Unlocking the green gold: maximising tall oil yield with chemical solutions by Hannu Hämäläinen, Pulp Segment Team Leader, BIM Kemi and Johan Berglund, Senior Product Developer, BIM Kemi

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
2. BIM Soap Booster – enhancing soap skimming
At the evaporator, the soap is separated from the black
liquor by skimming it into a soap collection tank. Even after effective
brown stock washing, a portion of soap remains dissolved in the
black liquor. The efficiency of this separation is affected by factors
like dry solids content, temperature, and the quality of the soap.
The BIM Soap Booster enhances the skimming process by
accelerating the separation of soap from the liquor, leading to up
to a 20% increase in soap yield and a 10% increase in tall oil yield.
As the separation is enhanced and improved, the crude tall oil is
of better quality and contains fewer inorganic particles. The BIM
Soap Booster is very similar to a scale inhibitor and will also reduce
inorganic deposits. Further benefits of this concept are less soap
carryover to the recovery loop, less fouling in the evaporation plant
and smoother load on the recovery boiler.
This method is the result of ten years of product
development and has undergone extensive field testing.
3. BIM Talloil Booster – accelerating phase separation
At the tall oil plant, where acidulated soap separates into
aqueous and organic layers, phase separation can be slow and
incomplete. The BIM Talloil Booster facilitates faster and more
complete separation by interacting with the phase interfaces,
effectively pushing the layers apart. (Image 4a and 4b below)
Advantages include:
•
Faster processing times
•
Higher tall oil quality and purity
•
Better product consistency
•
Capacity increase: Recovery boiler capacity freed up
and less inert looping around
Figure 3: Soap separation efficiency is dependent on several
factors such as dry solids content, temperature, and the quality
of the soap.
One of the standout features of the BIM TOMAX concept is
its flexibility. Each component — BIM Antifoam, BIM Soap Booster,
and BIM Talloil Booster — can be applied independently, based
on the speci昀椀c needs of a pulp mill. BIM experts conduct on-site
evaluations to determine which solution(s) will deliver the best
results. Moreover, the implementation of these solutions does not
require process shutdowns or major equipment changes, making
them low-risk and cost-effective.
Figure 4a and 4b: Reference sample (left) vs sample with BIM Talloil
Booster (right). After 10 min of
separation of acidulated soap with
BIM Talloil booster, a clear phase
separation between the oil and
lignin phase is visible compared
to the reference sample without
dosage.
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