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Home > About ECF > What is ECF? |
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The Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) process eliminates chlorine and hypo chemicals in the manufacturing process, making paper brighter, healthier and non-contaminating.
Chlorine, a bleaching agent, is used to make paper white. When the paper is bleached with elemental chlorine, byproducts such as chlorinated compounds, dioxins and furans are formed. However, improvements in technology have either eliminated the use of elemental chlorine through Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) technology or reduced the amount of chlorinated compounds released into the environment. Elemental Chlorine Free technology utilizes chlorine dioxide (ClO2 ) in place of chlorine (Cl2 ).
"It's an elegant solution to a complex problem."
Chlorine dioxide is today, acknowledged to be the best bleaching agent. And in paper making, the switch from molecular chlorine gas to chlorine dioxide, a seemingly small change on the molecular level results in very significant environmental improvement.
The wastewater effluent can also be a major source of pollution. Reducing the environmental impact of this effluent is accomplished by closing the loop and recycling the effluent where possible, as well as employing less damaging agents in the pulping process.
The world's big brands have switched to a safe alternative - chlorine dioxide. Pharmaceutical and food products are safe when the packaging is bleached with chlorine dioxide.
| ECF- How it helps |
As the use of chlorine and hypo chemicals in the bleaching process is eliminated, the Absorbable Organic Halogens (AOX) value is greatly minimized. Chlorine dioxide, the major chemical to bleach pulp, noticeably increases the brightness and makes the paper stronger.
Oxygen Delignification, to reduce lignin content of the pulp, facilities reduction in consumption of bleaching chemicals. Toxicity from plant effluents is minimized bringing them within permissible levels.
Since the water required by the ECF Fibreline is only 15 to 20 cubic metres/tonne as compared to the conventional 70 to 80 cubic metres/tonne, the quantity of liquid effluents is also drastically reduced.
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