Birla Cellulose’s Grasim Vilayat site meets EU BAT compliances

In Vilayat, India, the Grasim division successfully commissioned a Carbon-disulphide Adsorption Plant (CAP) and has achieved the stringent level of sulphur-to-air emission requirements stated in the EU BAT standards for the viscose manufacturing process.

This initiative is in line with the company’s goal of using the best available technology at all of its fibre sites by the end of 2022, which will need $170 million in investments.

Chief operating officer at Birla Cellulose, H K Agrawal, said adapting the finest available technology is a critical step toward gaining global leadership in sustainable cellulosic fibres practises.

Birla Cellulose has already achieved carbon neutrality in Scope 1 and 2 emissions through carbon sequestration in its managed forests, and is ranked in first place in Canopy’s Hot Button Report for sustainable forestry methods and other solutions. In addition, the company has set a world standard for the lowest water intensity in viscose manufacture.

Grasim Vilayat has implemented cutting-edge closed-loop technology to collect and recycle CS2, a major raw ingredient in the viscose production process. With these technology, the facility can drastically cut emissions and recover 90-95% of sulphur, which can then be recycled back into the process.

Furthermore, an audit completed recently by Sustainable Textile Solutions, UK (STS) revealed that the satisfies all other EU BAT standards. The facility also complies with the ZDHC’s responsible viscose manufacturing guidelines.