Neenah Paper, one of the first environmentally friendly paper companies, announces it has begun using Green Steam to provide energy for its Neenah, Wis., mill. The company, known for its bold and proactive stance on the environment, estimates it will purchase 350 million pounds of steam per year and projects that this will reduce its natural gas consumption by 80 percent annually. The steam is a byproduct of a wastewater recycling process. It will be primarily used to dry paper during manufacturing and also to heat the mill.
By reducing natural gas consumption, Neenah will also decrease its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere by 80 percent. That is equivalent to 150,000 metric tons. Decreasing carbon dioxide by this amount is equivalent to planting 250,000 tree seedlings, which naturally remove carbon dioxide from the air.
“Neenah Paper is extremely proud to be purchasing a renewable source of energy that greatly reduces the need for us to use natural gas and oil,” said Gerry Rector, Senior Brand Manager for Neenah Paper. “We are dedicated to responsible stewardship of our natural resources. This is a major milestone for the company and for the industry, and we are excited to again spearhead yet another environmental initiative.”
The steam was declared “green” by the State of Wisconsin because it is derived from a renewable, organic source: wastewater sludge from paper mills. An innovative and ground-breaking method that recovers the mineral content of the sludge and transforms it into beneficial uses was developed by Minergy Corporation, a processing facility based in Neenah, Wis. The beneficial uses include steam, electricity and glass aggregate. Minergy is the world’s first facility to convert sludge into glass aggregate, and has patented that technology.
Every year, Neenah recycles 10,000 tons of paper sludge into beneficial uses through Minergy. The sludge is the sediment that remains from producing Neenah’s recycled ENVIRONMENTÒ Papers brand and its CLASSIC® Papers brands, which have several colors containing 60 percent recycled fiber (30 percent post-consumer material). Several other companies also send their wastewater sludge for recycling. Neenah’s recycling efforts help, in part, to preserve 10 acres of green space annually. The process solves a sludge disposal problem and has saved more than 57 acres of local landfill space to date.
“The steam is used to pre-dry the sludge,” says Terry Carroll, Minergy’s General Manager. “Minergy then melts the solids in a glass furnace, releasing the energy from the organic compounds. This leaves behind inorganic mineral components that flow from the furnace as liquid glass, which can ultimately be used in various commercial applications. The heat produced by the melting process is recovered in a generator, which co-produces more steam. It is also used to power a turbine generator, which in turn generates electricity. It is truly a full circle process.”
The glass is ultimately used in floor tiles, abrasives, roofing shingles, asphalt and decorative landscaping materials. A Wisconsin energy supplier purchases the electricity.
