Portuguese tissue manufacturer Fortissue and Toscotec have started up PM1 after a groundbreaking upgrade at their Viana do Castelo production base in Portugal. This Toscotec-supplied AHEAD 2.0 line, which first began production in 2015, is now the first tissue machine in the world to operate entirely on electricity at 2,000 m/min.
Pioneering carbon-free tissue line :
After ten years of efficient operations, this high-performance machine has been fully upgraded to achieve the target of more sustainable tissue production. Toscotec has installed a fully electrical air system including e-powered TT Hood with multiple stages of heat recovery. Based on the specific production needs, TT Swing ensures maximum flexibility by offering different operation modes from full cascading to hybrid (with heated air only in the wet section).
TT Turbodryer harnesses the heat recovered from the air system to improve the shoe press de-watering effect and increase post-press dryness. Finally, the new e-powered TT SteamBooster generates 100% of the steam necessary for the TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer by recovering the heat present in the hoods exhaust air together with high-efficiency electric steam generation.
Carbon emission reductions and high flexibility :
The energy needed for PM1’s operation comes entirely from electricity. The mill has the option of getting power from the Portuguese grid or using 100% renewable energy coming from its solar and wind systems. The associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions amount to minus 20% in case the tissue line operates from the grid, and net zero GHG emissions when it runs on renewable energy both for its electric and thermal needs.
Nuno Ribeiro, Owner of Fortissue, says: “This machine upgrade represents a leap forward for the industry’s energy transition. The execution of such a groundbreaking project was extremely smooth. We are proud to say that with Toscotec we are breaking new ground in tissue technology, walking the pathway traced by European consumers who are asking for more sustainable products.”
Gabriele Barattini, Project Manager at Toscotec, says: “The great cooperation between Toscotec and Fortissue’s teams on this important project was absolutely in line with the long-standing partnership between our companies. We carried out a very targeted and selective intervention for such a substantial change on their machine.
We wish to congratulate Fortissue’s team for their professionalism, because given that this is a pioneering project, truly a world’s first in our industry, we didn’t experience any hiccups. We are confident that they will bear the fruits of the vast flexibility they can now count on in operating PM1’s drying section, as they can switch from gas to electric or choose an energy mix both on the boiler and the hoods.”
