Partner with us to drive innovation and sustainability in your industry, reducing emissions, optimizing efficiency, towards a greener future
November 21, 2024
Cartiere Carrara is one of the leading companies in Italy and Europe for integrated production of high-quality Italian-made Tissue paper, which it transforms into a wide range of finished products. The company’s sustainability Manifesto, “Caring for what’s next,” launched in September 2023, outlines its commitment to circularity, regeneration, energy savings, and emission reduction.
The company has also embraced the goals for the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the European Union’s Green Deal, integrating these principles into its Manifesto through an ambitious sustainability plan. To achieve these objectives, Cartiere Carrara faced the challenge of significantly reducing its energy consumption and CO2 emissions while promoting renewable energy use and ensuring plant profitability.
EU Directive 2015/2193, which regulates pollutant emissions from existing medium-sized combustion plants, has been a key driver for Cartiere Carrara’s recent activities. This regulation requires existing plants with power outputs above 5 MW to reduce NOx emissions to below 200 mg/Nm³ starting in 2025. Complying with these requirements meant launching an energy renewal plan, which included replacing several boilers with new high-efficiency units and revamping others.
By collaborating with us, the company implemented advanced technological solutions, ensuring compliance with regulations and significantly reducing the environmental impact of its operations. This upgrade demonstrates the paper mill’s commitment to sustainability and its proactive approach to addressing legislative challenges in the areas of environment and energy.
Advanced technologies and sustainability: a successful energy transformation plan
We fully supported this energy transformation journey by offering cutting-edge technical solutions that enhance plant profitability, efficiently utilize resources, and reduce consumption and waste. Through a sustainability- and innovation-oriented approach, Cartiere Carrara has implemented advanced systems that meet Industry 4.0 and 5.0 requirements, enabling it to:
- Reduce NOx emissions to levels below 200 mg/Nm³ for existing installations and below 100 mg/Nm³ for new ones, in compliance with EU regulations
- Improve the overall energy efficiency for the plants using advanced combustion technologies, predictive control algorithms, and heat recovery systems
Towards a sustainable future: new solutions for tissue plants
The three new fire tube steam generators are high-efficiency models from the SG series with the HE Smart package, installed at three different facilities in Tuscany and Lazio. These boilers, producing from 5 to 9 tons of steam per hour, are designed to meet the needs of tissue plants and include an HE Smart (High Efficiency) heat recovery system with direct condensate return from the machine tank, enhancing operational efficiency.
The Optimal Predictive Control (OPC) system, based on a mathematical model developed in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano and patented in 2023, is a key feature. This system simulates future conditions for the boiler, enabling smoother and more precise control, reducing average variability and tracking errors. The OPC improves efficiency for the boiler system, extends the lifespan of moving components by reducing their movements up to 24 times, and minimizes human error by eliminating the need for manually adjusting and tuning the boiler.
Additionally, a revamping project was planned for two steam generators at the main plant in Tassignano (Lucca, Tuscany). The boilers, originally installed at the beginning of the last decade, used mechanical cam combustion technology with a static recovery system featuring an air preheater. The upgrade includes adopting an electronic cam combustion system with feedback oxygen control, managed by an advanced PLC that is Industry 4.0 compliant. Low-emission burners will also be implemented, along with the addition of HE Smart heat recovery systems designed to maintain the flue gas at a consistently low temperature, optimizing the combustion process.
These innovative technical solutions not only enhance the efficiency and sustainability of Cartiere Carrara’s plants but also represent a significant step towards achieving the sustainable development and emission reduction goals set by European regulations. The partnership between Cartiere Carrara and Cannon Bono continues to serve as an example of how strategic collaborations can guide the industrial sector toward a greener and more efficient future.
