Development partnership between Voith and Koehler Paper in the field of decarbonization

Voith and Koehler Paper have built a successful business relationship over many years. As family-owned companies, both companies pursue long-term objectives and innovative drive. As a result, many projects have been successfully implemented, such as the pioneering production line 8 in Kehl. Now, next steps in the development partnership are planned with a focus on decarbonization. A key initiative will be to further optimize the energy efficiency of the Koehler plants. Under this partnership, the Voith-Koehler team will validate alternative energy sources that can serve as future heat sources. Among other things, the focus is on replacing fossil fuels with sustainable CO2-neutral alternatives and retrofitting the production lines accordingly. In this context, contactless drying can be electric or hydrogen-based. Furthermore, an electrified dryer section and heat pumps offer further possibilities for efficiency increase and energy recovery. Biogas obtained from anaerobic wastewater post-treatment can also contribute to the decarbonization of the papermaking process.

Focus on sustainability at production line 8
Resource efficiency was at the heart of the project for production line 8 from the very beginning.

Since the successful delivery of the Voith line in 2019, the 150-meter-long line has been producing sustainable packaging paper at a design speed of 1,500 meters per minute. The heart of the line is a Yankee cylinder with a diameter of over 7.3 meters, the largest of its kind in the world. The coating machine specifically uses a non-contact, gentle drying process with simultaneous high thermal efficiency, which is achieved by a heat recovery system. In addition, Voith experts implemented a sustainable water management system on the paper machine that significantly reduces fresh water consumption compared to conventional systems. Production line 8 already uses exclusively green electricity from the Schluchsee hydroelectric power plant, enabling Koehler Paper to save 45,000 tons of CO2 every year.

The successful steps in sustainability, production line 8 and the development partnership will be presented by Michael Weiß, CTO at Voith Paper, and Markus Wildberger, Corporate Director Technology, Koehler Innovation & Technology, at this year's KONGRESS BW in Karlsruhe, Germany (19.10.).