PINOLA

Kraft Soap Technology

The Pulp and Paper industry, with the production of bio-based materials at its core, is the undisputed world leader in sustainable production. The industry is constantly evolving to further improve sustainability of its operations while simultaneously increasing the added value of its products. Increasing the revenues from byproducts is an ongoing global trend among pulp mills. For example, new investments in the production of lignin and methanol at kraft pulp mills.

At HEAD Engineering, we specialize in processes used for production of the byproduct Tall Oil. Today this byproduct of the kraft process is undergoing increased attention and revival as the world´s most sustainable biobased oil. However, due to its history, many pulp mills still use conventional technology for the production of Tall Oil. Many mills using older technologies operate with poor yields and poor Tall Oil quality, particularly when pushing incremental production, which hinders their capability to realize the full value potential of this byproduct.

HEAD Engineering have developed modern and fully automated processes for the separation of kraft soap from black liquor and the production of Tall Oil from soap. These unique and patented process designs are sorted under the collective name PINOLA and are all based on highly efficient separation technology – centrifugation.
A separator, using centrifugal forces 5000 times stronger than gravity, can achieve almost 100% separation of tall oil and soap, while requiring only a fraction of the footprint compared to mills using very large tanks for gravimetric separation. This enables soap and tall oil processes with much higher yields and lowers production cost.

PINOLA TOPP

Tall Oil Production Plant

PINOLA TOPP is a robust and continuous process for the production of Crude Tall Oil (CTO) from kraft soap that enables the highest possible yield and CTO quality. The key unit processes include a dynamic mixer and reactor for improved acidulation, and a highly efficient centrifugal separator which both contributes to low acid consumption and very high yield, above 97%. The residence time of the PINOLA TOPP process is less than 2 minutes which enables the production of CTO with the highest possible acid number; thereby ensuring maximal resin and fatty acid content in the produced CTO. The PINOLA TOPP process will increase a pulp mill´s CTO revenues by maximizing volumes while ensuring the highest possible CTO-quality classification.