Waste to Value: How to Make Waste Paper Sludge Into Pellets

Date: 01/04/2021 08:38:56 From: wood-pellet-plant.com Clicks:

The processing of pulp and paper products yields a significant amount of waste in the form of sludge, collectively referred to as pulp and paper mill sludge, or PPMS.

Paper Mill Waste Paper

Historically, these residues have been landfilled or incinerated, but as disposal costs rise and sustainability becomes a requirement rather than an option, the industry is looking for a better way to manage them. Land application has emerged as a popular alternative. With more companies turning to land application, processing the material into a premium fertilizer or soil amendment product is being explored.

Pulp and Paper Mill Sludge Waste

Pulp and paper mill sludge can be broken down into several categories:¹

• Waste created from virgin wood fiber production (referred to as primary biosolids)
• Waste produced from the de-inking process
• Sludge yielded from secondary treatment (referred to as secondary biosolids)
• A combination of primary and secondary biosolids (referred to as combined biosolids)

The management of this pulp and paper sludge is widely recognized by the industry as a substantial waste management challenge.

Landfilling was long the primary method of disposal, but this approach has many downsides and is increasingly being discouraged. When landfilled, sludge poses environmental risks, with potentially significant impact to soil and water. Additionally, landfilling is expensive: the cost to transport sludge is already costly due to its high moisture content, and with growing tipping fees, landfilling continues to become less economically feasible.

Incineration, an alternative to landfilling, is a viable option, but presents challenges of its own.

Through extensive study, land applying paper mill sludge has been identified as a cost-effective and beneficial approach to managing this substantial industrial waste stream.

How to Make Waste Paper Sludge into Pellets

Paper sludge may also be pelletized or granulated to create a premium product. The pelletizing process is incredibly flexible and allows for the inclusion of various additives to create a custom nutrient or product formulation. When producing a granular product, the paper sludge may serve as a small component, or as the chief ingredient. Granulation is carried out using a mixer, granulation drum, pelletizer, dryer. View details: Waste paper pellet production line

The sludge particles produced are divided into two categories: fertilizer particles and fuel particles.

The Reason Why Sludge Pellets Are Used as Fertilizer Pellets

Organic matter

Paper sludge is rich in organic matter (om) – a critical component in promoting healthy, thriving soils. The addition of organic matter improves moisture and nutrient management, helps in resistance to erosion, and enhances soil structure, among many other benefits.

Acid treatment

Paper sludge also contains calcium carbonate (caco3), a material widely used throughout the agriculture industry for stabilizing or neutralizing acidic soils by increasing soil ph in a practice known as liming.

Nutrient content

Although the amounts vary, paper sludge often contains nitrogen (n), phosphorus (p), potassium (k), calcium (ca), and magnesium (mg), making it an attractive nutrient source.¹

The reuse of sludge as a fertilizer or soil amendment would not only be a benefit to producers, but it would also give farmers an advantage by providing a cost-effective, readily available source of nutrients to supplement their fertilizer costs.

The Reason Why Sludge Particles Are Used as Fuel Particles

Waste paper sludge is left over from the paper recycling process and contains paper fibers that are too short to be reused. Generally this short fiber waste will be landfilled. However, by adding the required additives and binders to the waste paper sludge, it is pelletized by Richi Machinery's biomass pellet machine, and then dried by a desiccant, it can become a burnable sludge waste paper pellet machine.

Waste Paper Pellet Mill

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