long career in Finance, having held CFO roles with leading industrial and services companies as well as senior Finance roles in the chemical sector. He joins Archroma from Alpiq Holding AG, where he has been Group CFO and a Member of the Executive Management Board since 2015. KADANT UK Karl Wilkinson has been appointed as Managing Director. Karl has been with Kadant UK for over 16 years supporting the fluid handling and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration product lines. During his tenure with Kadant UK, he has held various management positions in engineering, commercial/customer care,

marketing, and most recently in operations. Kadant UK Limited, based in Bury, Lancashire, develops, designs, and manufactures doctor blades, doctor blade holders, and doctoring systems for packaging, tissue, food, and other industrial processes. STATIONERS’ COMPANY At Goldsmith’s Hall on Tuesday 6 July Robert Flather was elected Master of the Stationers’ Company and was duly installed in the traditional ceremony. Robert replaces Right Revd Dr Stephen Platten who has steered the Stationers’ Company through the last twelve challenging months and Robert, no doubt, faces further challenges as the Company gets to grips with whatever “normal life” COVID allows us.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 COMPENDIUM OF RECENT ORDERS

Compendium of Recent Orders Daven Chamberlain The list below contains a summary of orders reported by a host of major suppliers to the Paper Industry and related sectors between the Summer 2021 edition of Paper Technology International and early September 2021. Further information on each entry can be found online. Supplier companies wishing to publicise their success in gaining orders should send details to Daven Chamberlain via editor@pita.co.uk. ABB: 1. PT. Riau Andalan Kertas (RAK Mill, Indonesia) digital transformation project (first order for the recently-launched Sheet Break Performance system). 2. SCA (Obbola Mill, Umeå, Sweden) to deliver drives and electrification support to the new PM2 (in collaboration with Voith, who will supply the machine). 3. Södra (several sites, Sweden) digital transformation partnership to create the optimal pulp mill of the future – including new DCS; advanced software applications that enable modern mills to maximise visibility, reliability, productivity and energy efficiency; and Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. AFT: 1. Klabin (‘Puma II’ project, Brazil) three advanced POM systems (PM28). ANDRITZ: 1. Astrabel (Belišće, Croatia) new tissue line (the country’s first). 2. Domtar Corporation (Kingsport Paper Mill, Kingsport, TN, USA) conversion of a power boiler into a natural gas-fired power boiler with back-up fuel oil capability, and a recovery boiler to change fuels from wood and sludge firing to corrugated cardboard (OCC) rejects, natural gas, and fuel oil firing (in preparation for mill conversion into packaging facility). 3. Kastamonu Entegre (Balikesir, Turkey) MDF production line. 4. Shandong Huatai Paper Industry Shareholding (Dongying, Shandong province, China) to upgrade an existing BCTMP plant to become the world’s largest mechanical pulping line (processing a mixture of eucalyptus, poplar and acacia wood chips) for P&W paper production. 5. ST Paper (Duluth, Minnesota, USA) new tissue machine. 6. Toyo Engineering Corporation (Niigata Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan) circulating fluidised bed boiler with a flue gas cleaning system (biomass power plant). 7. Visy Pulp & Paper (Tumut Kraft Mill, Australia) woodchip handling and storage system. BELLMER: 1. Norske Skog (Bruck Mill, Austria) conversion of machine from newsprint to recycled containerboard (PM3) 2. Sappi (Ngodwana Paper Mill, Mpumalanga province, South Africa) upgrade of KLB1 with new headboxes and a press section re-design including addition of a shoe press. BW PAPERSYSTEMS: 1. JSC Arkhbum (Ulyanovsk, Russia) three flexo-rotary diecutter converting lines.

DIEFFENBACHER: 1. Merino Industries Ltd (Halol, Gujarat State, India) particleboard line. 2. Starwood (İnegöl, Turkey) MDF line. ENDRESS+HAUSER: 1. Metsä Fibre (Bioproduct Mill, Kemi) supply field devices to cover flow, pressure, differential pressure and level measurement, and liquid analysis. FMW: 1. Anon (Far East) largest biomass power plant in region (106MWth). GREYCON: 1. Papresa (Paper Mill, Spain) opt-Studio and X-Trim software. HERGEN: 1. Avelino Bragagnolo (Faxinal dos Guedes, Santa Catarina, Brazil) new rewinder for PM3. KADANT: 1. Anhui Xinguang Paper (China) a 1600tpd OCC stock preparation system (to feed PM5 & PM6). 2. Guangdong Shanying Paper (Zhaoqing City, China) multiple direct discharge disk filters for pulp thickening. 3. Jiangsu Jintian Paper (Yancheng Mill, China) two OCC systems and two approach flow systems. 4. Linping Paper (Xiao Mill, China) OCC stock preparation system and approach flow system (PM7). 5. Shanying International Holdings Co., Ltd. (Jiaxing City, China) eight direct discharge disk filters for pulp thickening. 6. Zhejiang Shanying Paper (Jiaxing City, China) an additional four OCC systems and a UKP system (PM16 & PM17). LEDINEK: 1. Arboreal (Tacuarembó, Uraguay) Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) plant (pine sawmill). PROJET BV: 1. BioPappel (Veracruz Mill, Mexico) two power cleaners for dryer fabrics (PM1). RECARD: 1. Meghna Pulp & Paper Mills Ltd (Bangladesh) new tissue and MG paper production plant. REPLUS TISSUE & EIL: 1. Cartiera Capostrada (Italy) equipment upgrade project including changing the iron Yankee for a steel model and replacing the old boiler. RUNTECH: 1. Pehlivanoglu Kagit (Cerkezkoy, Turkey) vacuum system rebuild.

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 STANDARDS UPDATE

SPM: 1. Södra (Värö, Mörrum, and Mönsterås Pulp Mills, Sweden) 1000 Airius vibration sensors with temperature measurements.

URBAS ENERGIETECHNIK: 1. SLDK (Syktywkar, Komi Republic, Russia) 30MW hot water boiler and heating equipment (saw and pellet mill).

with a new TwinRoll press and in a second phase, remaining filters will be replaced with TwinRoll presses. 7. Kipaş Kağit Sanayi Isletmeleri A.Ş. (Kahramanmaraş Paper Mill, Turkey) multifuel boiler and auxiliary process equipment (for future PM4). 8. Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Ltd (Chongqing, China) semi-chemical pulp line and recovery boiler upgrade service. 9. Muda Paper Mills Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia) key paper technology to improve MG machine (PM9) 10. Nine Dragons (Beihai Mill, China) two complete fibrelines, two BCTMP lines, a recovery boiler and DeNOx scrubbers. 11. Stora Enso (Anjala-Ingerois sites, Finland) boiler upgrade and flue gas cleaning system. 12. UPM’s (Plattling Mill, Germany) extension of the maintenance operation agreement (PM1 & PM11). 13. Xinxiang Xinya Paper Co. Ltd. (Henan Province, China) IQ Scanners and IQ Dilution Profiler (PM2).

VALMET: 1. Anon (Indonesia) grade conversion from fine paper to brown grades. 2. Batı Kipas Kagıt Sanayi İsletmeleri (Söke, Turkey) a new container board making line with extensive packages of automation and services (PM3). 3. Daio Paper Corporation (Mishima Mill, Japan) conversion of paper machine (PM15) to fluff pulp drying machine. 4. Eczacibasi Consumer Products (Manisa Plant, Turkey) tissue production line. 5. Hayat Kimya (Russia) new tissue line (capacity 70,000tpy) (TM10). 6. Iggesund (Iggesund Mill, Sweden) rebuild of hardwood pulp line - in the first stage, a vacuum filter will be replaced

VOITH: 1. Koehler Paper (Oberkirch, Germany) rebuild the transfer process from the press to the dryer section of PM5. 2. Ledesma (Libertador, Argentina) service agreement including OnCall video system. 3. Norske Skog (Golbey Mill, France) rebuild PM1 for grade conversion from publication to packaging papers. 4. Shandong Huatai Paper (Shandong, China) Newsprint Machine Conversion Project (PM11) to high high-quality graphic paper. 5. Softys Caieiras (Brazil) virtualization project for tissue paper machine (TM11). 6. Veracel Celulose S.A. (Eunapólis, Brazil) to completely rebuild and upgrade the QCS Scanner (PDM 1).

TOSCOTEC: 1. Mirae Paper (Jeonju Paper Mill, South Korea) steel Yankee dryer (PM2). 2. Papelera Internacional (Rio Hondo Zacapa, Guatemala) complete tissue line (PM7). 3. Sappi (Stanger Mill, South Africa) steel Yankee dryer. 4. Vajda Papír (Dunaföldvár Mill, near Budapest, Hungary) install a second tissue line.

Standards Update Daven Chamberlain Chairman PAI/11 This column contains a summary of recent work performed under the auspices of PAI/11, the BSI committee that deals with Methods of Test for Paper, Boards and Pulps. New or updated standards that have been issued recently: 1. PD ISO/TS 19857:2021 Paper, board and printing inks — Printability — Laboratory test method for offset ink setting. Subject reports and other documents submitted for vote / comment have included: 1. Composition: Determination of Conductivity of Aqueous Extracts; Determination of Dry Content (parts 1 & 2); Determination of Extract pH (both Hot and Cold); Estimation of Contraries; Fibre Furnish Analysis. 2. Environment: Comparison of Products and Comparative Environmental Statements. 3. Food Contact: Determination of Aluminium in Aqueous Extracts (of Food Contact grades). 4. Lignins: Determination of Carbohydrate Composition; Determination of Dry Matter; Determination of Inorganics Content; Determination of Lignin Content; Sample Preparation for Chemical Analysis. 5. Pulps: Sampling for Testing. 6. Recycling: Deinkability Test for Printed Paper Products; Determination of Composition of Paper and Board for Recy-

cling by Gravimetric Analysis; Guidance statement on EN643 ‘Prohibited Materials’. 7. Tissue: Surface friction. 8. Miscellaneous: Estimation of Uncertainty for Test Methods by Interlaboratory Comparisons; Liaison with Universal Postal Union (UPU). Current Standards that have been submitted for Periodic Review: 1. Composition: ISO 9197 Determination of water-soluble chlorides; ISO 17812 Determination of total Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe and Cu. 2. Optical: ISO 2470-1 Measurement of Diffuse Blue Reflectance Factor Part 1 (Indoor Lighting) ISO Brightness; ISO 11476 Determination of Whiteness (C/2°). 3. Pulp: ISO 5350-3 Estimation of Dirt and Shives (Visual Inspection); ISO 5350-5 Determination of Mass Fraction of Fines. 4. Sizing: ISO 16532-2 Determination of Grease Resistance (Surface Repellency). 5. Surface: ISO 5627 Bekk Smoothness. Anyone interested in any of the standards or work mentioned above should contact the PAI/11 Chairman (telephone 0300 3020 159 or email daven@pita.co.uk).

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PAPER TECHNOLOGY AUTUMN 2021 NEW INSIGHTS ON APPLICATION OF HIGH-YIELD PULP

PITA Training & Conferences

PITA & MCP Management Training present. . . .

“New Engineering Manager / Supervisor” th

25 & 26th November then 9th & 10th December 2021 / ONLINE

Paper Industry Technical Association

The New Engineering Manager/Supervisor enables delegates to lead a world class maintenance department. The result is improved staff motivation, lower employee turnover, increased output and reduced waste of resources. Too often the person with the best technical skills gets promoted to be the new Engineering Manager or Supervisor. Those practical skills which served the technician well are now redundant and supervisory skills need to be nurtured. This course was conceived by a technician who went on the journey to be an engineering manager; it is the course he wished he had attended 30 years ago. This course has been devised for people new to the role of an Engineering Supervisor or Manager, and aims to equip delegates with a good introductory knowledge of the expectations and requirements of the Engineering Supervisor/Manager role.

What will I learn? • Roles and responsibilities of a manager • Managing people performance/Managing conflict • Managing motivation and delegation • Setting performance criteria • Setting SMART objectives • Managing and improving problem areas • Leadership styles • Meetings, questioning, listening and giving feedback • Identifying training needs • Planning maintenance work and scheduling/prioritising work flow • Computerised Maintenance Management System awareness • Continuous Improvement • Writing Standard Operating Procedures, work orders and tool box talks • Identifying hazards/risk estimation and evaluation • Systems of work/permits to work • Maintaining quality through process change • Maintenance approaches and best practice • Managing the cost of maintenance • Maintenance spares and materials management

What are the benefits? • Motivation and development of staff • Improved staff retention of the new engineering manager's subordinates • Formal targeted training with direction and end focussed on business need • Encouragement of teamwork through coach and assessor communication • Re-focussed of training budget • SOPs and training packages are written around business need • Safe job; Timely job; Right first-time job • Improved productivity as downtime is reduced due to increased skills base • Cross cover of skills in event of absenteeism, sickness etc. • Nationally recognised qualifications where appropriate; skills are validated • Training records meet and exceed those required by HSE etc.

Only £999 (plus VAT) per person, including full course notes & six months complimentary membership of PITA For further details or to book your place on this course contact Helen in the PITA Office (0300 3020 150 / info@pita.co.uk)

PO Box721 Bury BL8 9UZ UK Tel: 0300 3020 150 If calling from outside the UK: +44 161 764 5858 Fax: 0300 3020 160 E-mail: info@pita.co.uk

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