Dewatering during paper manufacturing is a highly energy-intensive process. New research shows how the process can be made more efficient concerning energy consumption.
– In my research, I have looked at the manufacturing of grease-proof paper, says Björn Öman, an industrial doctoral student in chemical engineering. Grease-proof paper is extremely compact, enough to act as a barrier to fat, grease, and water.
The research project is about testing a new type of forest fertilizer, based on nutrient-rich industrial residues from pulp and paper mills. This closes the circle by making use of residual products and returning nutrients to growing plants and woodland.
– Our project group includes several companies, universities and organisations, says Maria Sandberg, docent in Environmental and Energy Systems at Karlstad University.
Salman Raza Naqvi, senior lecturer in chemical engineering, has been awarded a medal by the Government of Pakistan for his research.
– I feel very honored and it was a nice ceremony where I got to receive the award that was presented by the president at a ceremony where many prominent scientists were honored, says Salman Raza Naqvi.
The justification for the Excellencies in Research and Education in Chemical Engineering award is Salman's very extensive publication record
The students, enrolled in the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering Programme with a focus on forest bioeconomy, had the opportunity to visit Billerud Gruvön.
One of the problems with paper recycling is that the fibers stiffen during the dewatering and drying processes, also known as hornification. The same thing happens to, for example, dishcloths, which stiffen over time.
Ali Mohammadi has been involved in research on sustainability assessment of bio-based systems since he began his PhD. During his doctoral project at the University of New England in Australia, he studied economic and environmental impacts of biochar and bioenergy production from agricultural biomass.
The research on more energy efficient paper manufacturing processes – headed by Björn Sjöstrand – was selected for the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’ (IVA) the 100 list of 2023.
Papermaking often requires additives to achieve desired properties, such as the strength of the paper. New research shows that this can be solved in an, as of yet, untested way.
- Normally, you add Cationic starch to the pulp in order to increase the strength of the paper, says Mozhgan Hashemzehi, PhD student in Chemical Engineering.
Karlstad University has been granted funds from the Knowledge Foundation, for conducting research on energy-efficient tissue manufacturing, in collaboration with the paper industry.
Björn Sjöstrand, senior lecturer in Chemical Engineering, has been awarded the Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award for his research on the virtual paper machine. His research makes it possible to optimise and test the manufacturing process in the industry, without expensive production stoppages.
“The award was given out at the Paper & Biorefinery conference in Graz in Austria,” says Björn Sjöstrand.
Björn Sjöstrand, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Karlstad University, was awarded the Young Researcher’s Award 2022 at Forum for Bioeconomy.
We receive district heating and electricity from cogeneration plants (also known as combined heat and power plants). In the future they might also produce bio-oil, which can be used as biofuel or replace fossil oil in the chemicals industry.
A grant of nearly SEK 10 million from the Knowledge Foundation allows researchers at Karlstad University to launch a new research project dedicated to the contribution of modern digitisation technology to pharmaceutical quality assurance and development. The accelerated rate of development of Covid-19 vaccines has raised the demand to speed up the development process for other pharmaceuticals.
In order for pharmaceuticals to be safe, they must be clean of pollutants. Carbon dioxide can be used to make the purification process more environmentally friendly, which may seem paradoxical since carbon dioxide is usually associated with a negative climate impact.
Lars Järnström, professor of coating technology, came to Karlstad University in 1999 and has been involved in building the current strong research environment for fibre-based processes and products. Now retirement is approaching but he will continue working at the university as senior professor.
Lars Järnström's research centres mainly on environment-friendly surface treatment of fibre-based packaging materials.
The world needs more efficient energy systems based on renewable raw material, an equation not easily solved. At Karlstad University, research and education are in progress to find sustainable energy systems, for instance, through a project in which pellets replace charcoal in cooking solutions in Zambia, because cooking with charcoal as fuel leads to extensive deforestation as well as health hazards.
