The federal government is touting what it calls a “first-of-its-kind” filtration technology aimed at reducing emissions associated with pulp and paper production in Alberta..Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced $3.6 million for a commercial scale project at International Paper’s Grande Prairie facility aimed at reducing the energy intensity and emissions associated with concentrating so-called ‘black liquor,’ a toxic byproduct of the kraft pulping process used to make turpentine..The project will see third-party technology developed by Boston-based Via Separations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that eliminates steam in evaporators and electrifies the process, reducing energy and emissions by more than half while increasing production by as much as 10%. .Although evaporators and washers are a mature and reliable technology that's been used in paper production for more than 100 years, capital and operating costs of the step remain high. As a result, evaporators are frequently the bottleneck for total mill production, according to Via..In a news release, the Memphis-based company said it hopes to implement the technology at all of its production sites in Canada, the US, Europe and South America. The monies are to be funded under NRCan’s Investments in Forestry Transformation program..In a news release, Wilkinson said the technology would increase competitiveness and improve efficiency across Canada’s forestry sector..“This first-of-its-kind filtration technology shows how innovation can improve outcomes in our pulp and paper industry by lowering emissions and enhancing competitiveness. This means good jobs for workers and sustainable economic growth for our communities,” he said..“Collaborating on this project with a partner of the scale and reputation of International Paper represents an exciting opportunity for us to continue scaling the impact that our company can have on the industry and the world,” added Shreya Dave, Via Separations’ cofounder and CEO.
