Valmet will supply a dissolving pulp cooking demonstration plant to Sappi in South Africa to explore and optimize the extraction of biorenewable chemicals. The plant will be close to industrial size and is located at Sappi's Ngodwana mill, as the company says in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
The demonstration plant will make it possible to study the next generation dissolving cooking process and test new ideas in mill scale. Start-up of the new plant is scheduled for the beginning of 2017. The value of the order will not be disclosed.
In this project Sappi and Valmet will together take the next step in dissolving pulping and explore new revenue possibilities in the dissolving pulp production. These new revenues include possibilities to extract bio-based materials from the cooking plant pre-hydrolysate stream such as sugars and lignin to beneficiate to higher value bio-chemicals.
"This investment in new technology continues to support Sappi's strategic direction of seeking new bio-based opportunities and at the same time will generate a platform with associated benefits for further increased volumes and quality of dissolving wood pulp," noted Andrea Rossi, Sappi's Group Head Technology.
Sappi Specialised Cellulose is a division of Sappi Limited and sells dissolving wood pulp (specialised cellulose) to converters for a wide range of consumer products, but in particular for the manufacture of viscose staple fiber (VSF) for clothing and textiles.
Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries.
