The ERCO Advantage: Technical Expertise
ERCO Worldwide has a nearly 130-year rich history of producing specialty chemicals and a long history of supplying environmentally preferred chlorine dioxide (ClO2) technology for bleaching to the pulp and paper industry. ERCO-designed systems are installed in production facilities around the globe.
ERCO is the world’s second-largest producer of sodium chlorate, one of the key precursor chemicals for producing ClO2. We have the world’s largest installed base of modern ClO2 generators, the ERCO R series, developed by our own technical staff and engineers. We have grown alongside our bleached pulp producer customers, accumulating the experience and knowledge that they have found valuable in their quest to improve their process efficiencies and environmental/sustainability standards. This accumulated knowledge and expertise is embedded in our culture, engineering standards, and safety processes, and is one of the key reasons to choose ERCO.
Our pulp customers choose ERCO because we offer much more than a reliable supply of chemicals to meet their needs for key input commodities. We go far beyond that. We help them achieve lower overall costs of producing bleached pulp. We do this for them in a variety of ways – and we can do this for you as well.
ERCO’s experts help customers reduce costs by studying their bleach plant’s performance and recommending actions to optimize bleaching while minimizing costs. We will do this even if it comes at the expense of sodium chlorate and caustic soda consumption. We have a long record of achieving material savings by optimizing bleach plant operations.
Sodium chlorate is the pulp and paper industry’s key input for producing ClO2, and ERCO has been a leader in facilitating the industry’s change to this more environmentally benign chemical over the last several decades. Using ClO2 has enabled the pulp and paper industry to manufacture higher quality and environmentally friendly white paper products using the elemental chlorine-free or ECF process. Pulp mills convert sodium chlorate into ClO2 on-site, using ERCO-supplied generators.
Our sodium chlorate is available in two forms: dry white crystal that looks like “table” salt and clear solution. ERCO ships by rail or truck, and exports sodium chlorate in flexible intermediate bulk containers world-wide from both North American coasts. Our experience and knowledge, combined with our proprietary manufacturing technology and strategically located manufacturing plants, make ERCO a very reliable supplier of chemicals to your industry.
Our technical experts can provide regular safety audits of your facility’s sodium chlorate unloading systems, as well as safety training to your pulp mill operators.
Our strategically located plants offer logistics and reliability advantages to pulp mills in the Midwest U.S. and Canada.
Caustic soda is an essential commodity chemical for your industry. Its principal uses in pulp and paper production are the cooking/processing of Kraft pulps, the extraction of lignin during the pulp bleaching sequences, and the on-site manufacture of sodium hypochlorite. The general pulp bleaching procedure involves a bleaching sequence during which impurities and colored matter in the pulp are oxidized or converted to alkali-soluble forms, and an extraction sequence during which the impurities are removed. Extraction stages almost invariably use caustic soda.
Pulp mills need critical spare parts to minimize costly unscheduled downtime. ERCO helps to assess, in advance, what is likely to go wrong, recommends the most likely parts to have on hand as spares, and then can source and supply those parts, before something goes wrong.
ERCO Smarts is a patented, advanced control software product developed by ERCO to dynamically optimize the operation of any ClO2-based pulp plant. This unique supervisory control product incorporates over 40 years of ClO2 research, process and instrumentation knowledge, and operating experience, as well as state-of-the-art control and communication technology.
Reliability and longevity are critical success factors for any pulp mill. ERCO technical experts will come on-site to inspect your ClO2 equipment during your scheduled plant shutdown and provide you with information and insights that will help you avoid unscheduled downtime.
Employers everywhere face the challenges of keeping operators fully trained to perform their jobs, and training new employees entering their workforce. ERCO experts provide training services for bleach plant operations and can also design customized technical seminars to meet your specific training needs.
ERCO offers engineering services for installation of ClO2, sodium chlorate, and bleach chemical preparation facilities to assist pulp mill operators worldwide.
These services include:
- Engineering design;
- Equipment selection and procurement;
- Construction assistance;
- Plant and equipment commissioning;
- Operator training;
- Bleach plant audits and optimization;
- Safety audits and hazard analysis;
- Spare parts supply and service; and
- Salt-cake integration studies.
All ERCO employees will work with you and focus on your success. Whether it is our sales, technical services, supply chain, or engineering staff, we have the expertise to help you continually improve.
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