Digging Deeper, Part III

As we continue down the path of looking at the Light Green Machine Institute’s inaugural projects, this month we want to look at water savings and water closeup. But first, thank you for your input on Process Energy Optimization last month.

Now, on to water closeup. Like Process Energy Optimization, this has been going on for many decades. I remember when I worked in a fine paper mill in the early 1980’s, for instance, and our usage was over 20,000 gallons per short ton of paper manufactured. We thought that to be the standard of the day.

Like last month, I will suggest some readers will think, “what’s left to be done?”

Here are some comments offered by the Light Green Machine Institute board as we think about water closeup:

“Closing systems has some significant downside to operations once you start to see the conductivity rise.

“The buildup of salts drives conductivity to unheard of levels in open mills, increasing chemistry costs and increasing corrosion dramatically.

“As one closes up, microbiological activity can quickly get out of control, and biocide, while necessary, presents both a safety issue and an increased cost issue.

“Easiest way to save water, hardest to enforce, turn off water hoses left lying on the floor.

“Put rotameters/flow meters on seal water to pumps eliminating hand valves.

“Most showers can be on whitewater.”

That was from other board members. In my own experience, a standout was an old mill that was spending $750,000 per month on sewage charges (they were connected to a municipal system with a five-foot diameter pipe). They didn’t make that much paper; there were three small machine glazed machines. Pulp was bailed and recycled—no virgin pulp.

There were no flowsheets or P & ID’s—this mill was ancient. 

I spent a week in the basement with several cans of colored spray paint. I made my own 3-D full size flow sheet on the piping. When I got done, I found a pump in the bone yard and told the mill where to install and to run an 8-inch line from the pump to a certain tank.

What the Light Green Machine Institute could bring to such a project is a systematic way to explore the options. At the time, I had about thirty years’ experience that was germane to the problem. I didn’t even think about my approach. For the less experienced, a disciplined way to approach such problems would be very valuable.

Then I crossed my fingers and told the operators to turn it on.  The sewage bill immediately dropped to $250,000 per month and the fiber savings were incalculable (the sewer line had been essentially a white-water line).

Again, here is what we want you, the reader, to think about. We want you to consider stepping up to the challenge of committee membership in the Light Green Machine Institute. This challenge is not only articulating the issues as we have done above (and this is just the beginning, there are many more issues), but helping form real solutions compelling for all to implement. For instance, as mentioned above, those with years of experience can solve these problems easily.  What is the documented solution, in the form of protocols, best practices, and/or standards, that one can be assured will be implemented without question to solve such issues? How do we express the arguments and formulate solutions that will pass all temporary holds on maintenance spending, value engineering and other such actions to produce sustainable, long-term results regardless of the temporary economizing program of the day?

As an industry, we may compete against one another, but in the bigger world, we compete against using our products versus other materials or elimination. This starts with efficiently doing everything we do as aided by proven protocols, practices and standards produced by LGMI. And this can only be produced and accepted by the industry when experienced minds collectively work together within the LGMI framework.

Are you ready for the challenge?

So, again, we would like your responses to this month’s newsletter.

Let us know if you are interested in working on the Water Close Up Team with a simple response to this newsletter, something like, “Yes, I am excited about Water Close Up.”

Thank you very much for your participation.  

Of special note...

In a few months, we will be moving this column to the Light Green Machine Institute website. There is not much there right now, but you might as well get signed up and start thinking about moving over there. It is at www.lightgreenmachine.institute.