Energy costs take a significant sum of revenue from the pulp and paper industry. Thus, investing in energy efficiency projects is the answer.
FREMONT, CA: The global pulp and paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy, and it accounts for 4 percent of the entire world's energy use. In India, a typical paper mill consumes approximately 34.3 GJ/ton of paper, including wood chipping and pulping. Deficiency in energy availability and increased cost have directed to energy conversation in the paper industry. Still, energy-efficiency improvements need innovative designs and processing techniques. Also, it requires investments in energy efficiency projects, which small paper mills cannot afford to make. Few of the giant paper mills in India have opted for energy efficiency reductions as energy makes 16 percent of the entire operating cost, and such decreases will affect the overall revenue. The paper mills have also acknowledged that investing in energy efficiency projects can reduce water and associated chemical consumption, improving the plant's energy and water security.
In the USA and Europe, the pulp and paper mills decrease their energy consumption while increasing production. The European Union has vested in combined heat and power generation to improve energy efficiency. The result is that Europe produces almost half of the electrical energy it consumes.
In the western world, papermaking technology has evolved significantly. Thus, the quality and strength of paper have increased, and the energy required for production has decreased. The pulp and paper industry is uniquely positioned to improve energy efficiency and lessen CO2 emissions as it uses biomass fuel and recycles heat energy to produce power. Later, the industry could even become a provider of energy. The boilers & the paper drying are the prime areas for improvement within a paper mill. Thus, the industry must concentrate on making its technology more energy-efficient, adopting the best available techniques (BAT), improving recycling, and supporting R&D efforts to develop more efficient processes and technologies. Organisations invest in potential breakthrough technologies being tested to demonstrate market viability and increase efficiency even further.
