Development partnership between Voith and Koehler Paper in the field of decarbonization

Now, next steps in the development partnership are planned with a focus on decarbonization. A key initiative will be to further optimize the energy efficiency of the Koehler plants. Furthermore, an electrified dryer section and heat pumps offer further possibilities for efficiency increase and energy recovery. Biogas obtained from anaerobic wastewater post-treatment can also contribute to the decarbonization of the papermaking process. According to Lada Bemert, Vice President New Business & Research at Voith Paper, "In addition to the many future measures, Voith and Koehler are already working closely together to quickly implement short-term decarbonization measures. To this end, we are developing and installing highly efficient solutions to further reduce CO₂ emissions."
"The three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – shape our decisions throughout the Koehler Group," says Dr. Stefan Karrer, Chief Technology Officer at Koehler. "We are very pleased to have Voith as the right partner at our side to successfully pursue our sustainability goals over the long term. The decarbonization development partnership with Voith shows exciting ways of what the paper production of the future will look like."

Focus on sustainability at production line 8

Resource efficiency was at the heart of the project for production line 8 from the very beginning, as Thomas Kuchinke, Application Manager Coating and Reeling at Voith Paper, confirms. "Koehler Paper is sending a strong signal with the production of sustainable barrier paper,” says Kuchinke. “We are proud to have developed and implemented this state-of-the-art paper machine together with Koehler Paper. Sustainability was a priority throughout the project.” Since the successful delivery of the Voith line in 2019, the 150-meter-long line has been producing sustainable packaging paper. The coating machine specifically uses a non-contact, gentle drying process with simultaneous high thermal efficiency, which is achieved by a heat recovery system. In addition, Voith experts implemented a sustainable water management system on the paper machine that significantly reduces fresh water consumption compared to conventional systems. Production line 8 already uses exclusively green electricity from the Schluchsee hydroelectric power plant, enabling Koehler Paper to save 45,000 tons of CO₂ every year. The successful steps in sustainability, production line 8 and the development partnership will be presented by Michael Weiß, CTO at Voith Paper, and Markus Wildberger, Corporate Director Technology, Koehler Innovation & Technology, at this year's KONGRESS BW in Karlsruhe, Germany. 

More information about the sustainability congress can be found here: https://www.kongress-bw.de/