The fact that digitization has taken over businesses of all kinds makes one wonder if the pulp and paper industry will survive. Surprisingly, even with the decline in demand for graphic paper worldwide, the pulp and paper industry continues to grow. This is primarily due to the increased demand for paper-based packaging, tissue papers, pulp-based hygiene products, and pulp for textile applications. In fact, the pulp and paper industry is far from disappearing; it is morphing and adapting to new market conditions. As companies continue to widen their horizons and optimize every aspect of their production process to capitalize on new opportunities in the industry, Vulcan Drying Systems is helping them with its thermal systems that reduce operating, storage, and transportation costs, as well as assist with meeting environmental regulations. The robust Vulcan Drying Systems Pulp and Paper Residuals Dryer is custom-designed and manufactured to improve a customer’s individual drying needs, whether it be reducing mass for transportation or preparing the waste stream for alternate use. These drying systems are designed specifically to dry each customer’s product to their desired output moisture content range.

Jeff Sayre, Manager of Operations at Vulcan Drying Systems, explains, “Residual disposal costs constitute a large part of the expenses incurred by pulp and paper manufacturing companies. The pulp and paper residuals are heavily moisture laden, even after being pressed. Delivering a considerable amount of residual to a distant landfill not only increases transportation costs, but tipping fees as well.” With Vulcan Drying Systems Pulp and Paper Residuals Dryer, customers can not only reduce these costs but also create a product for beneficial reuse, such as filler for bedding and other industries.

Vulcan Drying Systems’ years of experience in drying biomasses and flammable materials has enabled it to develop innovative technologies that minimize direct exposure to flames and reduce the overall drying temperature for a low-temp drying system. The Vulcan Drying Systems Pulp and Paper Residuals Dryer utilizes combustion chambers and auxiliary air blowers to lower the initial temperature when the product is exposed to heat. “Our expertise extends to both ends of the pulp and paper production cycle. We hold experience in drying sawdust, wood particles, and other materials as well as drying pulp and paper fines on the back end,” Sayre adds. With a team of experienced design engineers, control technicians, fabricators, and operators at the helm, Vulcan Drying Systems provides quality recycling and drying equipment to companies across various industries like oil and gas, municipal solid waste and effluent, agriculture feed and manure, and mining and chemical processing. The company has also engaged in drying industrial hemp over the last couple of years.

We start by considering the customer’s product and their needs and engineer a custom designed system around those parameters

Unlike most other manufacturers, Vulcan Drying Systems utilizes in-house engineering to design a system based on a customer’s location, product, moisture content, and environmental regulations. Sayre mentions, “Most manufacturers have certain systems that they try to impose on customers, which is much like attempting to fit round pegs into square holes. We start by considering the customer’s product and their needs and engineer a custom designed system around those parameters.” On one occasion, while helping a client based in the Western U.S. with drying feed and feed additives, Vulcan Drying Systems was able to reduce the cost to one-third of what the client would have spent in purchasing an entire drying system. After researching the client’s existing dust collection system and its capabilities, Vulcan Drying Systems built a dryer designed around the limitations of the system, which increased its production capacity in the process.

With market volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses in the pulp and paper industry are aiming to reduce capital expenditures. Following social distancing protocols in place, Vulcan Drying Systems has quickly adapted to the changing conditions and is focused on serving customers in the best possible way over Zoom and other digital platforms. With dedicated service staff on call, the company assists clients with any problems they might face with its products. “We never consider a sale closed and focus on developing a meaningful relationship with our customers where they know they can always reach out to us for any kind of advice or even finetuning our system,” concludes Sayre.