Through a combination of capital investments and continuous improvement projects, the Plymouth Mill is building a sustainable future by increasing energy and resource efficiency. In fact, the mill recently completed two more important initiatives to reduce fuel and water consumption, in turn reducing its bottom-line costs and contributing to the corporate sustainability goals.
The efforts to optimize and improve the operational efficiency of the pulp business are part of a strategic plan to grow into a world-class supplier with strong, long-term customer partnerships and a sustainable future.
The mill improved its hog fuel boiler so it can produce more steam while burning less biomass. This is particularly important because the mill has to purchase biomass from a third party to supplement its own biomass so it has enough hog fuel to produce the steam needed to power mill processes.
Another step is the installation of a cooling tower and two large heat exchangers that reclaim waste heat and use it to make steam from existing process water. Capturing all that heat and water from various mill processes required the mill to install more than one mile of large-diameter pipe.