Brendan van Wyk, business development manager: pulp and paper at Xylem Water Solutions South Africa, caught industry leaders’ attention with his contribution to an internationally published paper, titled “A Breakthrough in Eucalyptus Pulp Bleaching”.

The article, which delves into ozone as a green bleaching option for paper mills, has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction from academics and laypersons alike. Van Wyk co-wrote the article with his colleagues, Alexis Métais and Jean-Christophe Hostachy, as part of ongoing research into environmentally sustainable bleaching technology within the pulp and paper industry. The article was recently published in Pulp &Paper International magazine – the leading magazine for pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturers in Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

According to the paper, Eucalyptus pulp fibres are the most-demanded fibres on the global market, and they are used in a variety of applications. However, the most widely used and recommended forms of eucalyptus-bleaching need to be reviewed, as global ecological regulations are evolving. Ozone bleaching is an alternative option that can be widely implemented and offers a more environmentally sustainable solution. The paper further illustrates how this type of technology can be used to save costs via an A to Z cycle.

Van Wyk and his colleagues remark on how environmental regulations and the competitiveness of pulp production are often in conflict with each other. Ozone’s capability of partially or fully replacing chlorine-based chemicals offers the opportunity to satisfy both these constraints.

“We are thrilled about the positive reaction to Brendan’s work. We also like to engender a culture of shared ownership, whereby members of different entities within Xylem’s stable work together to advance progress on global scale. This is a prime example of just such a project,” says Vincent Chirouze, MD of Xylem Water Solutions South Africa.