Guizhou Chitianhua is preparing to start up the world's largest bamboo pulp line deep in the heart of China
January 2008
By Justin Toland, Editor
The shortage of wood fiber in China is well known. At the same time, the country has an abundance of non-wood fiber, in particular straw and bamboo. Much of this fiber is located in the Chinese hinterland, areas the country's government is seeking to industrialize in order to slow the flow of migration to the cities of the Eastern seaboard, such as Shanghai. In Chishui City, which straddles the border between Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, some five hours by road from Chongqing airport, the largest single-line bamboo pulp mill in the world is set to start up in early 2008.
Supplied by Metso Paper, the line will have a capacity of 750 tonnes/day of bleached pulp from 100% bamboo fiber (or some 200,000 tonnes/yr). Guizhou Chitianhua Paper Industrial Co. Ltd ("Guizhou Chitianhua") was granted a government license in 2003 and work on the project commenced in 2005. The company behind the new mill is branching out from fertilizer production. Guizhou Chitianhua mill is located on a hill overlooking the fertilizer plant, which is situated on the banks of the Chishui River. "We are not exiting the fertilizer business," explains vice chief engineer, Guizhou Chitianhua, Zhang Dingyun, who says that the firm is moving into pulp as well because, "We have abundant resources of bamboo."
Zhang explains that the new producer has 6,500 ha of bamboo plantations to date, and aims to have double that area within a few years. Guizhou Chitianhua would like to source all fiber from within 100 km of the mill. Zhang says that because the quality of the bamboo varies, it is "difficult to answer" how many hectares of plantations are necessary to feed the new pulp line, He estimates the figure to be 23,000 ha.
The bamboo harvest takes place between November and May annually. Small quantities can be harvested during the other six months of the year.
In addition to its own plantations, Guizhou Chitianhua will source bamboo from independent and contract farmers. Zhang says the firm is sure its bamboo pulp will be better than other bamboo pulp on the market, and will attract a premium as a result. Fibers are shorter than softwood and longer than hardwood, meaning the product should be stronger than softwood pulp. Zhang is also convinced that as more research takes place into the potential uses and properties of bamboo fiber, the price will get closer to that of hardwood pulp.
The (ECF or TCF) bleached bamboo pulp will have an ISO brightness of 88. The main end use will be 'culture paper' (i.e. office papers), says Zhang. China is the target market, but "we can sell abroad," he believes.
The mill's location close to the Chishui River will allow transportation of much of its output by barge. The government is also investing in new roads in this comparatively remote part of China. "We looked at other potential sites," explains director, Guizhou Chintianhua, Wang Xiaoqiang, "But we decided is was better to be close to the group's [existing] facilities." Steam from the pulp mill will be re-used in the firm's fertilizer plant.
The 80 ha site offers room for expansion, and Guizhou Chitianhua has a long-term plan for making its own paper (there is space for a paper machine on-site). To date, the total cost of the mill and plantations equals RMB 2.5 billion ($338 million).
Equipment and process
Lead supplier Metso Paper's delivery includes the main process machinery for knotting, screening, washing, oxygen delignification and bleaching, together with engineering and site services.
Cooked pulp will be de-knotted and screened using DeltaScreen technology. In the primary stage a DeltaCombi screen will be used, featuring both knotting and fine screening in one unit. TwinRoll wash presses have been installed throughout the fiber line to handle each stage of pulp washing and reduce the chemical oxygen demand (COD) carry over to pulp bleaching. The high outlet consistency of the TwinRoll wash press also forms an excellent barrier between various bleaching stages, says Metso.
Before final bleaching, the pulp will be delignified further in a two-stage OxyTrac oxygen delignification process. The bleaching sequence is Q-OP-D-PO.
Other suppliers to the mill include Metso Automation (see sidebar), Dorr-Oliver Eimco (recausticizing), Andritz (pulp drying) and Purac (wastewater treatment), as well as local companies (boiler and limekiln).
Some 1,000 people have been on-site during the erection phase, and the mill will employ fewer than 600 people when it comes on stream. According to Zhang, attracting trained staff to this provincial location is "not difficult". Guizhou Chitianhua is paying paper graduates RMB 1,500-1,800/month, while rents in Chishui are only around RMB 150/month.
|
|
|
Guizhou Chitianhua selected Metso Automation's on-off valves and Neles control valves with ND9000 positioners for its pulp and recovery line. Also included in the order were Metso consistency transmitters and kajaaniKappa analyzers. According to vice president, marketing and communications, Metso Automation, Risto Lehtimäki, the selected combination of control valves and positioners is not typical in pulp mills and gives the advantage of improving asset management by allowing remote monitoring of status.
|
|
|
|
|
Pulp & Paper International is FREE to qualified subscribers.
Click here to find out more.
