Paper Technology International 2024 - Journal - Page 150
PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Klabin’s Puma Mill a pulp and
K
papermakers’s dream
Rafael Sirtoli, Director of Operations – Delivery, ANDRITZ
INTRODUCTION:
Over the past 10 years Klabin has been working virtually non-stop to bring its Puma projects I and II to life in Paraná state, southern
Brazil. With the Puma I pulp mill starting up in 2016 and Puma II phase I and phase II starting up in 2021 and mid – 2023 respectively, the
company has succeeded in creating an integrated mill that virtually knows no bounds when it comes to pulp, paper, and board qualities,
types, grades, and ranges.
So, how do you like your pulp, paper or board: Hardwood or
softwood? Eucalyptus or pine? Bleached or unbleached? Would you
like brown or white Kraftliner? And would you like Topliner with that?
Would you like carrier board, folding box board, or liquid packaging
board? And would you like to add a biodegradable coating to your
board? How about the 100% eucalyptus Eukaliner range that is
taking the world by storm? Or would you prefer something from our
昀氀uff range?
The choices of grade and qualities of pulp, paper, and board
being produced at the Puma mill appear to go on endlessly, being
self-suf昀椀cient and exporting power to the grid, using biomass as
solid, liquid or gas as fuels and producing sulphuric acid, tall oil,
turpentine, methanol, and potassium. And as an extra bonus the
Puma operation can switch easily and quickly to any grade that
the current market demands. With a total capacity of 2.5 million
tonnes of pulp, paper, and board, this mill in southern Brazil is now
an exhibition in pulp and papermaking. In fact, Klabin’s Project
and Technology Manager, Rodrigo Vendramini, goes even further,
“This is a Disneyland for pulp and paper makers; we basically have
everything here a pulp or paper maker could ever dream of and
make whatever they want.”
One of the largest forest product operations in the World
In terms of raw material, Klabin has some 234,000 ha of
wood planted in Paraná state alone, with 40% of the land given
over to biodiversity. João Braga, Klabin’s Director of Projects and
Engineering, says, “Our conservation strategy is recognized the
world over as an excellent sustainability model.” Braga continues,
“The target here is to have at least 80% of our wood coming from
our own, sustainably managed plantations.
“For this project, we had to build the inward and outward
logistics for the development, including roads and a rail head. It was
an enormous operation, and now our development in Paraná state
is considered to be one of the largest forest products operations in
the world.”
Klabin is a huge and important employer in the region, with
some 6,000 employees in Paraná state when forestry operations
and the nearby Monte Alegre and Puma mills are considered.
“Klabin’s relationship with the local communities is transparent,
very close and goes beyond employment the of workers,” continues
Braga. “Bringing economical health to the area is one of the main
pillars in our operational strategy, which generates important
bene昀椀ts, including helping the local cities with administration
support from specialists and helping young people when it comes to
improving their education.
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Klabin’s operations in the area see a lot of truck movements
everyday transporting around 14 million tons of wood a year. “This
is why we have built an impressive logistic hub, including the
containers terminal connected to the port,” says Braga. “From here
our 昀椀nal products go out to the main local port by rail, and then
out to the 60 countries around the world to whom we export our
products.
“The rail terminal takes trucks off the road and reduces
emissions as well as costs.”
Environmental excellence a given
The focus on environmental excellence extends across the board
at Klabin, from forestry operations right down to the 昀椀nal product,
which is why this was an important issue when it came to the Puma
II project at the mill.
After the successful results working with ANDRITZ on the
Puma I project at the mill, which included the installation of the
woodyard, four complete debarking and chipping lines, two cooking
plants and 昀椀ber lines for bleached pulp grades for hardwood and
softwood, two lime kilns, and a white liquor plant, Klabin embarked
on the Puma II project that has included several major deliveries and
upgrades from ANDRITZ, as well as adding two of the latest paper
machines to the site, thus maximizing the potential of an integrated
pulp and paper mill.
“It’s all about trust and cooperation,” says Rafael Sirtoli,
Director of Operations, ANDRITZ. “The Puma I project went even
better than the original plan. We were even ready for the start-up
some days before the contractual date in some areas. The Puma
I project also included a hardwood and a softwood bleached kraft
pulp line with the challenge of building both lines in parallel. The
ANDRITZ team did a great job on the cooking and washing concept,
and the project was carried out smoothly. We were all very happy
with how the Puma I project went.”
Puma II project phase 1, was focused on supplying brown
pulp to Klabin’s new paper machine 27, which is producing the
company’s new revolutionary Eukaliner, a Kraftliner made from
100% eucalyptus. For this part of the project, ANDRITZ supplied a
wood processing line, HERB recovery boiler, EcoFluid power boiler,
and a complete white liquor plant consisting of a recausticizing
plant and lime kiln. ANDRITZ also supplied a gasi昀椀cation plant and
SulfoLoop sulfuric acid plant.
