Minerals Technologies recently announced that it has signed an agreement with the Sun Paper Group to construct a 100,000 metric ton precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) satellite plant for paper filling at Sun's pulp and paper operations in Shandong Province, China. The facility will support a new paper machine that is scheduled to start up in the fourth quarter of 2015.
"We are extremely pleased to be broadening our relationship with such a prominent papermaker as the Sun Paper Group," said Joseph C. Muscari, chairman and chief executive officer, who was in Shandong Province for the signing of the agreement with Sun Paper's Chairman, Li Hongxin. "This agreement marks the third project Minerals Technologies has with Sun Paper, and we look forward to further developing a long-term association committed to improvement through technological innovation."
The agreement with Sun Paper, the largest privately owned paper company in China, also includes a technology partnership to foster the adoption of Minerals Technologies FulFill® PCC portfolio of high filler technologies. Sun Paper will evaluate at least two technologies in the FulFill® portfolio--E-325 and FulFill® F. The E-325 technology increases the PCC fill rate in paper by three to five percentage points. FulFill® F, formerly known as Filler-Fiber, dramatically increases PCC fill rates and has demonstrated in commercial trials to increase the level of PCC in paper by as much as 50 percent. PCC provides brightness, opacity and bulk in paper while replacing higher cost fiber.
Minerals Technologies is currently building a 100,000 metric ton satellite plant at Sun Paper that will provide coating grade PCC. That facility will begin operation by mid-year. Sun Paper has also adopted MTI's NewYield(TM) Integrated Process Technology that converts a paper and pulp mill waste stream into a functional pigment for filling paper. NewYield(TM) process technology eliminates the cost of environmental disposal and remediation of certain waste streams to papermakers. The facility, which will also be operational in the third quarter, will produce 60,000 tons of filler pigment from Sun's waste stream
