Case Study: Advanced Cellulose Grinding System for CMC/PAC Production recently delivered in April 2026

• April, 2026

Project Overview

ZHAOYUAN recently completed a compact yet highly impactful EPC project for a CMC/PAC production facility, focusing on one of the most critical upstream processes: raw material preparation and cellulose size reduction.

The scope of the project covered the design, supply, and integration of a complete cellulose grinding system, tailored for both refined cotton and pulp board (cotton pulp sheets and wood pulp sheets).

System Configuration

The delivered system consists of three core process units:

1. Bale Opener (Cotton Opening Machine)

• Designed to efficiently loosen compressed cotton bales

• Ensures uniform fiber feeding into downstream equipment

2. Pulp Board Pre-Crusher

• Dedicated to breaking down rigid pulp sheets into smaller fragments

• Improves feeding consistency and reduces load on the fine grinding stage

3. Cellulose Fine Grinding Mill

• Final stage for micronization of cellulose fibers

• Adjustable output fineness: 30–80 mesh, depending on customer requirements

Process Flow

Refined Cotton Route:

Cotton bales → Bale Opener → Fine Grinding Mill

Pulp Board Route:

Pulp Board → Pre-Crusher → Fine Grinding Mill

This dual-path design allows the system to handle different raw material formats efficiently, without compromising throughput or product consistency.

Key Technical Advantages

1. Reduced Processing Time

The integration of pre-crushing and optimized fiber opening significantly shortens the overall material preparation cycle. This enables faster batch turnover and improves plant productivity.

2. Uniform Particle Size Distribution

The advanced grinding technology ensures highly consistent cellulose particle size, which is critical for downstream etherification reactions.

3. Improved Reaction Stability

More uniform cellulose leads to:

• Better reagent penetration

• More controlled substitution reactions

• Reduced batch-to-batch variability

4. Enhanced Product Quality Consistency

By stabilizing the upstream raw material quality, the system directly contributes to:

• More consistent viscosity performance

• Reliable filtration properties

• Overall improved CMC/PAC product quality

Engineering Value

Although relatively small in scale, this project demonstrates ZHAOYUAN’s capability in process-focused EPC optimization. Rather than treating grinding as a standalone step, the system was engineered as a critical control point for the entire CMC/PAC production process.

This approach ensures that improvements at the raw material stage translate directly into measurable benefits in the final product.

Project Execution

The system was fully assembled, tested, and delivered in containerized modules for efficient transportation and installation.

Conclusion

This cellulose grinding system represents ZHAOYUAN’s latest technology in raw material preparation for CMC/PAC production. By combining efficiency, flexibility, and process stability, it provides customers with a reliable foundation for high-quality cellulose ether manufacturing.