Paper Technology International 2024 - Journal - Page 154
CircleToZero
NEW SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES AT THE PUMA MILL
Importantly, the orders to the Puma mill from ANDRITZ also included two 昀椀rsts from under the umbrella of its
CircleToZero initiative; the world’s 昀椀rst ANDRITZ SulfoLoop sulfuric acid plant, and a gasi昀椀cation plant for the lime
kiln, the 昀椀rst of its kind started up in Brazil.
Francisco Razzolini, Klabin’s Director of Industrial Technology, Innovations and Sustainability, says, “Klabin is on a
long journey to reduce and eliminate the use of fossil fuels, so we are always looking for renewable, reusable, and
recyclable solutions in our operations.
“The technology for SulfoLoop and gasi昀椀cation of the lime kiln from ANDRITZ 昀椀ts in well with our own ambitions to
improve environmental performance and reduce our carbon footprint. We have always thrown out challenges to our
suppliers and we are always keen to challenge them to come up with these types of solutions.”
SulfoLoop CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID PLANT
Klabin successfully started up the SulfoLoop plant at the Puma mill in the second half of 2022. The plant has the
capacity to produce 150 tons of commercial grade sulfuric acid from concentrated odorous gases and elemental
sulfur. The plant serves the whole pulp and paper mill and makes the site completely self-suf昀椀cient in sulfuric acid
by recycling sulfur from the waste streams.
“Despite some expected challenges as it’s a world’s 昀椀rst, we are now producing 98% concentrated sulfuric acid in
the SulfoLoop plant, which means we no longer have to buy from the market,” says Razzolini. “This has also saved
us fossil fuel emissions as we no longer need to use trucks to transport sulfuric acid to the mill.”
GASIFICATION PLANT
The gasi昀椀cation plant was also started up in the 昀椀rst half of 2022 and enables entirely fossil-fuel free operation of
the lime kiln by replacing 100% of the heavy fuel oil with a biomass-derived gas.
“We are very happy with the result of this addition to the mill,” says Razzolini. “We have calculated that with this
project we are reducing the use of fossil fuels by some 21,000 tonnes per year, as well as eliminating more than
60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year. Gasi昀椀cation, integrated to other renewable fuel sources, as
hydrogen, tall oil, methanol, odorous gases, and turpentine, results in a very high green energy mill operation,
getting closer to our ambition to zero fossil fuels.”
ACHIEVING GOALS WITH THE “NEW NORMAL” TECHNOLOGY FOR PULP MILLS
Both projects, SulfoLoop and the gasi昀椀cation of the lime kiln, are part of the investments Klabin is making to reduce
fossil-based emissions. “We have submitted and approved a goal with the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) to
reduce emissions on all our operations by 25% by 2025, and 49% by 2035, based on 2020 昀椀gures,” says Razzolini.
“Implementing these technologies is part of that process.”
As both areas were new to Klabin’s operational team, ANDRITZ developed and delivered the 昀椀rst simulator, Operator
Training System (OTS) for SulfoLoop and the gasi昀椀cation plant. The expected results with process validation, DCS
logic validation, and operator training were achieved with better-than-expected results.
Leonardo Scanavini, Chemical Recovery Plant Specialist for new projects at Klabin, says, “The solutions of
SulfoLoop and gasi昀椀cation of the lime kiln 昀椀t like a glove for us at the Puma mill. In fact, they are the ‘new normal’
at pulp mills now. In the future, all mills will have these types of solutions.”
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