Quality Assessment of Recovered Paper

Digital trading platform and logistics partner for buyers and vendors of recovered paper, merQbiz, collaborates with German Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) to back the “BaleVision” project in North America – a sector-wide leading quality solution for recovered paper. As reported, merQbiz – which was developed by Germany-based technology provider Voith – uses “BaleVision” intending to enable companies in North America to get detailed information on the quality of recovered paper as a secondary fiber source.

In this project, “the market-leading measuring device for quality assessments of recovered paper” is combined with the evaluation and visualization of extensive data. The purpose is to assist buyers in maximizing the suppliers’ quality performance. In return, the vendors of recovered paper would get a fair price for their merchandise. The technical solution and thus the data acquisition basis for “BaleVision” is the PaperBaleSensor (PBS) developed by PTS. The device allows immediate quality control of recovered paper bales. It involves drilling a core hole and introducing a probe with a NIR sensor into the bale. Based on the spectroscopic data thus obtained, a computer software then calculates information on moisture, plastic, ash, mechanical and chemical pulp contents.

The fluctuating quality of recovered paper is one of the greatest disruptive factors in the preparation of secondary fiber pulp in paper mills: The ash content, the content of tacky contaminants (stickies) and the deinkability of graphic papers affect the quality of the manufactured paper. The digital marketplace merQbiz intends to use the “BaleVision” to increase the number of bales to be inspected. The measured data is analyzed and visualized through dashboards to ensure transparency of information. Based on a combination of customer data with seasonal and market data, the system provides trend analyses in terms of quality, operations, procurement and finance.

BaleVision and thus the PBS is available in North America through merQbiz, the information says. In the European market, the system could be obtained directly from PTS or through local partners.

www.ptspaper.com/fileadmin/PTS/PTSPAPER/02_Produkte/Dokumente/PBS_mini_engl.pdf

(GR12020, Page 55, Photo: Ben Kerckx/Pixabay)