Smooth startup at Klabin - The world's largest single-line eucalyptus debarking system went into action at Klabin's Monte Alegre plant, Brazil

May 2008
A PPI Special Report

Metso Paper was chosen to supply a new wood handling system for Klabin's MA-1100 project to raise the production capacity of packaging grades up to 1.1 million tonnes/yr at the Monte Alegre mill in Telêmaco Borba in Paraná state, Brazil. The best available technology was chosen for this major project in order to stabilize production with reliable equipment and to reduce costs. The new wood handling line was ready for operation in October 2007 and the whole MA-1100 project started up successfully in January 2008 (see PPI's special Klabin MA-1100 supplement published in November 2007 for further details on investments in other areas of the mill).

Klabin, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter, has invested heavily to ensure that its forest resources remain sustainable. It was the first company in the pulp and paper sector in the Americas to receive FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification for its forests. Klabin has 216,000 ha of its own plantation forests that can be harvested. In addition, the company has partnerships that cover almost 60,000 ha. At its main nursery near the Monte Alegre mill, Klabin can grow 20 million seedlings/yr of pine and eucalyptus. The eucalyptus species Klabin uses are grandis, saligna, dunnii and hybrids.

Debarked logs on their way for chipping

A new wood handling line for eucalyptus

The new Metso Paper wood handling system is designed for a capacity of 368 m3/hr of eucalyptus. It includes the largest single-line eucalyptus debarking system in the world. The entire wood handling system consists of log intake, debarking, chipping, chip storage and bark handling.

The eucalyptus species used at the mill are grandis, saligna and dunnii. The logs are transported by trucks to the mill. The log lengths can vary from 2.4 m to 7.2 m and the log diameter from 80 to 450 mm, the average being 120 mm. The logs are unloaded from the trucks onto the GentleFeed system, which feeds the log bundles into the barking drum. The GentleFeed system is designed to feed the logs into the drum gently to minimize wood loss. It has no chains, thus avoiding the extra wood breakage and unexpected stoppages that are typical of chain conveyors.

The logs are debarked in the EasyTyre barking drum, which is 35 m long and 5.3 m in diameter. The drum was the largest single piece of equipment delivered during the project. To achieve the optimized debarking result, the loading and speed operations of the drum are adjusted from the control room. The debarked logs are transported via a bark separation conveyor, washing and metal detector to chipping.

The bark from debarking is crushed in a bark crusher and conveyed to the existing bark storage. From there the bark is sent to the new power biomass boiler for energy production.

The GentleStore system ensures good blending of chips

The chipper feed conveyor transports the debarked logs into the vertical feed Camura GS chipper. The chipper is of back discharge type. The Camura GS chipper has several patented features to produce high quality chips with a minimized amount of pins and fines. The screening of chips is handled by the EasyScreen chip screen, which removes oversized chips and fines from the accepts.

After screening the chips are transported to the GentleStore chip storage system. The storage has a capacity of 43,000 m3 and ensures the first-in first-out process. The GentleStore system ensures excellent blending and homogenization of chips. Furthermore, GentleStore technology minimizes chip damage and provides a continuous chip flow for further processing. From storage the chips are destined for the new CTMP plant, but can also be sent to the continuous digester.

Francisco Razzolini, the MA-1100 project director, says the project also had the aim of helping to reduce costs and to make mill operations easier by installing the best available technology. "At Klabin, we always have in mind that with the sustainable forest operations and the good equipment/technology we have, we can produce very competitive products in terms of cost and quality. This expansion will help us establish new projects and keep the company growing."

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