Waste Management & Research (1993) 11, 507-513 ENERGY RECOVERY FROM MIXED WASTE PAPER Aysen Ucuncu Erdincler and P. Aarne Vesilind Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0287, USA. (Received 25 March 1992, accepted in revised form 2 February 1993) The chief characteristic that determines the quantity of energy recoverable from the combustion of mixed waste paper (MWP) is the thermal energy of the material as, measured by a bomb calorimeter. Mixed waste paper can be divided into 11 groups, according to the qualities of the paper, such as newspaper, boxboard, white office paper, coloured office paper, envelopes, treated paper (NCR), beverage and milk boxes, glossy paper, kraft, cardboard, and tissue. Individual thermal energies per weight of these groups (components of mixed waste paper) and mixed waste paper itself are determined separately and ranges established for their thermal energies. ‘Using individual thermal energies of mixed waste paper components, the thermal energy of a typical sample of mixed waste paper is estimated. Based on this work itis concluded that it is possible to estimate the quantity of energy recoverable from a known amount and composition of mixed waste paper by separating the sample into its components and using the weight fraction and individual thermal energies of each ‘component. Key Words—mixed waste paper, paper waste, energy recovery, waste to energy. 1, Introduction Solid waste is an unwanted by-product of modern civilization. Based on U.S, Environmen- tal Protection Agency (EPA) surveys, annual solid waste generation in the United States is more than 140 million tonnes. About 41% of this solid waste is paper (US EPA 1990) Landfills are the most common means of solid waste disposal. But, the increasing amount of solid waste is rapidly filling the existing landfills, and new sites are difficult to establish. Alternatives to landfills include the use of source reduction, recycling, composting and incineration, as well as the use of landfills. Incineration on a large scale is most economical if it includes energy recovery from the waste. Energy can be recovered directly from waste by incineration or the waste can be processed to produce storable refuse derived fuel, RDF, (Alter 1987, Diaz ef a/. 1982). Incineration with energy recovery has the advantage of hygienic disposal, volume reduction, and the recovery of thermal energy by means of steam or super heated water that can be used for heating, cooling, and power generation (Saullo 1978, Gagliardi 1982, Jackson 1987). Mixed waste paper, MWP, represents a valuable source of energy for several reasons (Ontario Research Foundation 1982, Glaub & Trezek 1987, Fernandes & Shenk 1974, Evanson 1974): © itis easy to segregate from the waste stream, either by separation at the source or diversion of ceriain commercial loads. © it is relatively homogeneous and mostly free from metals, putrescibles and other noncombustible materials. requires minimum processing to be converted into the densified form of energy suitable for direct combustion. 0734-242X/93/060513 + 07 $08.00/0 ©1993 ISWA508 A. U. Erdineler and P. A, Vesilind @ its thermal energy is fairly high © when processed into densified fuel, it has excellent storage characteristics. @ when properly combusted, it has a low sulfur content, and low nitrogen oxides (NO, emissions, Recovered heat can result in significantly reduced energy costs (Alter 1987, Alter 1980, Porteous 1984, Barnes 1985). Gagliardi found that the most cost efficient use of mixed paper waste-recovered heat is supplemental space heating, Electricity can be generated for sale back to the local utility as a second priority. Cooling is the least effective application, although it can be achieved through an absorption chiller. ‘The purpose of this study is to determine the quantity of energy obtainable from a known amount and composition of mixed waste paper. For a waste to energy system, the thermal energy of waste is one of the chief characteristics that determines the quantity of energy obtainable from waste. Therefore, individual thermal energies of different paper groups that are present in mixed waste paper (MWP) are used to calculate the quantity of energy recoverable from a given amount and composition. The laboratory analysis of the thermal energy value of mixed waste paper depends on the degree of homogeneity of the sample. In order to obtain the most reproducible thermal energies, mixed waste paper in this study is divided into eleven groups according to the qualities and intended use of papers. 2, Experimental work Calorimetric analysis is used to determine the thermal energy of waste paper when all of its chemical constituents are completely oxidized at constant volume, When a fuel is burned at constant volume, none of the energy given out is expended in doing work, and all the heat released is stored as internat energy in the products, resulting in an increase in temperature. In this study thermal energies of the waste paper are determined by burning a weighed sample in an oxygen bomb calorimeter under controlled conditions (ASTM, 1992). The thermal energies are computed by reading the temperature changes in a water bath surrounding the bomb during combustion. 2.1. Classification of mixed waste paper In this study mixed waste paper is divided into [1 groups according to the use of the papers, and not necessarily by the type of packing or fibre content. Classified groups are: 1)Newspaper; 2)Glossy paper (magazines and junk mail); 3)White office paper; 4)Coloured office paper; 5) Envelopes; 6)Tissue; 7) Treated paper (no-carbon-required papers, and thermofax papers); 8)Beverage and waxed milk boxes; 9)Kraft paper (grocery sacks etc.); 10)Boxboard; 11) Cardboard (corrugated containers). Envelopes have many contaminants such as plastic windows, sticky labels and hot melt glues, and because of this, they are categorized separately from the office papers. Treated papers including no-carbon-required (NCR) papers and thermofax papers are also categorized differently from office papers. Samples of various types of waste paper were obtained from Duke University waste as well as from commercial establishments.Energy recovery from mixed waste paper 509 2.2 Sample preparation The composition and homogeneity of the mixed paper varies greatly: it is impossible to get mixed waste paper with exactly the same composition at different times. This nonhomogeneity makes it very difficult to determine the thermal energy of mixed waste paper. Accurate categorization and adequate mixing of a large sample size before the extraction of a test sample are critical. The precision in thermal analysis with samples composed of unknown mixed paper fractions would not be as high as the precision obtained by the sorting of paper into fractions and use of known quantities to produce a composite sample. Accordingly, the waste paper was sorted into eleven types of paper and ground in a mill. The composite sample was produced by adding an equal weight of each type of paper. ‘The thermal energy of the sample is determined by bomb calorimetry. Samples are prepared by first dividing collected mixed waste paper into its 11 different paper components, and measuring the thermal energies of each component. These papers are then used to mix a sample of mixed paper of known composition for subsequent thermal analysis. Standard test method for preparing refuse derived fuel laboratory samples for analysis recommends that the laboratory sample size will normally not exceed 2kg with some variation depending on the laboratory equipment available (ASTM, 1987). The labora- tory sample size in this study is selected to be 1 kg due to the capacity of the grinder. These samples are allowed to dry at 25°C for a period of 48h to bring their moisture content near to equilibrium with the atmosphere in which characterization of the samples are to take place. Following grinding, the samples are pelletized, since pellets are easier to handle than loose samples and they burn more slowly in the bomb, enhancing complete combustion. A Wiley Mill is used for the grinding and mixing of the samples and a 2811 Parr pellet press is used to compress the powdered samples into small pellets of approximately 13 mm diameter and weight about 1g. A sample of approximately 0.5g is taken from each of the 11 different groups and mixed homogeneously to obtain a mixed waste paper sample with controlled composition and weight. 2.3 Procedure The experimental apparatus includes a 1108 Parr oxygen bomb, a Parr calorimeter with a water jacket, @ mercury-in-glass thermometer, Parr 45 C 10 nickel alloy firing wire (fuse wire), and an ignition unit that operates from 115 volt, 50 or 60 Hz line to provide the low voltage current for igniting the firing wire in the oxygen bomb. Before starting the measurements of the thermal energies of papers, the calorimeter is standardized to determine the energy equivalent of the calorimeter as an average of a series of individual runs in accordance with the procedure described in ASTM (1987). Standardization of the calorimeter is done by benzoic acid, certified by the National Bureau of Standards to have a thermal energy of 26,454 J g~. The water equivalent of the bomb used is equal to 442g water equivalent + 2000g H,0, ie. 2442g. Calculation of the thermal energies requires the consideration of three thermal corrections including correction for the heat of formation of HNO,, correction for the heat of combustion of the firing wire, and correction for the heat of formation of H,SO,. Since the sulfur in waste paper is sulfate or sulfonate, it does not contribute to the thermal energy. The nitrogen content of the mixed waste paper is minimal and the510 A. U. Erdincler and P. A. Vesilind TABLE | Summary of the thermal energies of waste paper determined by bomb calorimetry Thermal energy 5g" Type of paper Range Mean Newspaper 17,000-18,100 17,500 Cardboard 15,950-16.100 16,000 Kraft 15,700-16,400 16,000 Beverage and milk boxes 15,100-16,600 15,900 Boxboard 15,500-15.800 15,600 Tissue 14, 300-15,600 15,100 Coloured office paper 14,400-15,200 14,800 White office paper 14,200-14,500 14,500 Envelopes 14,000-14,800 14,300 Treated paper 13,100-14,800 13,900 Glossy paper 12,200-12,700 12,500 Mixed 14,000-15,500 15,000 exclusion of the nitric acid formation correction, which is about 6 J ml, has very little effect, if any, upon the thermal energy. Correction for the heat of combustion of firing wire has also little significance such that it can change the final result by an average of only 0.8%. This error is small compared to the sample homogeneity. 3. Results ‘Thermal energies of 11 individual components of mixed paper waste were determined separately, as were thermal energies of a sample of mixed waste paper. At least four calorimetric tests were run for each sample. Calorimetric test curves for other compon- ents ate presented elsewhere (Ucuncu 1991). Table 1 shows the summary of the experimental results. According to the results obtained from the experimental determination of thermal energies of paper samples, the highest thermal energy was obtained for newspaper. Thermal energy of newspaper was found to be in the range of 17,000-18,100 J g~' with the mean value of 17,500 J g~!. The lowest thermal energy, on the other hand is obtained for glossy paper. Glossy paper has a thermal energy in the range of 12,200-12,700 Jg~! with a mean calorific value of 12,500 J g~}. Thermal energy of mixed waste paper is in the range of 14,000-15,500 J g~! with the mean value of 15,000 J g~'. Glossy papers contain a coating (filler) material that improve the brightness, the opacity, the smoothness and printing quality of the surface. Clay is the most common white coating pigment and it has an inorganic structure. The pigments of greatest importance are kaolin clay, attapulgite, bentonite (Montmorillo- nite) clays, and calcium carbonate. Titanium dioxide, satin white, aluminum trihydrate, and composite pigments are also used to contribute high opacity and brightness (Browning 1977, Britt 1970). Being inorganic, the coating (filler) material does not combust, and the chemicals do not oxidize. As a result the presence of a coating material does not contribute to the thermal energy, and the glossy papers give lower thermal energies than other types of papers.Energy recovery from mixed waste paper sul TABLE 2 Typical thermal energies of alternative fuels Fuel Average thermal energy J. g~‘ Wood 9,300-20,900 Glossy (coated paper) 12,200-12,700 Brown coal 41,600-20,900 Newspaper 17,000-18,100 Anthracite coal 26,700-34,900 Bituminous coal 27,900-36,000 Fuel oil 39,500-48,800 Natural gas 44,200-53,500 By comparison the thermal energies of alternative fuels are listed in Table 2 (Johnson & Auth 1951, Spiers 1962, IPS 1975, Cheremisinoff 1980, and Ucuncu 1991). Since then average thermal energy of mixed waste paper is in the range of 14,000-15,500 J g-', it compares favorably with wood and brown coal. ‘The thermal energy of any unknown sample of mixed waste paper might be estimated if the composition of the sample is known, This is because the different paper components of mixed waste paper yield an individual thermal energy which is a characteristic fraction of the thermal energy of mixed waste paper. These individual thermal energies multiplied by the weight factions of the components present in mixed waste paper sample and the individual thermal energies of these components determine the weighted energy contribution of these components to the thermal energy of the total. ‘The summation of all these weighted energy contributions gives the thermal energy of the mixed waste paper. In order to test this hypothesis, the thermal energy of a mixed waste paper sample was determined by both calculating the weighed thermal energies of 11 components, and direct measurement by bomb calorimetry to be 15,100 Jg~! and 15,000 Jg~! respectively. The possibility of reducing the number of categories was also investigated. The 11 components of mixed waste paper might be reduced to four different groups according to the ranges established for the individual thermal energies of these I1 groups. These four groups can be classified as: Group 1: Newspapers; Group 2: Boxboard, beverage and milk boxes, draft, cardboard; Group 3: White and coloured office papers, envelopes, treated paper tissue; Group 4: Glossy paper; ‘The mean thermal energy of mixed waste paper estimated from the individual thermal energies and weight fractions of the four groups is found to be 15,100 Jg”'. This value is almost equal to the value estimated from 11 different mixed waste paper components. This suggests that it is possible to get the same result by separating mixed waste paper into four categories instead of 11. This would be easier and cheaper without sacrificing accuracy. The thermal energy of mixed waste paper, 15,100 J g~!, obtained from four and 11 different paper categories respectively, closely matches the mean calorific value of 15,000 Jg*! obtained by direct calorimetry. This means that it should be possible to calculate the amount of energy obtainable from a known amount of mixed waste paper without doing any calorimetric determinations and simply using the categories and their idual thermal energies shown in Table |.S12 A. U. Erdincler and P. A. Vesilind 4. Conclusion Mixed waste paper can be categorized into 11 easily identifiable types of papers including newspaper, glossy paper (magazines and junk mail), white office paper, coloured office paper, envelopes, tissue, treated paper (NCR and thermofax papers), beverage and waxed milk boxes, kraft paper (grocery sacks etc.), boxboard, cardboard (corrugated containers). The thermal energy of mixed waste paper is in the range of 14,000-15,500 J g~! with the mean value of 15,000 J g~! Of the 11 components, newspaper has the highest thermal energy in the range of 17,000-18,100 J g~' while glossy paper containing kaolin clay has the lowest thermal energy in the range of 12,200-12,700 J 2 '. The mean thermal energies of newspaper and glossy paper are 17,500 J g~! and 12,500 J g~! respectively. Eleven components of mixed waste paper can be reduced to four different paper groups according to the ranges established for the individual thermal energies of these 11 components, First of the four groups is newspaper which has the highest mean thermal energy of 17,500 J g~!. The second group contains boxboard, kraft, cardboard, beverage and milk boxes with a mean thermal energy of 15,900 J g~!. The third group which has a mean thermal energy of 14,500 Jg~' contains white and coloured office papers, envelopes, treated paper and tissue. Glossy paper is the fourth group and it has the lowest mean thermal energy of 12,500 J g-! ‘The thermal energy of mixed waste paper estimated from the individual thermal energies and weight fractions of the eleven components is found to be 15,100 J g-! which closely matches the value determined experimentally as 15,000 J g~! 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