84 NEW APPROACHES IN THE TREATMENT OF PAPER
INDUSTRY SLUDGES
Veysel Eroglu, Professor
Environmental Engineering Department
Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul, Turkey
Adem Basturk, Professor
Environmental Engineering Department
Yildiz University
Istanbul, Turkey
A. M. Saatci. Associate Professor
Environmental Engineering Department
Marmara University
Istanbul, Turkey
INTRODUCTION
The role of waste minimization and waste recovery is significant for environmental protection. The
increase of wastewater flow rates means a direct increase of the operation and investment costs of
treatment plants. In recent years, the research on wastewater minimization and recovery have gained
importance. Closed circle systems (zero discharge systems) have been developed and applied. The
wastes produced by such systems are used as raw materials in some industries.
Wastewater minimization and waste recovery studies have to be made before and during the design
of the wastewater treatment plants. Otherwise, the plant that will be constructed will not be economically efficient. Pulp and paper industry is an appropriate example to demonstrate the waste minimization and recovery. This industry consumes tremendous amount of water per ton product. Recently,
the specific water consumption rates could be reduced from 200-300 m'/ton to 30 m'/ton. Water,
fiber, chemical and energy are possible recovery items in pulp and paper industry.
The main aim of this research was to examine the possibility of reuse of fibers from the primary
sludge of SEKA-IZMIT Pulp and Paper Industry effluent treatment plant. The primary sludge was
analyzed and it was found to consist mostly of fibers. It was decided to make use of it in the
production of cardboard and hardboard. It was known before the construction of the SEKA-IZMIT
Pulp and Paper Industry wastewater treatment plant that the amount of primary sludge will be in
considerably high amounts (28 tons dry solids/day) therefore, the utilization of the primary sludge
was considered from the very beginning of the design stage. For this reason, a pilot plant was built and
operated during the construction of the full-scale plant. The primary sludge obtained from the pilot
plant studies was sent to another cardboard and hardboard manufacturing pilot plant. The product
was tested and evaluated. Meanwhile, the BOD, COD and SS removal efficiency of the pilot treatment plant was obtained. The full-scale plant started operations in December 1990. The primary
sludge of the full-scale plant was used in cardboard and hardboard production and was tested
similarly. Also the efficiency predictions of the pilot plant was compared with the full-scale plant
results.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION PLANT
The SEKA-IZMIT pulp and paper industry is located in an industrial zone of Turkey. The Izmit
industrial zone is located east of Istanbul on the Izmit Bay of the Marmara Sea (Figure 1). The plant is
the first pulp and paper factory constructed in Turkey and has been modified several times. The
cellulose is produced using several different procedures such as: sulfate, sulfite, and mechanical wood
pulp techniques. Papers of different qualities and cardboard are the main products of the plant. The
input and output materials and their quantities are presented in Figure 2.
46th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1992 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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