ANDRITZ successfully starts up main equipment for alternative fiber processing system to be used in tissue production at Essity, Germany
Wheat straw mill of the hygiene and health company Essity in Mannheim, Germany. Source: Essity/Geiger
GRAZ, OCTOBER 14, 2021. International technology group ANDRITZ has successfully started up the main equipment forming part of an innovative mechanical pulping line supplied to hygiene and health company Essity in Mannheim, Germany.
The new system features a capacity of 100 bdmt/d and processes 100% wheat straw to produce bleached straw pulp for the mill’s own tissue production. As raw material for pulp production, the facility mainly uses FSC- and/or PEFC-certified thinning and waste wood from the area surrounding the mill. Essity has now also been using plant-based agricultural residue from local farms for the production of high-quality tissue since the new equipment was started up. The innovative process uses less water and energy and can thus be considered a breakthrough in sustainable tissue manufacturing. The plant in Mannheim is the first of its kind in Europe and the first in the world to operate on a large scale.
Dr. Martin Wiens, Factory and Project Manager for the new installation, says: “This is a big step for Essity – and the paper industry as well. Essity is the first company in the tissue industry to process agricultural residue on an industrial scale.” He adds: “We have developed unique processing technology that does not exist anywhere else in the world. The design is purely based on a small pilot installation and, together with ANDRITZ, we have managed to implement the concept in a little over two years. That is really impressive!”
ANDRITZ supplied most of the main equipment, from technology for cleaning, screening, dewatering and bleach tower discharge to refining. Mechanical installation, commissioning and start-up supervision were also part of the scope of supply.
In the run-up to the project, several trials for dewatering, refining, bleaching and the mixing behavior of wheat straw as well as extensive tissue production trials were conducted in ANDRITZ’s fiber preparation pilot plants and the PrimeLine TIAC – Tissue Innovation and Application Center.
Markus Pichler, Vice President for Mechanical Pulping Systems at the ANDRITZ Paper, Fiber and Recycling Division, congratulates: “I’m impressed by this future-oriented approach and regard Essity as a pioneer in the use of alternative fibers for tissue production. The new facility sets benchmarks for the industry.”
Essity is a globally leading hygiene and health company and operates four tissue mills in Germany. With an annual capacity of 283,000 tons produced on five paper machines and 23 converting lines, the Mannheim mill is the industry’s largest production facility in Europe.
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ANDRITZ GROUP
International technology group ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems and services for the pulp and paper industry, the hydropower sector, the metals processing and forming industry, pumps, solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial sectors, as well as animal feed and biomass pelleting. Plants for power generation, flue gas cleaning, recycling, and the production of nonwovens and panelboard complete the global product and service offering. Innovative products and services in the industrial digitalization sector are offered under the brand name Metris and help customers to make their plants more user-friendly, efficient and profitable. The publicly listed group has around 26,700 employees and more than 280 locations in over 40 countries.
ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER
ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides equipment, systems, complete plants and services for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on maximum utilization of raw materials, increased production efficiency and sustainability as well as lower overall operating costs. Boilers for power generation, flue gas cleaning systems, plants for the production of nonwovens and panelboard (MDF), as well as recycling and shredding solutions for various waste materials also form a part of this business area. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalization solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.
