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Efficient water use in industries: Cases

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PK Tewari

Journal of Environmental Management

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 Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273
www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman

Efficient water use in industries: Cases from the

Indian agro-based pulp and paper mills
P.K. Tewari, V.S. Batra, M. Balakrishnan*
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India
Received 20 March 2007; received in revised form 18 August 2007; accepted 15 September 2007
Available online 20 February 2008

Abstract

Agro-based pulp and paper mills in India are one of the most polluting industries; in addition, they are high consumers of raw water. Growing
scarcity of high quality freshwater as well as stringent regulatory standards is compelling these units to explore appropriate water management
options. Based on data obtained through a questionnaire survey and plant visits, this work provides an overview of the water use and effluent
treatment status in Indian agro-residue and recycled pulp and paper mills. The challenges faced by this sector are reviewed and practices adopted
by progressive units to minimize freshwater use are illustrated through case studies.
Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Agro-residue; Recycled paper; Pulp and paper mills; Water management; Wastewater reuse; Effluent treatment

1. Introduction well as wastepaper. A popular raw material combination

The pulp and paper industry is one of the core industrial
sectors in India generating more than 0.3 million direct and
around 1 million indirect employment through agricultural
activities (Roy, 2007). The production in 2005e2006 was
5.9 million tons paper and paperboard, against an installed ca-
pacity of 7.6 million tons (MoCI, 2007). The present paper
consumption is low at 6 kg/capita. However, with rise in liter-
acy, education and income level, and overall economic growth,
it is estimated that the demand would be over 14 million tons
in 2020 (Jaakko Poyry Management Consulting, 2002).
At present, there are 666 pulp and paper mills in India, of
which 632 units are agro-residue and recycled fiber based
units (CPPRI, 2005). Being a fiber deficient country, two-
third of the raw material comes from non-wood sources.
These include agro-residues like rice straw, wheat straw, sar-
kanda grass (Saccharum spontaneous), bagasse, jute rags as
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ91 11 2468 2100/11; fax: þ91 11 2468
2144/45.
E-mail address: malinib@teri.res.in (M. Balakrishnan).
used by the industry is wheat straw, bagasse and waste paper.
The Indian pulp and paper industry is highly water inten-
sive, consuming 100e250 m3 freshwater/ton paper (Singh,
2004). The corresponding wastewater generation is also high
(75e225 m3 wastewater/ton paper) (Ansari, 2004). As per
the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government
of India, the pulp and paper sector is in the ‘‘Red Category’’ list
of 17 industries having a high polluting potential. Owing to its
serious pollution threat, it is mandatory for pulp and paper
mills to take appropriate measures to comply with the dis-
charge standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB), which is the national agency responsible for environ-
mental compliance. The environmental impact of agro-residue
based mills is of particular concern since these units generate
150e200 m3 effluent/ton paper with a high pollution loading
of 90e240 kg suspended solids/ton paper, 85e370 kg bio-
chemical oxygen demand (BOD)/ton paper and 500e1100 kg
chemical oxygen demand (COD)/ton paper (Mathur et al.,
2004). Apart from the pollution, there is a growing water scar-
city and deterioration in water quality in many parts of India
(TERI, 2006). Thus, in the context of reduced freshwater avail-
ability, declining water quality and environmental pollution

0301-4797/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.09.001
266 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273

from inadequately treated effluent, there is an urgent need for Table 1

efficient water management in agro-based pulp and paper Freshwater consumption in Indian agro-based pulp and paper mills (TERI,
2003)
mills.
This paper provides an overview of the water management Operation Water consumption (m3/ton)
practices and challenges in Indian agro-residue and recycled Small and medium mills Large mills
fiber based pulp and paper mills. The water use and waste- Raw material washing 3.5 0.8
water generation status was assessed through a survey of 31 Pulp mill 21.7 10.8
units with individual installed capacities ranging from Bleaching 11.0 16.9
Paper machine 42.9 17.3
4500e230,000 TPA (tons per annum). Over 70% of these Chemical recovery 0.5 2.2
units were located in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Ut- Steam generation 9.4 4.2
tarakhand and Punjab. Based on the responses and discussions Utilities 1.5 1.3
with industry personnel as well as with regulatory authorities, Domestic utility 1.1 1.7
the challenges being faced by this industry are highlighted. Miscellaneousa 0.3 2.5
Also, the actions taken by selected units to address the prob- Total 91.9 57.7
lem of effective water management in this sector have been Small and medium mills: <100 TPD (tons/day) capacity; large mills:
summarized. >100 TPD capacity.
a
Hypo preparation, cooling water makeup.
2. Manufacturing process, water use and
in northern India and is usually available on-site at marginal
wastewater generation
cost to the unit. Surface water supply predominates in South-
ern India, whereas in central and western regions, a combina-
Fig. 1 shows the schematic of the manufacturing process.
tion of ground and surface water is used.
The raw material is prepared suitably, e.g. cutting, chopping
The quantum and characteristics of wastewater generated in
of agro-residues and de-inking of wastepaper. This is followed
the manufacturing process is provided in Tables 2 and 3, re-
by chemical pulping. Soda, along with either sulphite, anthro-
spectively. The most polluting wastewater streams are obtained
quinone (AQ), sulfate or lime is the most commonly used
from the pulping (‘‘black liquor’’) and bleaching sections and
chemicals for pulping. The pulp is then bleached in 3e4 stages.
contain high organic content and toxic organo-chlorine com-
A typical sequence involves liquid chlorine and caustic extrac-
ponents, respectively. Large and some medium size mills seg-
tion followed by a second bleaching with calcium hypochlorite
regate the black liquor and send it for chemical recovery. Mills
and sometimes a third bleaching with chlorine dioxide/calcium
without chemical recovery systems mix the black liquor with
hypochlorite/hydrogen peroxide. Some small mills may use
the rest of the wastewater to generate a mixed effluent.
only calcium hypochlorite. The bleached pulp is then prepared
by beating and mixing with appropriate fillers and pigments,
pressed and dried.
Table 1 summarizes the typical water use pattern in agro- 3. Wastewater treatment
based pulp and paper mills (TERI, 2003). Depending upon
the location, the raw water source is surface water, ground Effective handling and disposal of the generated effluent is
water, or a combination. Ground water is the preferred source the main focus in this sector. All units are required to meet the
discharge standards (Table 4) laid down by CPCB (CPCB,
2000). Further, under the Corporate Responsibility for Envi-
Raw material Wastewater ronmental Protection (CREP) task force, a detailed action
Volume Pollution intensity
plan has been formulated in 2003 for both large and small-
scale mills (Table 5) (CPCB, 2003). Since installation of
Raw material chemical recovery plant as per CREP recommendation is not
preparation Low Low
Table 2
Wastewater generation at various stages of the manufacturing process (TERI,
Pulping 2003)
Low High
Operation stage Wastewater generation (m3/ton paper)
Small and medium mills Large mills
Bleaching
High High Raw material washing 1.1 1.1
Black liquor 17.9 1.0
Pulp mill 8.1 6.8
Paper Depends on
extent of Low Pulp bleaching 16.2 17.8
making
recycling Chemical recovery 1.6 3.4
Paper machine 24.8 16.5
Paper Utility (boiler þ turbo generator) 2.1 3.9
Domestic utility 0.9 0.6
Fig. 1. Schematic of the manufacturing process (CPCB, 2004; Mathur et al.,
Total 72.7 51.1
2004).
 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273 267

Table 3
Characteristics of inlet wastewater to effluent treatment plant (TERI, 2003)
Unit size pH Color Alkalinity (mg/L) TS (mg/L) SS (mg/L) BOD (mg/L) COD (mg/L) AOX (mg/L)
Small and medium 8.07 Brown 257.5 2858.5 1185.5 1254.8 4157.4 1.5
Large 7.16 Brown 410.0 3720.0 884.5 547.0 1650.0 12.0

economically viable for small mills, many units have opted for The following examples illustrate the strategies adopted by
LRP (Lignin Recovery Process) instead (IARPMA, 2007). selected units to achieve efficient water utilization.
The typical effluent treatment involves equalization, pri-
mary settling and clariflocculation followed by biological 5. Case 1 (BEE, 2004; Viswanathan, 2004a,b; Mahajan
treatment through activated sludge process and secondary and Ives, 2003)
clarification (IARPMA, 2007; TERI, 2003). The treated efflu- Unit and location Seshasayee Paper and Boards (SPB) Ltd.,
ent is disposed on land (irrigation), surface water (river) or in Pallipalayam, Tamil Nadu
nullahs (drains). The primary sludge is dried in sludge drying Year of commissioning 1960
Installed capacity 115,000 TPA
beds and is generally sold to cardboard manufacturers.
Average production 117,271 TPA
Raw material Bagasse, bleached wood, purchased pulp,
and new double lined Kraft cuttings
4. Initiatives for improving water efficiency Products Writing and printing paper, Kraft paper,
and paperboards
Raw water source Surface water
There are two common measures adopted to reduce fresh- Raw water cost Not available
water consumption in agro-based pulp and paper mills. Specific raw water 80 m3/ton paper
consumption
1. Improved pulp/brown stock washing: This is achieved by
counter current washing, which requires freshwater in
only one stage. The practice is employed in both belt
washing (practiced by large mills) and potcher washing
(employed mainly by small and medium mills). Table 5
2. Water recirculation: Bleaching filtrate reuse and save-all CREP implementation schedule for pulp and paper mills (CPCB, 2003)
clear water recirculation is another practice to reduce both Large Pulp and Paper
water consumption and wastewater discharge (TERI, Discharge of AOX kg/ton AOX 1.5 kg/ton of paper within 2 years
2003). Washer filtrate from chlorination tower (5e100% re- of paper AOX 1.0 kg/ton of paper in 5 years
circulation in small and medium mills; 20e90% in large Installation of lime kiln Within 4 years
Wastewater discharge Less than 140 m3/ton of paper
mills), alkali extraction (59e100% recirculation in small m3/ton of paper within 2 years
and medium mills; 40e50% in large mills) and hypo tank Less than 120 m3/ton in 4 years for
(9e100% recirculation in small and medium mills; 50e units installed before 1992
100% in large mills) is reused usually in the same stage Less than 100 m3/ton of paper per units
for dilution purpose. However, major reuse is carried out installed after 1992
Odor control by burning the Installation of odor control system
from paper machine (10e100% in small and medium mills; reduced sulfur emissions in within 4 years
5e100% in large mills) and pulping sections (29e100% in the boiler/lime-kiln
small and medium mills; 20e100% in large mills). Waste- Utilization of treated effluent Utilization of treated effluent for irrigation
water from paper machine section is recirculated for diluting for irrigation wherever possible
high-density pulp before feeding to paper machine. Table 6 Color removal from Indian Paper Manufacturers Association to
the effluent take up project with Central Pulp and
provides the details of various washing techniques and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI)
wastewater recirculation methods employed by the sur-
Small pulp and paper
veyed mills.
Compliance of standard of Recovery of chemicals by installation of
Table 4 BOD, COD and AOX Chemical recovery plant or utilization of
Minimum National Standards for pulp and paper mills wastewater discharge black liquor with no discharge from pulp
(CPCB, 2000) mill within 3 years OR Shift to waste paper
Upgradation of ETPs so as to ETPs to be upgraded within 1 year so as
Parameter Large paper mills Small paper mills
meet discharge standards to meet discharge standards
pH 6.5e8.5 5.5e9.0 Wastewater discharge/ton Less than 150 m3/ton of paper within
Suspended solids (mg/L) 100 100 of paper 3 years
BOD at 27  C (mg/L) 30 Inland: 30 Utilization of treated Utilization of treated effluent for irrigation
Land: 100 effluent for irrigation wherever possible
COD (mg/L) 350 e Color removal from the Indian Agro and Recycled Paper
Total organic chlorine (TOCL) 2.0 e effluent Manufacturers Association to take up
(kg/ton paper 1992 onwards) project with CPPRI
Sodium absorption ratio (SAR) 26
AOX: adsorbable organic halides; ETP: effluent treatment plant.
268 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273

Table 6 Fig. 2 shows the water consumption and wastewater

Washing techniques and wastewater recirculation options (TERI, 2003) generation pattern. The raw material (bagasse) preparation
Operation No. of mills generates an effluent with high COD (6000e7000 mg/L) and
Small and medium Large BOD (3000e3500 mg/L). Anaerobic treatment of this stream
Brown stock washing with a 10-day retention period reduces the BOD to below
Counter current 13 3 300 mg/L. The treated effluent is taken to the primary clarifier
Potcher washing 8 e where it is combined with medium BOD wastewater generated
Bleaching washer filtrate reuse from pulp washing, screening, chemical recovery, boiler
Chlorine 9 4 house, etc. This combined wastewater is subjected to activated
Alkali 9 3 sludge process before being used for irrigation. Table 7 sum-
Hypochlorite 11 4
marizes the effluent characteristics. SPB has a tripartite agree-
Save-all clear water recirculation ment with the local farming community and its own sugar mill
Pulp mills 24 4 (Ponni Sugars). Bagasse for papermaking is obtained from
Paper machine 9 4
Ponni Sugars, which in turn, sources the sugarcane from the
surrounding area. The treated wastewater from SPB is used
for irrigating 1500 acres of sugarcane farming land. The
sludge generated is sold to board manufacturing units. The
cost of wastewater treatment works out to Rs 6/m3 ($0.13/m3).
a Since the mill is located in a water scarce area, water
Bleaching conservation is rigorously practiced. Efforts to reduce water
21% consumption involve maintaining daily water balance, setting
Paper machine
36%
section-wise targets for reducing water consumption and mon-
itoring the consumption by installing electronic digital meters
at all high water consumption points. This is supplemented by
periodic training of the plant personnel. In addition to water
conservation, the plant has implemented 100% closed loop
recirculation of backwater from the washer filtrates and paper
Pulp mill machine sections.
15%

6. Case 2 (Rao, 2004)

Unit and location Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd.,
Domestic waste Kagithapuram, Tamil Nadu
water and Year of commissioning 1985
chemical recovery Cooling water Installed capacity 230,000 TPA
10% 18% Average production 186,000 TPA
Raw material Bagasse, wood, and purchased pulp
Products Writing and printing paper, newsprint
Raw water source Surface water
b Digester and
effluent treatment Raw water cost Rs 1.48/m3 ($0.033/m3)
plant Specific raw water consumption 80 m3/ton paper
14%
Pulp screening,
cleaning and This is the largest agro-residue based unit in India. Fig. 3
bleaching
37% shows the water consumption and wastewater generation pat-
tern. Wastewater generated from the mill is segregated and
collected in two streams.
Table 7
Case 1, Seshasayee Paper and Boards Ltd.: effluent characteristics
Pulp and raw Parameter Untreated combined Effluent from
material washing
wastewater secondary treatment
28%
Color (PteCo units) 250e300 250e300
pH 7.2e7.6 7.2e7.6
Alkalinity (mg/L) 150e250 150e250
TS (mg/L) 2200e3400 1000e1900
Cooling tower SS (mg/L) 1000e1500 20e30
and Chemical BOD (mg/L) 200e250 15e20
miscellaneous recovery COD (mg/L) 650e750 110e200
12% 9%
AOX (mg/L) 12 7
Fig. 2. Case 1, Seshasayee Paper and Boards Ltd. (a) Water consumption (b) TS: total solids; SS: suspended solids; BOD: biochemical oxygen demand;
wastewater generation. COD: chemical oxygen demand; AOX: adsorbable organic halides.
 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273 269

a Paper machine is enriched with urea and di-ammonium phosphate and used
20%
for ferti-irrigation through a scheme called TEWLIS (Treated
Effluent Water Lift Irrigation Scheme). Recently, the unit has
initiated the use of waste sludge as boiler fuel (BEE, 2006).
The sludge from the effluent plant is dewatered in a screw
press and then solar dried before incineration. Annual savings
Steam
generation of Rs 4.56 million ($0.1 million) has been reported.
Bleaching 7%
51%
7. Case 3 (Verma, 2004)
Unit and location Shreyans Papers, Ahmedgarh, Punjab
Chemical Year of commissioning 1982
recovery and Installed capacity 30,000 TPA
township
Average production 29,952 TPA
13%
Raw material Wheat straw, sarkanda grass, jute caddy,
bagasse, wood pulp, and waste paper
Pulp mill Products Writing and printing paper
9%
Raw water source Ground water
Raw water cost Rs 1.47/m3 ($0.033/m3)
Specific raw water 126 m3/ton paper
b Pulp consumption
screening,cleaning
and bleaching
19%
Raw material The water consumption and wastewater generation pattern
washing
39%
is shown in Fig. 4. The wastewater treatment facility consists
Chemical
recovery, of a screen bar for the removal of large, coarse material fol-
domestic use lowed by equalization. The equalized effluent is treated in
and
miscellaneous
an activated sludge system with two-stage aeration and clarifi-
12% cation. The sludge obtained is dried in sludge drying beds and
sold to board manufacturers. The cost of wastewater treatment
is Rs 6.90/m3 ($0.15/m3). Table 9 summarizes the perfor-
mance of the effluent treatment plant.
The treated effluent from the secondary clarifier is used
Paper machine for irrigation. Most of it is discharged to a 73-ha eucalyptus
Utilities (boiler
+ turbo
20% plantation, which has the capacity for transpiration of large
generator) amount of water throughout the year. This plantation is ca-
10% pable of disposing 5e15 cm of effluents per day, per hect-
Fig. 3. Case 2, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd. (a) Water consumption are. In addition, the local farmers also use some of the
(b) wastewater generation. treated effluent for paddy cultivation. Further, the unit has
installed 75 tons/day chemical recovery plant for black li-
1. Stream 1 is a high BOD, low volume effluent that origi- quor processing. Weak black liquor, after lignin separation,
nates mainly from bagasse storage yards and bagasse prep- is used to produce sodium carbonate pellets, which are
aration plant. This stream is taken through a mechanical sold to sodium silicate and soap manufacturing units. This
bar screen to a primary clarifier for settling of suspended is one of the few Indian agro-based mills with chemical re-
solids. It is then treated in a UASB (Upflow Anaerobic covery system.
Sludge Blanket) reactor, followed by settling in a second-
ary clarifier (MNES, 2006). The biogas generated is used
as fuel in a lime kiln. This treatment sequence reduces the Table 8
suspended solids content by 80% and BOD by 90%. Case 2, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd.: effluent characteristics
2. Stream 2 is a low BOD, high volume wastewater emerging Parameter Untreated combined Effluent from
from the pulp mill, paper machine, and soda recovery wastewater secondary treatment
plant. This stream is passed through a mechanical bar Color (PteCo units) 200e230 200e250
screen and then to a primary clarifier. pH 6.7e7.4 7.0e8.0
TS (mg/L) 3500e4500 2000e2100
SS (mg/L) 85e100 45e50
The treated effluents from streams 1 and 2 are combined BOD (mg/L) 220e700 3e5
and treated in a two-stage activated sludge process. The COD (mg/L) 700e1200 150e200
cost of treatment works out to be Rs 2.5/m3 ($0.06/m3). Ta- AOX (kg/L) NA 0.5e0.6
ble 8 provides the characteristics of effluents. Around 40% of TS: total solids; SS: suspended solids; BOD: biochemical oxygen demand;
the treated effluent is recycled within the plant. The balance COD: chemical oxygen demand; AOX: adsorbable organic halides.
270 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273

Table 9
a Bleaching Case 3, Shreyans Papers: effluent characteristics
22%
Parameter Untreated combined Effluent from
wastewater secondary treatment
Color Brown Light yellow
pH 6.0e7.0 6.5e7.5
Paper machine TDS (mg/L) 2000 1700e2000
46% SS (mg/L) 800e1100 30e40
Pulp mill
BOD (mg/L) 650e750 22e30
11% COD (mg/L) 2000e2500 250
TDS: total dissolved solids; SS: suspended solids; BOD: biochemical oxygen
demand; COD: chemical oxygen demand.

Raw material
washing (UASB) for a retention period of around 10 h. The biometha-
and
township Chemical recovery,
nated effluent is subjected to aerobic treatment in an activated
9% steam generation sludge process with a retention time of about 15 h. The cost of
and miscellaneous wastewater treatment is Rs 15/m3 ($0.33/m3). Table 10 sum-
12%
marizes the performance of the effluent treatment plant.
About 20% of the final effluent from activated sludge
treatment is recycled to the pulp digester. The wastewater
Paper machine
b and miscellaneous
20%

a Miscellaneous
4%
Steam generation
11%
Domestic waste
and utilities
(boiler +
turbo generator)
5%

Raw material Paper machine

Pulp washing and 46%
bleaching chemical recovery
66% 9%

Fig. 4. Case 3, Shreyans Papers. (a) Water consumption (b) wastewater Pulp mill
39%
generation.

8. Case 4 (Sadhu, 2004) b

Unit and location Anand Tissues Ltd., Fitkari, Uttar Pradesh
Paper machine
Year of commissioning 1994 34%
Installed capacity 16,500 TPA
Average production 11,200 TPA
Raw material Wheat straw, bagasse, rags, and waste paper
Products Unbleached kraft paper and absorbent paper
Raw water source Ground water Black liquor
Raw water cost Rs 1.0/m3 ($0.022/m3) 64%
Specific raw water 73 m3/ton paper
consumption

Fig. 5 shows the water consumption and wastewater gener- Miscellaneous

ation pattern. The black liquor and other wastewaters are 2%
mixed after equalization and taken to a clariflocculation
tank. Flocculants such as alum, lime and spent acid are added
during this stage. Following this, the effluents undergo biome- Fig. 5. Case 4, Anand Tissues Ltd. (a) Water consumption (b) wastewater
thanation in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor generation.
 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273 271

Table 10
Case 4, Anand Tissues Ltd.: effluent characteristics
a Bleaching
17%
Paper machine
22%
Parameter Untreated combined Effluent from
wastewater secondary treatment
Color Brownish Brownish yellow
pH 7.5e8.0 7.5
TDS (mg/L) 2300 200
SS (mg/L) 1000 100
BOD (mg/L) 600 30 Pulp mill
COD (mg/L) 1800 200 19%

TDS: total dissolved solids; SS: suspended solids; BOD: biochemical oxygen
demand; COD: chemical oxygen demand.
Steam and power
generation
27%
generated from the pulp mill and the paper machine is reused Chemical recovery
for pulp washing. The unit also recycles water discharged and raw material
washing
from the paper machine, pulp washing stream and the retentate 15%
(reject stream) from raw water reverse osmosis plant. In addi-
tion, all leakages and spillages are monitored to conserve
water.
b Utilities (boiler +
turbo generator)
7% Raw material
9. Case 5 (Tara, 2004)
washing
Unit and location Abhishek Papers Ltd., Barnala, Punjab 4%
Year of commissioning 1993
Installed capacity 40,150 TPA
Average production 38,500 TPA
Raw material Wheat straw, bagasse, and small amount
Paper
of purchased pulp machine
Products Writing and printing paper and
Raw water source Ground water chemical
Pulp bleaching
Raw water cost Rs 1.8/m3 ($0.04/m3) recovery
and domestic
Specific raw water consumption 64 m3/ton paper 50%
waste
36%

Fig. 6 shows the water consumption and wastewater gener-

ation pattern. The effluent treatment involves primary settling
of suspended solids, followed by activated sludge process. The
treated effluent is used for irrigation. The sludge is dried and
Pulp screening
sold to board manufacturing units. The cost of wastewater and cleaning
treatment is Rs 2.73/m3 ($0.06/m3). The effluent characteris- 3%
tics are summarized in Table 11. Fig. 6. Case 5, Abhishek Papers Ltd. (a) Water consumption (b) wastewater
The unit has implemented several water conservation initia- generation.
tives. These include recycling various streams like the wash
water from the paper machine, chlorine filtrate, extraction fil- plantations by farmers are not adequate to meet the growing
trate, decker filtrate, and the foul condensate from falling film demand; also, pulpwood plantations are not permitted in for-
evaporator. In addition, the black liquor is segregated and sent estland owned by the government. Agro-residues are readily
to the caustic recovery plant to recover sodium hydroxide. The available; however, they are bulky and have to be collected
unit has installed a 165 tons/day chemical recovery plant for
this purpose. Table 11
Case 5, Abhishek Papers Ltd.: effluent characteristics
10. Challenges Parameter Untreated combined Effluent from
wastewater secondary treatment
The Indian pulp and paper sector is less competitive than Color Brown Light yellow
in other Asian countries; also it is less competitive in compar- pH 7.0e7.5 7.0e7.5
ison to other similar sectors in India like cement and capital Alkalinity (mg/L) 500 400
TS (mg/L) 5000 2000e2050
goods. Compared to international standards, the Indian paper SS (mg/L) 1000 30e40
industry uses 200% more water, 10% more chemicals, up to BOD (mg/L) 600e700 20e22
30% more raw materials and 30% more energy (Roy, 2007). COD (mg/L) 2500e3000 300e325
One of the main challenges is the shortage of fiber sources TS: total solids; SS: suspended solids; BOD: biochemical oxygen demand;
(Bhati and Jha, 2006; Panda, 2004). Social forestry and small COD: chemical oxygen demand.
272 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273
from widely dispersed locations. This leads to high collection,
handling and transportation costs. In addition, because of their
seasonal nature, availability is not guaranteed and large stor-
age facilities are required. The option of waste paper is not
fully exploited with only 20% of used paper being recycled
in India, which is half the global average. Increasing the
use of recycled fiber should be seriously explored since waste
paper based units have a simpler process and result in less
pollution.
Agro-residue and recycled pulp and paper mills, especially
in the small and medium scale face severe environmental pres-
sures. These emerge from using obsolete technology in most
units, uneconomical scales of operation combined with low
capacity utilization and lack of state-of-the-art processing ap-
propriate for such units. With a few exceptions, agro-residue
and recycled paper mills have very low levels of automation
and process control. Further, there is a wide variation in the
quality of raw material, mill sizes, mill age and product
mix; thus, technological solutions have to be customized to
specific units. Moreover, compared to current international
standards of mills, even large Indian mills are in the small
or medium category (Toland, 2005). The high costs of equip-
ment, raw material transportation and power are further con-
straints; in addition, waste paper recycling practices also
need to be improved. Some of the specific issues are high-
lighted below.
1. Most small and several medium scale mills do not employ
chemical recovery due to the high investment costs associ-
ated with such systems. They thus discharge the black
liquor in the wastewater stream. One economically viable
option could be the installation of common chemical
recovery and effluent treatment systems for mills located
in clusters. An additional aspect is high silica content in
the black liquor due to the use of raw materials like rice
straw. Consequently, conventional recovery systems are
not very efficient in these units.
2. Bleaching with elemental chlorine is still widely practiced.
Thus, large volumes of effluent containing chlorinated
organic compounds are discharged. These organo-lignin
compounds are toxic (Ali and Sreekrishnan, 2001) and
thus have an adverse environmental impact. To meet the
new CREP standards for adsorbable organic halides
(AOX) discharge level, process modifications like oxygen
delignification, and elemental chlorine free (ECF) or total
chlorine free (TCF) bleaching techniques will have to be
adopted.
3. Several small and medium scale units don’t have adequate
treatment facilities; this is further compounded by poor
performance of existing effluent treatment plants due to
lack of monitoring. The high power consumption for
aeration in the activated sludge process is a liability for
small-scale units. Further, many mills have expanded their
production capacity over time, without a corresponding in-
creasing in the effluent treatment plant capacity (Mathur
et al., 2004). Also, the current practices do not ensure
color removal of the treated effluent.
4. Several technology improvements are needed in the
manufacturing process to improve the product quality
and increase the competitiveness of this sector. These
include adoption of efficient washers for raw materials
like straws and bagasse, inclusion of high-density pulpers,
using appropriate screeners and separators for fiber re-
moval, modern de-inking cells for production of deinked
pulp, breast roll and blade gap formers for improved
drainage and paper quality, film coaters and on-line calen-
dars, etc. (Roy, 2007). The overall process automation
must be improved. In particular, improving the efficiency
of pulp washers is important in agro-residue based mills
from the environmental aspect. Due to the use of mixed
raw materials, pulp washing systems are typically not ef-
ficient, leading to high chemicals (soda) loss and high
COD carryover. The high COD leads to high chlorine
consumption in the bleaching stage, resulting in a high
AOX content in the effluent (Mathur et al., 2004).
5. Though closing the water cycle has advantages in terms of
reduced loss of fibers and chemicals, savings in energy and
better environmental compliance, it also leads to increased
concentration of suspended and dissolved solids. This, in
turn, results in increased fouling and corrosion, and has
a negative impact on the final product quality. In this con-
text, it is necessary to treat the recirculation streams appro-
priately (Nuortila-Jokinen et al., 2003).
It is apparent that to be competitive while strictly comply-
ing with environmental norms, major operational/technologi-
cal changes are required in small and medium agro-residue
based mills. This in turn, implies investments, which may be
economically unreachable for a large number of these units.
However, from the cases discussed, it is also evident that large
and several medium size agro-based units have adopted mea-
sures to improve their water use efficiency and to reduce the
environmental load. Thus, there is a need to develop innova-
tive, low-cost technological options targeted at small and me-
dium scale mills.
11. Conclusion
Agro-based and recycled paper mills are highly water in-
tensive and polluting units. To cope with the reduced water
availability and to meet the regulatory norms, these units em-
ploy various initiatives to save water. Wastewater treatment by
activated sludge process, followed by using the treated water
for irrigation is a popular practice. Considerable water saving
can be achieved by measures such as better house keeping,
segregating the black liquor and subjecting it to chemical re-
covery, recycling and reusing of wash waters, etc. There are
several initiatives being followed by Indian agro-residue and
recycled paper mills to minimize their water consumption
and recycle the treated wastewater. However, the sector still
faces serious environmental pressures and needs to develop
comprehensive solutions for effective color removal in the
treated effluent, feasible chemical recovery system for small-
scale agro-residue based units, etc.
 P.K. Tewari et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge the European Commission for
supporting this work under grant 075, EU-Indian Small Project
Facility Programme. The authors are grateful to Indian Agro
and Recycled Paper Mills Association (IARPMA) for facilitat-
ing the survey and to the units that provided inputs for the
preparation of the cases.
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