Project description

A new demonstration plant, designed, built and operated by Alucha and located next to Essity’s paper mill, will convert paper sludge into Circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC), pyrolysis oil, and gas. The pyrolysis oil will be reused at the mill, and the pyrolysis gas will fuel the process itself. New value chains for using CCC will be created, driving a breakthrough in circularity across diverse European industries. Eventually, CCC can also be used in the paper industry, thus closing the loop.

The large-scale demonstration is crucial for scaling and replicating this approach across Europe and consists of:
• Mine2.1: 7.000 tonnes per year of CCC are obtained from treating 19.700 tonnes of paper sludge per year,
• Mine2.2: adding a 2nd line brings the total capacity to 14.000 tonnes of CCC per year from 39.4 kilotonnes per year of paper sludge.

The implemented solution

The pyrolysis oil will serve as a biofuel for both the plant itself and Essity’s facilities. CCC has been successfully tested by companies such as AkzoNobel, Bostik and DYKA, which approved its use in paint, coatings, adhesives, sealants and plastics. Alucha won AkzoNobel’s “Paint the Future Award” for circularity.

The key hurdles solved

The project has faced several regulatory barriers: compliance with environmental, waste management, product safety and standards, health and safety, and energy regulations.

The following progress has been made:
• CCC already has REACH status, minimising regulatory risks,
• All necessary permits for construction and operation are secured,
• Local power supply issue for the new facility resolved by Essity Cuijk and Alucha, in collaboration with the regulatory authorities,
• The project will continue to work closely with authorities to proactively ensure ongoing full compliance during development and implementation of waste-toresource technology.