COMPETENCE IN PAPER

Newsletter

May 2024

From the association

Network engagement

Dear members and friends of ZELLCHEMING,

We are very pleased to report on a number of initiatives that will anchor ZELLCHEMING even more firmly in the network of our industry!

These activities will keep us busy in addition to the preparations for Expo 2024, but we are convinced that they will set an important course for the future and the successful further development of our association: These include a joint initiative with PTS - Fiber Symposium 2024 - as well as the preparation of a program session of the ZELLCHEMING Women4Paper group as part of the Symposium of Paper Engineers on October 11-12 in Munich.

The Fiber Symposium 2024 will take place for the first time on December 4 and 5 in Dresden and will provide an overview of the German fiber supply of the future and link technological opportunities with industrial needs. ZELLCHEMING members receive a 25% discount on the list price. The event will focus on

• Pulp Technologies from Wood Fibers
• Fiber supply of the future - industrial reality and emerging needs
• Importance and development of non-wood fibers
• Process capability and circular economy

Dr.-Ing. Frank Meltzer, Vice Chairman ZELLCHEMING Association

"It was a personal concern of mine to integrate the topic of fibrous materials with its great innovation potential even better into the work of the association. Joining forces with PTS is an important and targeted step in this direction," says Dr.-Ing. Frank Meltzer, Vice Chairman of the ZELLCHEMING Association. "We are expecting participants from industry as well as research and development, who will not only gain insights into raw materials and markets during the two days, but will also be able to make valuable contacts."

As part of the Paper Engineers Symposium, the ZELLCHEMING Women4Paper group will present "Diversity - How women's strengths add value to the organization". Organizations with women in leadership positions are more diverse and inclusive, which can contribute to a positive corporate culture and increase employee retention and satisfaction. "The preparation of the session is entirely in our hands and I will be moderating the panel together with Petra Hanke," says Prof. Dr. Helga Zollner-Croll, President of the ZELLCHEMING Association. "We will have a number of interesting representatives of our industry on stage with us!

We are happy to welcome new members again this month!

We welcome to the ZELLCHEMING Association:

• Sabine Hottmann, LEIPA Georg Leinfelder GmbH
• Henri Kröling, DS Smith Kemsley
• Johannes Reiners, Klingele Paper Weener SE & Co. KG

Good reasons for a ZELLCHEMING membership

Julian Mushövel, Managing Director Revoltech GmbH

• What role does the paper, pulp and fiber industry play for you/your company?
  I am the CEO of the start-up company revoltech from Darmstadt, Germany. Revoltech develops and sells a sustainable and biodegradable leather alternative based on plant fibers. The core of our product LOVR is made of fibers that are a by-product of hemp cultivation, for example. In principle, however, we can use any form of plant fiber or cellulose in our process. LOVR is produced using processes and machinery from the paper industry.

• Why did you become a member of ZELLCHEMING?
  We work closely with the Institute of Paper Technology and Mechanical Process Engineering at the TU Darmstadt. I learned about the work of ZELLCHEMING through contacts at the institute. I hope to be in close contact with industry representatives who can help us to solve problems in development or production.
   
• How would you like to get involved in ZELLCHEMING?
  Attendance at relevant meetings and conferences

Dates

• 12-17 May 2024
  Sweden/Finland excursion Technical Committee Chemical Pulping (CHEP)
• 7 June 2024
  Regional group West VPM Regulars' table from 18 hrs in Brauhaus, Annaplatz 1, 52349 Düren
• 18-20 June 2024
  ZELLCHEMING-Expo
• 19 June 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Environmental Issues (ENVI)
• 20 June 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Chemical Additives (CHAD)
• 29 October 2024
  Meeting Technical Committe Recovered Paper Utilization (RECO)
• 6 November 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Cellulose and Cellulose derivatives (CELL)
• 12 November 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Paper Making (PMAK)

From the office

The countdown is on

Just over five weeks to go until ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2024 opens its doors at the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden from June 18 to 20!

As of the current calendar week, 134 exhibitors have already confirmed their participation or reserved booth space. Ticket sales are also off to a good start.

"We continue to see a high level of interest from companies wanting to participate in the Expo. The entire team is fully motivated and already busy with the detailed planning of the exhibition, congress and networking events! The countdown is on", says Petra Hanke, Managing Director of ZELLCHEMING Service GmbH.

New: All-inclusive tickets for all three Expo days

The ZELLCHEMING-Expo 3-day ticket costs 119 Euro this year, including networking events (after-show networking event, European Championship soccer party with live broadcast, Women4Paper, career day).

From the membership

Voith steps up efforts to recycle press felts

Our member company Voith Paper is intensifying its activities in the field of reuse and recycling of press felts in order to conserve resources, reduce waste and lower CO2 emissions. "Our goal is to keep materials in circulation and thus contribute to environmental protection," explains Dr. Robert Eberhardt, Senior R&D Manager Press & Materials at Voith Paper. "By consistently implementing the EU's Waste Framework Directive (WFD), we are giving material recycling priority over energy recovery (incineration) and thus making an important contribution to promoting the recycling economy. This is not only in line with European requirements, but also in the interest of our customers, especially those who are striving for continuous improvement measures as part of their sustainability strategy."

In Europe, a significant proportion of Voith felts are already recyclable. To this end, the company has introduced the "Design for Recycling" concept. As part of this concept, only recyclable materials are used throughout the entire product development and manufacturing cycle. In cooperation with partners such as Aquafil S.p.A., Voith has succeeded in an initial pilot phase in collecting used press felts from customers at the end of the product life cycle and successfully recycling them at Aquafil S.p.A.. The logistics concept is currently being developed and tested. To avoid the high CO2 footprint of standard nylon, ECONYL, a chemically recycled polyamide granulate, is used.

According to the supplier, the yarns made from 100% recycled material reduce the CO2 footprint by 80% compared to yarns made from virgin material. A pilot project to introduce these recycled polyamide yarns is currently underway in Högsjö, Sweden. Lidia Loskan, R&D Project Manager Sustainability at Voith Paper, explains: "In terms of quality, there is no difference between the yarns we use made from virgin or recycled material. This was the decisive point for us to introduce the concept at Voith Paper.

Drewsen Spezialpapier invests in film press

The paper machine PM1, which specializes in the production of security paper and is operated by the member company ZELLCHEMING at the Lachendorf site, has been producing with a film press since February. The 1.9 million Euro investment replaced the existing format press. The planning and implementation of this project took 12 months.

The new film press allows for more precise coating application, resulting in significant improvements in key paper properties. In addition to improving the quality of the specialty papers, these improvements also enable the development and production of even more sophisticated paper grades.

Dirk Hanke, Production Manager at PM 1, sees the investment as a forward-looking signal for the production of security paper: "With the many years of experience of our team and the help of new technologies, we want to further expand our market share and continue to be one of the best security paper manufacturers in the world. In addition, the new film press contributes to increased energy efficiency and saves the thermal energy of about 400 single-family homes each year. In this way, the manufacturer is consistently pursuing its goal of CO2-neutral paper production. As part of a multi-stage transformation plan that aims to achieve 80 percent by 2030, the company is focusing not only on expanding renewable energy but also on increasing energy efficiency.

Thinking outside the box

Report on the Summer School by Gesa Richter and Anna Lexa

We had the opportunity to participate in the summer school "BIOMAT: Processes and Innovation along the Value Chain of Bio-Based Materials" at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Wädenswil (Switzerland). During the two-week course, we were able to take an intensive and interdisciplinary look at current research approaches and cutting-edge technologies in the field of biomaterials. These ranged from the production of plastic from potato peels, to experiments on the degradability of bioplastics in compost, to the use of lignin in sunscreens. We were particularly interested in the use of lignin in the chemical industry. The picture shows our favorite experiment.

We have infected cress with a plant pest. Some of the plants were treated with beetle dung. It turned out that the plants with the highest percentage of beetle infestation were able to resist the pest, while the other plants were unable to grow. The summer school allowed us to look beyond the boundaries of our studies. We gained a better understanding of new developments in the field of biomaterials. We also had the opportunity to meet many students and expand our network.

We would like to thank the ZELLCHEMING association for supporting us with the catering costs. Without this support we would not have been able to attend the Summer School!

From the technical committees

71st meeting Technical Committee Chemical Additives (TC CHAD)

The ZELLCHEMING Technical Committee on Chemical Additives (TC CHAD), chaired by Prof. Dr. Emanuele Martorana from the Munich University of Applied Sciences, met with about 15 participants on March 22 at the Palm Group in Aalen. The group was welcomed the day before by CTO Stephan Gruber, who gave a presentation and tour of the facility. This was followed by a joint dinner.

The next morning the meeting took place at the plant, where we were pleased to welcome three new guests (Ms. Zahra Porkian, Mr. Giri Prasad Sri Ram Murugesan and Mr. Mathias Stanzel). The meeting focused on the realignment of the Expert Committee. Two more guests will be invited for the next meeting.

We thank our host Palm for the warm invitation. The next meeting will take place during the ZELLCHEMING-Expo in Wiesbaden, Germany.

99th meeting Technical Committee Recovered Paper Utilization (TC RECO)

The ZELLCHEMING Technical Committee for Recovered Paper Utlization (TC RECO) met for its spring meeting on March 26 and 27 at the Voith Group in Ravensburg. After an entertaining and interesting excursion with an original rag collector into the history of paper production in Ravensburg on the first day of the event, the participants turned their attention to current issues in recovered paper recycling and stock preparation. The recyclability of new fiber types, new measuring methods and the recycling of post-consumer packaging with residual adhesives were discussed. In addition, the FA RECO fact sheets were further developed. Not surprisingly, barriers were again a key topic. The Technical Committee will also address the question "What is the optimal barrier and what are the appropriate treatment strategies if the optimal barrier does not exist? Many thanks to the Voith Group for the organization and hospitality and to all participants for the professional input and exciting discussions. The next meeting of the FA will be its 100th and will take place on October 29-30, 2024 at the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) in Heidenau, Germany.

Data management as central topic in ZELLCHEMING Technical Committee DATA

On April 11th, the ZELLCHEMING DATA Technical Committee met at the LEIPA Group in Schwedt. On the agenda was the reorientation of the technical committee. It will remain the contact point for topics related to test technology, but in the future it will focus more on data acquisition, processing, use and data exchange.

Data management plays an increasingly central role in the context of sustainability/digitalization. We need a clean database for internal evaluations, but also for future technologies such as the digital product passport and sustainability reporting.

Many thanks to Falk Friedrich for organizing this event!

Are these topics relevant to you or your company? Get in touch with Rosario Othen or Dr. Jörg Padberg!

Technical Committee Coating of Paper and Board (TC COAT)

On April 16, the ZELLCHEMING Technical Committee Coating of Paper and Board (FA COAT) met at the Munich University of Applied Sciences under the chairmanship of Knut Hornig.

In the context of the lecture "Specialty Papers" by Prof. Dr. Emanuele Martorana, some students of the Munich University of Applied Sciences were able to attend a session for the first time.

Exciting presentations on barrier applications (Prof. Dr. Emanuele Martorana), Modellfabrik Papier gGmbH (Dominic Laaf) and coating drying (Wolf Heilmann, Dr. Thomas von Langenthal Voith Group) showed that new innovations are essential to drive our industry forward.

The day ended with a nice dinner and a farewell to former members.

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