High-Performance Dust Collection for Major Veneer Plant Upgrade
Carter Holt Harvey – Victoria, Australia
The Project
Carter Holt Harvey invested $60 million to transform its ageing sawmill in regional Victoria into the country’s largest veneer plant.
The facility processes more than 800,000 radiata pine logs per year, producing approximately 200,000 m³ of plywood board annually.
A new dust collection system was required to manage wood waste generated across the upgraded processing plant.
The Challenge
The system needed to handle a wide range of material, including:
- Fine sanding dust
- Coarse dust from trim saws
- Large wood shards from chippers
The customer’s primary concern was the risk of product hang-up and hopper bridging, which could lead to blockages and production shutdown.
As the finishing line depended entirely on reliable dust extraction, any malfunction could halt plant operations.
Explosion protection and fire risk management were also critical due to the combustible nature of wood dust.
The Solution
Nederman MikroPul engineered a single centralised system featuring a large custom-designed W-Series Mikro-Pulsaire® bag filter.
Key design features included:
- Engineered to NFPA 68 explosion protection standards
- Explosion vents
- Anti-static filter bags
- Integrated fire sprinkler system
- Spark detection and water mist extinguishing system within ductwork
- Lean-phase closed-loop pneumatic conveying system
Collected dust is transported from the hopper directly to the boiler fuel building for energy recovery.
MikroPul’s scope included complete system design, supply and on-site erection.
The Results
- Reliable operation since commissioning
- Full production maintained without dust-related shutdowns
- Stack emissions below 5 mg/m³
- Safe handling of combustible wood dust
- Long-term, stable plant performance
The dust collection system is now an integral and critical part of the plant infrastructure, supporting continuous high-volume veneer production.