The defibrator system is the heart of the MDF plant, since the wood chips are mechanically separated there into the fibers, which has a huge influence on both the final product quality and specific energy consumption.

“Guararapes has been needing more MDF capacity for a long time and the pandemic has stimulated the demand even further. The new plant will be installed alongside the existing MDF lines in Caçador, which will give Brazil one of the most modern MDF plants in the world, being both highly productive and sustainable, and including the latest digital technology such as scanners to check the surface quality,” says Ricardo Pedroso, the CEO of Guararapes.

Valmet was chosen to supply the line for numerous reasons, such as several very good references in Brazil that are already installed and working. In addition, Valmet's innovations in digitalization, remote service, and high-efficiency refining convinced the customer about up-to-date technology. Furthermore, a strong service commitment from Valmet and the proactive lifecycle support strengthened the attractiveness.

“From a technological point of view, the Valmet solution is unique in terms of quality and especially energy savings. This gives the important dual financial benefits, reducing both the ongoing operation expenditure, OPEX, costs and the initial capital expenditure, CAPEX, of the entire MDF line,” says Igor Panassol, Sales Manager, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet in South America.

Information about Valmet’s delivery

Besides the Valmet Defibrator EVO System, a Valmet Steam Separator PV system will also be supplied, which is the first reference in Latin America.