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.

Machinery

Andritz starts up main equipment for alternative fiber processing system for Essity in Mannheim, Germany

Andritz starts up main equipment for alternative fiber processing system for Essity in Mannheim, Germany

Image: Wheat straw mill of the hygiene and health company Essity in Mannheim, Germany

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.

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.

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.

Andritz Pulp & Paper provides equipment, systems, complete plants and services for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue.