Outsourcing boiler feedwater treatment can aid mill bottom line

Intense global competition is forcing paper mills to look critically at all aspects of mill operation in order to reduce costs and become more competitive. Water treatment, specifically, boiler make-up water purification, is a key component in efficiently operating a power plant. Many companies prefer to devote valuable resources to areas of expertise or core competencies such as making pulp and paper, not to peripheral areas such as water treatment. If a mill needed to upgrade water treatment facilities, it traditionally invested capital in new equipment. However, outsourcing this function is an alternative method. A step-by-step process for conducting a comparison of the 2 options, as well as results from mill experience at St. Laurent Paper Products Corp. in West Point, Virginia, is presented.