Voith, Germany, reports that it has successfully completed the modernization of the pulp drying machine (PDM) at BSC - Bahia Specialty Cellulose, located in Camaçari, state of Bahia, Brazil. Voith’s modernization was conducted during a total machine turnaround that lasted seven days.

 

The main goal of the modernization was to improve quality and increase the value added to BSC's acetate cellulose. Voith's technical team installed a new shoe press with tilt control and other equipment to upgrade various systems at BSC. 

For BSC, the main benefit of the modernization will be improved pulp quality, which will enable the company to serve its existing customers better and to open up new markets. 

"Now BSC will be able to rely on a greater array of tools to adjust quality of the final product. And because Voith was able to install all of the required components during the total machine turnaround, the company's production was not affected. It was a great challenge, and we were able to complete it successfully," said Leunis Teixeira Rocha, project manager at Voith Paper. 

Bahia Specialty Cellulose is Latin America's only producer of soluble pulp derived from eucalyptus wood, and currently ranks as a world-class player in its segment. The company basically manufactures two types of soluble pulp—the "rayon-grades" and the "specialty-grades," the latter of which are converted in the food, cosmetics, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, and tires industries, to name a few. Of its total production, which in 2012 amounted to 435,000 metric tons, 97% were exported to countries in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. The remaining produce is sold to Brazilian manufacturers.