Resource-efficient circular economy in practice: PROGROUP upgrades its manufacturing facilities to zero-waste status
In August 2020, Progroup opened the high-tech PM3 paper mill in Sandersdorf-Brehna near Leipzig. It is one of the most modern and efficient in the world. The family-owned manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated sheetboard has invested more than €100 million in environmental protection technologies alone. One component of this is a new type of closed-loop water treatment plant which not only reduces the use of fresh water by 80% but also biologically degrades waste paper impurities as part of the water treatment process and converts them into biogas.
The entire plant thereby reduces the consumption of fossil resources by 10%. In 2022, Progroup produced more than 46,000 MWh of biogas which it then used as a substitute for natural gas. Since spring 2023, the company has been building a waste-to-energy power plant in Sandersdorf-Brehna, thus upgrading its facility to zero-waste status. It is Progroup’s second power plant after the one at Eisenhüttenstadt.
Ziele des Projektes
• Closing the water cycle: Reduction of fresh water use by 80%.
• Closing the materials cycle: Thermal utilisation in the waste-to-energy power plant of residual materials from paper production and from local recycling cycles that can no longer be reused for material purposes -> Supply of PM3 with resource-saving process heat and electricity -> Upgrading to zero-waste status
• Reduction of CO2 emissions: Savings of 170,000 tonnes of CO2 per year already, thanks to the state-of-the-art technology of the PM3; further savings of 80,000 tonnes of CO2 per year thanks to new power plant -> Milestone on the way to independence from fossil fuels and to complete carbon neutrality by 2045
What’s a Rich Text element?
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
Static and dynamic content editing
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
How to customize formatting for each rich text
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
CO2 emissions saved
80,000 tonnes of CO2 per year (from waste-to-energy power plant alone)
Sum invested
€135 million for new power plant construction
MORE LIGHTHOUSES
Biomass replaces lignite dust at Köhlerpappen GmbH in Gengenbach
In 2020, the German government decided to impose a CO₂ levy on all fossil fuels, with effect from 2021. For Köhlerpappen GmbH, Gengenbach, this means that significant additional costs will be incurred from 2023 onwards.
Push2Heat: Felix Schoeller installs the Group’s first high-temperature heat pump at its Weissenborn plant
In the framework of the EU-funded Push2Heat project, four demonstration plants are being planned in Europe in a collaboration of international partners and research institutes.
Metsä: Fossil free steam production for tissue production
Metsä Tissue Kreuzau realizes the shift from fossil-based lignite to wood pellets and reduces the amount of CO₂ emission by two third of the annual mill emission.
Pfleiderer switches fuel for steam generation from pulverised lignite to biomass
The aim of the project is to build a modern biomass power plant to supply the entire heat requirements of the Pfleiderer Spezialpapiere paper mill while reducing the previous CO₂ emissions by approximately 27,000 tonnes per year.
Ultra-efficient CHP plant together with recycling of residual materials delivers sustainable heat supply at SCHOELLERSHAMMER
The Energy Supply 2024 project was launched to transform and secure a sustainable energy supply.
CO₂-free production of hygiene papers at Essity
At its mill in Mainz-Kostheim, leading hygiene and healthcare multinational Essity has become the first company to succeed in the CO₂-free production of paper. This has been made possible by reducing energy consumption, powering the paper machine with electricity from renewable sources and using green hydrogen.
.webp)
PALM power plant innovation programme: On the way to CO₂-neutral paper production
At its three sites in Germany, PALM operates gas-fired power plants according to the CHP (combined heat and power) principle.
UPM electrifies heat supply, supports expansion of renewables and boosts system stability
UPM is investing in e-boilers (electrically powered steam generators) at four of its current six sites in Germany. When renewable electricity is available in sufficient quantities, these can take over steam generation for paper production at competitive prices, thereby economising on natural gas.
Varel trials climate protection module: Wind power generates steam for paper machines
Clean wind power is an important building block in working towards climate neutrality – but what if there is too much power in the grid?