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Strawboard Lagoon Operation at Noblesville, Indiana
¦^}y'^- ~'''^y¦•¦¦'!^y^-^¦^y¦¦'¦¦¦CAJ^J^  G.   KRANCHER'       ^'^ ¦-;';~-'J'C-SajjiHiJ^i.v .
-  ¦'' Plant Manager
•'        .' Ball Brothers Company '-\   '      •
;¦ - Noblesville, Indiana      ' .¦.."¦¦-  y
'  ¦  ¦"' -.' ,'     '¦ ^', *.-''> '¦-''  I
The removal of objectionable matter from the waste of paper mills, particularly those mills which are cooking pulps to be converted into paper, has long been a problem. The paper industry has expended much effort and money to develop methods and equipment for the removal of cellulose fibres, grit, lesidual cooking chemicals, coloring materials and other non-cellulose components found in waste process waters.
To date, no more effective method has been found to clarify and purify such waste than ample and properly designed lagoons. A lagoon¬ ing system first acts as a settling basin to remove suspended solids; then, allows anaerobic action over a period of time to decompose the organic matter within the waste. The anaerobic action Is one of bacterial decom¬ position in which the bacteria employed obtain their oxygen from chemical compounds dissolved or suspended in the water. This decom¬ position is accompanied by the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide.     ij.:. '    ' '    ; r
The lagoons at the strawboard mill of the Ball Brothers Company at Noblesville, Indiana, have been in operation in various forms over a period of from 40 to 50 years. (See location in Indiana, Figure 1). Until recent years very little data was collected to establish the effec¬ tiveness of the lagoons. Control of them was strictly of an empirical nature.
Beginning in 1946 with data collected and published under the supervision of Professor Bloodgood of Purdue University and continuing in 1947 to the present day with data collected by the mill staff, the lagooning system at Noblesville has been made very effective in the treatment of the mill waste.
The waste results from the cooking of 120 tons a day of wheat straw into pulp and washing and processing this into 90 tons of finished paper for corrugated boxes. The washing out of the spent cooking liquor, chemicals, grit and lignin in the straw create the waste.
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