Omya, Switzerland, and Ittihad Paper Mill, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, this past week signed a cooperation agreement for the manufacture of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). Ittihad Paper Mill will be producing high-quality printing and writing paper grades for domestic and export markets.

The new onsite PCC plant is scheduled to start production in Q3/2018 with an initial capacity of 100,000 dry metric tpy. The PCC produced will be based on the Omya Multifill concept to maximize the filler level in the paper sheet.

The Omya Multifill concept is a measure to optimize the paper production efficiency while providing higher quality properties such as bulk, opacity, brightness, and printability. In addition, the onsite PCC plant helps Ittihad Paper Mill achieve its environmental sustainability targets by fully utilizing the mill’s CO2 emissions coupled with locally available limestone as raw materials and providing significant savings on fibers, water, and energy.

Ittihad Paper Mill LLC is a subsidiary of Ittihad International Investment based in Abu Dhabi. Construction works of the mill is in phase 1, with a capacity of 320,000 metric tpy of reels and folio and cut-size uncoated woodfree sheets, started in Q4/2016, and the project is on track for completion in Q3/2018.

Harald Pfaller, CEO for Omya Region Greater South and East, said that "we are very excited to build and operate this new PCC plant for Ittihad in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The close collaboration between Omya and Ittihad has resulted in this long-term commitment."