Industrial Liquid Effluents in the Pulp and Paper Industry

Currently production integrated environmental protection is one of the key topics in the pulp & paper industry. This guide-book on best available techniques (BAT) in the pulp and paper industry reflects the information exchange carried by different European experts. This guide-book gives a general overview on processes in the pulp and paper industry, its typical effluents, and available techniques of treatment, especially water. In terms of an efficient environmental protection strategy right from the design or planning stage this guide book should be considered very seriously. It is also very essential in process design and should also be observed more carefully for future technical solutions. This guide-book is an addition to the Reference Document on best available techniques in the pulp and paper industry which reflects the results from an exchange of information according to Article 16(2) of Council Directive 96/61/EC. The Best Available Techniques Reference Documents (in short: BREFs) are published by the IPPC bureau (IPPC = Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) in Sevilla (Spain): “Paper is essentially a sheet of fibres with a number of added chemicals that affect the properties and quality of the sheet. Besides fibers and chemicals, manufacturing of pulp and paper requires a large amount of process water and energy in the form of steam and electric power. Consequently, the main environmental issues associated with pulp and paper production are emissions to water, emissions to air, and energy consumption. Waste is expected to become a gradually increasing environmental issue of concern.” On 23 October 2000, the “Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy” or in short the EU Water Framework Directive (or even shorter the WFD) was finally adopted. This Directive is the most substantial piece of water legislation from the EC to date. It requires all inland and coastal water bodies to reach at least “good status” by 2015. It will do this by establishing a river basin district structure within which demanding environmental objectives will be set, including ecological targets for surface waters. The Directive therefore sets a framework which should provide substantial benefits for the long term sustainable management of water. The implementation of Water Framework Directive has started in most of the EU countries and it will have a strong effect on which discharges/impurities will be important to limit in the future, how effluents are measured, and which water systems are controlled. This guide-book should help to realize water treatment processes in accordance with the requirements of WFD.