Smurfit Kappa Roermond Paper Mill’s integrated steam system has been held up as a shining example of sustainability for reducing its CO2 footprint by a further 3% in 2018. The steam project is part of an ongoing intensive energy and CO2 reduction programme at the mill which has achieved a specific CO2 emission reduction of 23% since 2005.
The Roermond Paper Mill runs three paper machines to produce recycled paper for corrugated packaging. Under the previous configuration, the residual steam of two of the machines was only partially reused. As part of the mill’s ongoing project to reduce carbon emissions, it integrated the steam systems from all three paper machines by incorporating a sophisticated control system. The machines operate at different speeds using a variety of paper weights which added to the complexity of the task.
Speaking about the innovative steam system, Wim Janssen, Energy and Production Technologist at the mill, said: “We started by carrying out an in-depth analysis of processes to figure out a way to reuse excess steam from two of the machines in the third machine. This has reduced the mill’s gas consumption and slashed the 2018 CO2 emissions by an impressive 4,500 tonnes.”
Smurfit Kappa Group plc is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper-based packaging products, with operations in Europe and the Americas.
