Water in the Pulp and Paper Industry

Membrane Distillation Bioreactor (MDBR) – A lower Green-House-Gas (GHG) option for industrial wastewater reclamation

“…Aerobic thermophilic MBRs have found practical application in this water-intensive industry since it is not economical to cool down the hot effluent prior to biotreatment. Furthermore, tightening legal requirements have resulted in higher cost for effluent disposal (Jung and Pauly, 2011). With this in mind, the MDBR could find potential applications in niche areas where hot wastewater and waste heat are produced and the cost of disposing effluent makes treatment a more feasible option.…”

Wastewater

“…Water-intensive industries such as pulp and paper producers and food industries reuse treated wastewater to mitigate production risk (Jung and Pauly 2011). Especially in high-water stress areas, imminent droughts and less sustainable water management approaches, for example desalination, are causing businesses such as Nestlé (Durban, South Africa), Unilever (Mossel Bay, South Africa) and Thai Biogas Energy Company-TBEC (Thailand) to rethink their business sustainability strategies.…”

“…The Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, once purchased treated wastewater from the Khumarh wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and paid for sending its process effluent back to the WWTP (Jung and Pauly 2011;WRG 2013). Some sectors, such as pulp and paper industries, treat and use their own wastewater, thus reducing their municipal water demands and the cost of effluent disposal.…”

Proposal for water reuse in the Kraft pulp and paper industry

“…Therefore, the conservation, reuse and recycling of water contribute to reduce the water footprint and help to assure a sustainable production line (Karthik et al 2011). Solutions such as the optimization of water circuits and development of new methods for water treatment can reduce costs, increase productivity and the quality of the final product (Jung & Pauly 2011). Water reuse permits the reduction of flow captured from the water source, reduction of water treatment and of the daily volume of wastewater treated (Lee et al 2007;Wenten 2010).…”