Danbury, CT - Praxair, Inc. announced the start-up of a new 125 tons per day non-cryogenic vacuum-pressure-swing-adsorption (VPSA) plant at the Montes del Plata pulp mill. Under a long-term contract, Praxair will supply gaseous oxygen to the mill located in Punta Pereira, Uruguay.
In response to growing environmental regulation, pulp mills are eliminating the use of chemicals in the bleaching process. Oxygen delignification reduces the use of chemicals in the plant resulting in operational cost savings, environmental benefits and enhanced yield in pulp production.
“Oxygen is a critical product in processes that help pulp and paper manufacturers increase productivity and improve environmental performance,” said Domingos Bulus, president of Praxair South America. “It is our mission to develop innovative applications technologies that produce environmental benefits and drive business growth. With this in mind, we have developed and implemented state-of-the-art applications to ensure the safe, efficient and reliable delivery of oxygen to the Montes del Plata plant.”
The pulp mill is operated by Montes del Plata, a joint venture between Arauco of Chile and Stora Enso of Finland and Sweden, and is the largest privately executed investment that has been made in Uruguay. More than $2 billion has been invested in the modern pulp mill, including its power generation unit based on renewable resources, making the mill self-sufficient. The mill is expected to produce 1.3 million tons of cellulose pulp a year for paper and cardboard manufacturing.
“At Montes del Plata we seek excellence in all that we do,” said Luis Maria Rodriguez, chief executive officer of Montes del Plata. “Praxair shares our commitment to excellence and we are happy to have them as a trusted global supplier.”
