Gujarat's printing and packaging sector — concentrated in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot — operates one of India's largest corrugated box and flexible packaging manufacturing clusters. These facilities use thermal energy for corrugator steam, drying ovens, lamination presses, and thermal oil systems. Biomass pellets are increasingly replacing diesel and furnace oil as the primary heat source.
Key Thermal Applications
Corrugated box manufacturing: Single-face and double-back corrugators require steam at 175–200°C for starch adhesive activation and paper conditioning. A mid-sized corrugator producing 50,000 sqm/day consumes 8–15 MT of fuel oil equivalent daily. BBI biomass pellets reduce this cost by 30–40% vs furnace oil.
Thermal oil heaters: Printing presses, lamination machines, and coating lines use thermal oil circuits at 200–280°C. Biomass-fired thermal oil heaters are increasingly common for medium and large printing facilities, replacing diesel-fired systems with 3–5× better fuel economics.
Paper reel dryer drums: Paper-to-paper lamination and specialty coating lines use heated drums for drying. Steam at 5–10 bar serves this application — standard biomass boiler territory.
Case Context: Corrugated Box Manufacturer, Ahmedabad
A corrugated box manufacturer producing 80,000 sqm/day with a 4 TPH steam boiler was spending ₹7.2 lakh/month on furnace oil. After converting to a biomass-fired boiler with BBI pellets (40 MT/month at ₹10/kg), monthly fuel spend dropped to ₹4.0 lakh — saving ₹3.2 lakh/month (₹38.4 lakh/year). Payback on the ₹18 lakh boiler conversion: under 6 months.
Environmental Advantage for Export-Oriented Converters
Flexible packaging converters supplying FMCG brands (HUL, P&G, ITC) are under increasing pressure to demonstrate supply chain carbon reduction. Switching to biomass pellets for process heat earns Scope 3 emission reduction credits for downstream FMCG clients, making BBI-powered converters preferred vendors in sustainability-conscious procurement programmes.
Contact BBI for a packaging industry fuel assessment and proposal.