ITT to supply world's largest ozone bleaching capacity for Brazilian pulp mill expansion


HERFORD, Germany – August 15, 2011 – ITT Corporation has been awarded a $ 9.2 million contract to deliver ozone systems for an expansion of the Fibria pulp and paper mill in Jacarei, Brazil. Creating the world’s largest ozone production facility, the pulp bleaching line will be equipped exclusively with ITT’s WEDECO® ozone systems.

The mill in São Paulo state has a production capacity of 1.1 million tons of bleached pulp per year, of which 91 percent is exported. With the expansion, the plant will increase production by more than 15 percent. The upgrade also increases total ozone production capacity by 50 percent to 750 kg per hour of ozone (18 tons per day), with up to 1 ton of ozone per hour during peak periods.

“We are particularly proud about the ongoing satisfaction and trust of our customers and ITT's selection for the Fibria paper mill upgrade project that's now operated solely with WEDECO equipment for its ozone production,” says Joachim Sigg, general manager at ITT's WEDECO business in Herford, Germany.

The ozone is used at the Fibria pulp mill for the bleaching of 3,600 tons per day of eucalyptus pulp, feeding two separate fiber production lines. Each line is using specialized ozone mixing systems for high and medium pulp consistencies. In 2005, the mill became the first plant in the world to produce 1 million tons a year of bleached pulp with one single digester. It's also self-sufficient in electricity, with over 80 percent from renewable natural resources.

“With our long experience in pulp bleaching applications, high efficiency and long-lasting equipment including performance guarantees, our customers recognize us as reference solution provider,” says Franz-Josef Richardt, manager of ozone sales support for WEDECO products and a specialist for pulp bleaching applications. “With this project, we again will meet those expectations by providing the best performance with regard to investment and operating costs, environmental performance, and process efficiency.”