Our Sustainability Assessment program involves bringing our paper industry specialists into mills to uncover ways to:

• Reduce water, energy and chemical use

• Minimize waste and scrap

• Improve safety

In some cases, we address these areas simultaneously. However, many mills ask us to focus first on reducing water use.

When water reduction is the top priority for a mill, we begin with the paper machines. The assessment includes:

• Inspecting all showers and nozzles used on each paper machine during maintenance downtime

• Documenting operating conditions, shower style and nozzle type, size and condition

• A final report that details assessment findings, recommendations, projected water savings and ROI for new equipment

The largest opportunities for water savings typically result from:

• Right-sizing nozzles for the operation.  In many cases, a shower nozzle that operates at lower rates can be used without negatively impacting performance.  Depending on the shower type, spray testing may be recommended for validation

• Replacing damaged or worn shower nozzles that are negatively impacting performance or spraying over capacity.  Visual inspection of nozzles doesn’t typically reveal problems; flow measurements are generally required

The savings that result from right-sizing nozzles and replacing worn nozzles can be significant:

• Water reductions per paper machine often exceed 30 million gallons annually

• Operating costs are often reduced by $100,000 per machine*

• ROI on new shower nozzles ranges from three to eight weeks

*Savings will vary based on water source, treatment and energy costs.

Many water saving assessments include an evaluation of chest, headbox and cleaning operations.  Our experts evaluate current cleaning processes and identify ways to reduce water, chemical and energy use and improve worker safety.  This is often accomplished by using automated equipment that cleans more quickly and thoroughly using less water than other methods.  Manual cleaning and worker safety issues are also eliminated with automated cleaning equipment.

The savings resulting from automated cleaning can be significant:

• Water reductions of 50 to 60% are common and translate into millions of gallons per year 

• Cleaning time can be reduced by as much as 75%

• Swift payback on new equipment results from reduced water, wastewater treatment, energy and labor costs