Waste Management Paper and Pulp Industries

Question: Discuss about theWaste Managementfor Paper and Pulp Industries. Answer: Introduction Paper and pulp industries are some of the leading pollutants globally. The process manufacturing entails bleaching and pulping stages. Pulping is the first stage with the highest source of pollution in this industry. The stage entails the treatment of wood chips to get rid of lignin improve the fiber to be used in making paper. The process uses a lot of water and energy. However, the amount of water and energy used depends on the production process despite the technologies available. Having this in mind, the essay will identify the major pollutants and the treatment strategies available to eliminate/ manage the waste. Overview In this industry, the wastewater released contains a concentration of chemicals like sodium carbonate, chlorine dioxide, and hydrochloric acid. The major issue with the wastewater is the high concentration of organic content, absorbable halide (AOX), and many other toxic pollutants. The environmental issues related to paper and pulp industry are not restricted to the amount of water consumed. In this case, the wastewater, wastes like mud generated from treatment plants, and polluted air is some of the pollution issues that face this industry. The removal of wastes results to environmental issues due to the pathogens, organic matter, heavy metals, and ash. Therefore, effective treatment and disposal approaches for these wastes are vital. Discussed below in detail are some of the main waste products released from this industry. Wastewater Wastewaters released as of the bleaching and pulping are considerably exceptional depending on the processes and the type of chemical used. About 300 m3 of water is used in pulping and most of the water released is highly polluted. However, pulping, wood preparation, washing, screening, bleaching, and the coating are the common source of pollution (Bajpai 2009). Solid and Toxic Wastes Solid wastes and wastewater are the major environmental problem from the paper and pulping industry. Solid wastes from the pulping industry consist of lime mud, sludges, and liquor dregs. Solid wastes contain a considerable alarm to the environment as they contain chlorinated elements. Therefore, adequate disposal mechanism for the solid wastes should be instituted to reduce damage on the environmental. Gases Poison gas emission are also the major alarm in the paper and pulp manufacturing. Water vapors are the critical air emissions as they contain nitrogen oxides, organic compounds (OCs), and sulfur compounds (Afonso Pinho 2011). Waste Management In this industry, the use of energy and energy brings about the substantial measure of wastes like water, air pollution, and solid waste. Distinctive sorts of waste are generated from the various paper creation steps and every one of these stages poses environmental problems. To take care of this issue: Waste reduction should be conducted by utilizing new and appropriate technologies. End-of-pipe treatment advancements in technology ought to be utilized before the release of the waste products. Waste Reduction Waste reduction is done in two ways. First is through recycling and chemical revitalization. This framework, particularly in the chemical pulping process, minimizes toxins and besides, economic gain is another imperative viewpoint. Chemical regain is vital due to the fundamental financial feasibility of kraft procedure. According to Albertson (2010), all kraft paper and pulp factories globally utilize chemical recovery frameworks. In any case, no chemical recovery is used in some sulfite factories. Furthermore, scrubber systems like electrostatic precipitators are apparatus used to control air pollution. Second, in order to limit waste generation from the plants is the use of best accessible techniques as indicated by the Integrated Pollution, Prevention, and Control (IPPC) guideline. A successful waste reduction technique minimizes cost, risk, administrative weights of unsafe waste management (Andreasan, Agertved, Petersen Skaarup 2010). Besides, risky waste can be minimized by was te reduction strategies including: Generation and arranging process alteration as well as adjustment raw material substitution housekeeping waste isolation and separation recycling End- of- pipe Treatment The expansion of small salts particles to produce bigger particles is the basic rule of the technique. Research is being conducted to determine the best chemicals from hexamethylene diamine epichlorohydrin polycondensate, Al2(SO4)3, horseradish peroxide (chitosan), polyethyleneimine (PEI) to expel AOX. However, Aghamohammadi and Durai-Swamy (2015) points out that chitosan is more compelling in the removal of toxins from the main pollutant. For instance, the use of chitosan removes 96% of alum salt from paper, 60% of COD in pulping, and 20% COD in bleaching effluents. In addition, using polyelectrolytes is more efficient than the ordinary coagulant in the extraction of COD, color, and turbidity (Afonso Pinho 2011). Summary and Conclusion The demand for paper is on the increase due to industrialization. Water and energy use and the generation of waste is becoming an area of concern worldwide. The main objective is to lessen the damage on the environment by waste minimization, recycle, and reuse. Nevertheless, end-of-pipe is the most effective way to treat waste. To assess the waste and create treatment technologies require an all-encompassing step. The major contamination stack constitutes wastewaters from the pulp and paper plants. An assortment of wastewater is created from various procedures. Effective technologies have been utilized for this treatment. However, the effective way for the treatment of waste is through the biological, anaerobic, and aerobic treatment procedures. Solid waste disposal and management is also an area of concern. Amid the last transfer step, the step ought to be waste and chemical recovery due to the environmental concerns. The best accessible treatment technologies for every one of the t hree waste stages relies on upon the forms of production, raw materials, and the laws and regulations, which the businesses need to comply. However, it is critical for these industries to come up with effective strategies for waste management to prevent further damage to the environment. Reference List Afonso, M.D. Pinho, M.N. 2011. Membrane separation processes in pulp and paper production. Filter. Sep., Vol.2, No.1, pp.42 4. Aghamohammadi, B. Durai-Swamy, K. 2015.A disposal alternative for sludge waste from recycled paper and cardboard. Environmental Issues and Technology in the Pulp and Paper Industry. A TAPPI Press Anthology of Published Papers, 19911994, pp. 445449. Albertson, D.M. 2010. Paper sludge waste disposal problem or energy opportunity. Energy Products of Idaho. Andreasen, K.; Agertved, J.; Petersen, J.O. Skaarup, H. 2010 Improvement of sludge settle ability in activated sludge plants treating effluent from pulp and paper industries. Water Sci. Technol., Vol. 40, No.11 12, pp.21521. Bajpai, P. 2009. Treatment of pulp and paper mill effluents with anaerobic technology. Randalls Road, Leatherhead, UK: Pira International.