DS Smith to Build new Paper Machine in Italy
In June, Austria-based company Andritz reported that the international technology group received an order from DS Smith – a leading provider of sustainable fiber-based packaging worldwide, which is supported by recycling and papermaking operations – to supply a complete stock preparation line and a reject treatment system for the mill in Porcari (Italy). The equipment would be used on the new paper machine (due to start up in mid-2025) that is to produce new packaging papers from 100 percent recycled paper.
According to Andritz, the new stock preparation line will have a design capacity of 1,650 bdmt (bone dry metric ton) per day and process various types of raw material, such as OCC (old corrugated containers), mixed papers and board as well as new shavings of corrugated board. The system would include:
- A FibreFlow drum pulper with a pulping zone diameter of 4,500 millimeters (mm) and a total drum length of 50,000 mm – as underlined, the largest of this type in Europe – for “gentle pulping of the raw material mix and efficient removal of coarse contaminants”.
- Nine PrimeScreen X screens with state-of-the-art rotor design “providing high screening efficiency at low energy consumption and superior stock quality”.
- Two PrimeFilter D filters to handle “higher feed consistencies and higher-freeness pulp, even in the most demanding applications”.
“The innovative reject treatment system will be able to handle 135 bdmt per day,” the Austrian company pointed out. “It will comprise a robust ADuro C shredder as well as ReCo reject compactors to process the rejects from pulping and coarse screening in the most efficient way.” The scope of supply would also contain basic and detailed engineering, installation and supervision, commissioning, and operator training.
Valmet provides the containerboard machine
About three months earlier, the global active developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services, Valmet, announced that the Finland-based company will “supply a new containerboard machine with extensive packages of automation, services, and industrial internet applications to DS Smith Paper Italia S.r.l at their Porcari (Lucca) site in Italy”.
Valmet’s delivery will include a recycled liner board-making line from a broke collection to a reel and winder as well as process ventilation systems. “The wide automation package includes Valmet DNA automation system for process and machine controls, runnability and condition monitoring and Valmet IQ quality management system”. Furthermore, the company would deliver a comprehensive Valmet Industrial Internet package including Valmet Performance Center services, advanced monitoring and predictive applications as well as training simulators; also included will be paper machine clothing, spare parts and consumables packages.
According to the information, the future 8,600 mm wide (wire) machine (BM 3) is expected to produce recycled liner grades with a basis weight range of 70–135 g/m2 (grams/square meter) at a production speed of 1,500 m/min (meters/minute) and a mechanical design speed of 1,700m/min. The annual capacity is expected to reach approximately 450,000 tons.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2023, Page 50, Photo: Andritz)