The Challenge
A pulp facility was experiencing rising alkali consumption in its cooking process. Usage had reached 12.79 percent per metric ton of wheat straw, exceeding both the operational target and the best performance ever achieved at the facility.
The excess consumption was directly increasing production costs, placing additional load on the chemical recovery system, and undermining the overall efficiency of the operation.
The Approach
A cross-functional team analyzed the full cooking cycle, reviewing chemical inputs, examining black liquor properties, and assessing equipment performance. Key drivers were identified including kappa number variation, white liquor composition inconsistencies, and wash losses. The improvement initiative then:
- Ran optimization trials to adjust charge levels and improve extraction efficiency
- Stabilized solids concentration at target ranges through revised process controls
- Trained operators on revised control parameters
- Introduced process monitoring sheets to provide a consistent, visible record of adherence and to catch drift before it became a problem
The Outcome
Alkali consumption decreased from 12.79 percent to 12.3 percent, improving chemical efficiency and reducing unit production costs. The initiative delivered approximately $112,000 CAD in annual savings.
Process stability strengthened, confidence in production forecasting increased, and the reduction in alkali use also lowered the downstream load on recovery operations.