Paper machines use mostly low vacuums to dewater the web in the forming section and high vacuums in the press section, according to the 2015 EU reference document (BREF) for pulp and paper, and the US Department of Energy lists conveying, controls and actuators as compressed air uses in the sector. Ultra Controlo distributes and services Elmo Rietschle vacuum pumps and blowers, several of which the maker lists for the printing and paper industry, and supplies the ULTRAOX VSA oxygen plant, whose datasheet lists bleaching of pulp.
The EU pulp and paper BREF (2015), the EU BAT conclusions (2014) and the US Department of Energy sourcebook (2016) describe these uses.
Mostly low vacuums for web dewatering in the wire section, the core process of papermaking.
High vacuums in the press section, where press rolls dewater the paper web mechanically.
Liquid ring pumps use sealing water; vacuum systems with variable speed turbo blowers need none and are more energy-efficient than liquid ring pumps or fixed speed blowers.
Radial blowers for wire and felt dewatering exhaust air at 130 to 160 °C; heat exchangers can recover up to 75% of the power the blowers absorb.
The DOE lists these uses for pulp and paper, and notes that almost every plant, up to an immense pulp and paper mill, has some type of compressed air system.
Pulp reacts with oxygen under alkaline conditions to remove part of the lignin left after cooking, lowering the kappa number before bleaching (EU BAT, 2014).
Sources: European Commission JRC, BAT Reference Document for the Production of Pulp, Paper and Board (2015), sections 2.9 and 2.9.6; Commission Implementing Decision 2014/687/EU; US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance (2016), p. 3 and Table 1.1.
The EU BAT conclusions for pulp, paper and board (2014) and a 2007 peer-reviewed study describe the oxygen stage.
For kraft mills, BAT 19 combines TCF or modern ECF bleaching with techniques that include oxygen delignification before bleaching; the sulphite section lists it again under BAT 33.
Source: Commission Implementing Decision 2014/687/EU.
Lowering the kappa number by one unit before bleaching can reduce the COD released in the bleach plant by approximately 2 kg per air dry tonne of pulp; the lignin removed can go to chemicals and energy recovery.
Source: Commission Implementing Decision 2014/687/EU.
On Muli bamboo kraft pulp, oxygen delignification dropped the kappa number by 40 to 75% at 70 to 100 °C and 2 to 7 bar oxygen; the authors note it is normally used to cut kappa by only about 50%, to protect pulp strength.
Source: Thomas, Singh and Subrahmanyam, BioResources 2(3) (2007).
ULTRAOX VSA delivers 75% to 95% oxygen at 50 kPa; higher pressures need an additional oxygen booster, supplied on demand. Sources: as noted; ULTRAOX VSA datasheet.
Equipment that the Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue, Elmo Rietschle and the ULTRAOX VSA datasheet tie to paper and pulp bleaching, and a general line for any industry.
Liquid ring, rotary vane, claw and screw vacuum pumps and side channel blowers; Elmo Rietschle lists the printing and paper industry for its dry-running vane, claw and G-BH1 side channel ranges.
Elmo Rietschle75% to 95% oxygen at 50 kPa, with an additional oxygen booster for higher pressures on demand; the datasheet lists bleaching of pulp among its applications.
ULTRAOX VSAOil-injected rotary screw compressors in fixed speed, variable speed and two-stage versions, designed and built by Ultra Controlo for any industry.
Industrial overviewSources: Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue, pp. 8, 9, 11 and 16; Elmo Rietschle, V-VTN, claw and G-BH1 pages (elmorietschle.com); ULTRAOX VSA datasheet, pp. 2 and 3; ULTRASCREW datasheet.
Ultra Controlo is a Portuguese manufacturer of compressed air, vacuum and technical gas systems, with 40 years of experience. We design, assemble and test our own compressors, dryers and carbon towers in Portugal, and supply and service five partner brands.
ULTRASCREW compressors, ULTRASEC and ULTRADRY dryers and ULTRAK activated carbon towers.
Gardner Denver, Elmo Rietschle, Thomas, Speck Pumpen (Circutec) and Speck Triplex.
Preventive and corrective maintenance, original spare parts and emergency support, by our own team.
Source: Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue, pp. 3, 10, 16, 17 and 22.
The 2015 EU pulp and paper BREF describes vacuum for web dewatering: mostly low vacuums in the forming section, and high vacuums in the press section, where press rolls dewater the paper web mechanically.
Liquid ring pumps use sealing water. The 2015 EU pulp and paper BREF notes that vacuum systems with variable speed turbo blowers need no sealing water and are more energy-efficient than conventional liquid ring pumps.
The US Department of Energy sourcebook (2016) lists conveying, controls and actuators as example uses of compressed air in pulp and paper, and says almost every industrial plant, up to an immense pulp and paper mill, has a compressed air system.
The EU BAT conclusions for pulp and paper (2014) describe reacting pulp with oxygen under alkaline conditions to remove part of the lignin left after cooking, which lowers the kappa number before bleaching and reduces bleaching chemicals and the COD load.
The ULTRAOX VSA datasheet lists bleaching of pulp among its applications. It delivers 75% to 95% oxygen at 50 kPa; higher pressures need an additional oxygen booster, supplied on demand.
The paper machine and its vacuum system, the compressed air demand, or the oxygen stage you run. We reply with the equipment that fits.
