Solenis Recognises Mercer Rosenthal’s Increased Water and Energy Efficiencies with Brown Stock Washing Defoamer Programme

Solenis LLC, one of the leading global producers of specialty chemicals, is proud to announce that Mercer’s Rosenthal facility in Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Germany, is among the winners of a 2023 Solenis Sustainability Award. The cutting-edge kraft pulp facility produces approximately 360,000 tonnes of softwood kraft pulp annually. It is being recognised for adopting an innovative defoamer solution to improve the mill’s brown stock washing operation. The programme allows Mercer Rosenthal to save an average of 25 cubic metres per hour of wash water and in addition to the extraction of CO2-free electrical energy (Mehrausspeisung CO2 freier Elektroenergie) of 4371125 kWh/a. Furthermore, this also led to a saving of approximately 108,000 cubic meters of fresh water per year.

Mercer, a global producer of market pulp and solid wood products, has ambitious sustainability goals, including reducing water consumption by 10 per cent and CO2 emissions by 35 per cent by 2030. Improving the efficiency of brown stock washing is one step toward realizing these goals. Defoamers are necessary to improve washing performance, product quality, production rates and equipment efficiency. Optimised brown stock washing decreases the load on the evaporation plant and reduces the need for bleaching chemicals, contributing to cleaner effluent.

Technical experts from Solenis collaborated with the Mercer Rosenthal operations team on the defoamer initiative. According to Georg Heming, Area Manager for Tissue & Pulp at Solenis Germany, adopting AdvantageTM defoamers to improve the mill’s brown stock washing operation was the result of a close partnership.

Optimising the washing process can significantly improve pulp mill efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It is critical to control foaming and to use the right defoamer at the right dose. We collaborated closely with the team at Mercer Rosenthal to implement a customised plan to meet their needs and make the operation as efficient as possible.

Georg Heming, Area Manager for Tissue & Pulp at Solenis Germany

To implement the Advantage defoaming programme at Mercer Rosenthal, the Solenis technical team first conducted an in-depth process evaluation and lab testing to evaluate the facility’s unique challenges and opportunities for improvement. The team then recommended using AdvantageTM CS6109 and designed an optimal dosing regimen.

André Groth, Fibreline Manager and his team are proud of the results and credits the collaboration with Solenis. “Working together with the Solenis team was critical to optimizing our brown stock washing operation, and we are thrilled to see the very real impact in improved efficiency and sustainability. We hope to continue our partnership with Solenis and appreciate their dedication to sustainability, as it aligns with our own values,” Growth said.

Solenis established the Sustainability Awards in 2020 to recognise projects that deliver reduced water use, reduced energy consumption, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, optimised raw material utilisation or reduced waste.