Company: Raval Paper Mills
Sector: Pulp and Paper
Number of employees: 300
Country: India

 

Abstract | Country Overview | Sector Overview | Company Description | Driving Forces
Problem Definition | Implementation | Partnerships | Results | The Future

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The pulp and paper industry is one of the oldest in Indian. Today there are about 350 paper mills in India, using a variety of raw materials ranging from forest-based wood to agricultural residues such as wheat straw, rice straw, and bagasse. This case study deals with the cleaner production programme initiated in an agricultural residue-based pulp and paper mill, Raval Paper Mills. This company was one of the demonstration units which participated in the UNIDO-sponsored project DESIRE (DEmonstration in Small Industries for REducing wastes).

Implementing cleaner production techniques has created multiple benefits for Raval Paper Mills. Firstly, the economic benefits: the investment of US$ 80,000 made in implementing the first 30 measures generated savings of US$ 88,000 per year. Water consumption decreased by 28 per cent, thus enabling the unit to operate at full capacity even during the water-scarce summer period. On the environmental front, the cleaner production measures reduced solid waste generation by 18 per cent, water pollution load by 46 per cent and air pollution load by 8.5 per cent. Effluent treatment costs have been reduced by approximately US$ 55,000 per year. Other benefits are improved paper quality and a better work environment. Efforts are now underway to launch similar programmes in other industry sectors in India.

India is the world's largest democracy with a population of over 900 million and an area of 3.32 million km². The Indian cultural tradition is estimated to be 5,000 years old. The Indian economy has been conventionally agricultural, but over the years the share of agriculture has declined from 56 per cent in 1950-51, to 32 per cent in 1990-91. During the same period, the share of industry has increased from 15 per cent to 28 per cent, and that of services has increased from 29 per cent to 40 per cent. In the last three years, the economy has been growing at a rate of eight to 10 per cent per year, following globalisation and liberalisation programmes launched by the Indian government a few years back.

Dating back more than a century, the paper industry is one of India's oldest industries. Production, at 19,000 tonnes per year, was moderate at the beginning of the 20th century. By 1993 Indian paper production had risen to 2.4 million tonnes per year, as a result of the increasing emphasis on literacy. Demand for paper is likely to increase at a much faster rate in the future. Paper consumption in India was 2.8 million tonnes in 1993-94, and it is expected to reach 4.2 million tonnes by the turn of century, and 6.9 million tonnes by 2010. There are about 350 paper mills in the country, of which only 10 per cent are forest-based. The remaining mills are agricultural residue- or waste paper-based. Over the last two decades there has been a decline in the use of forest-based raw materials, from 84 per cent in the 1970s, to 43 per cent in the 1990s. The use of agricultural residues has increased from 10 per cent to 32 per cent during the same period, and is projected to rise to 60 per cent by 2010.

The pulp and paper industry has been recognised as one of the most highly polluting industrial sectors in the country. Agricultural residue-based mills are of particular concern, due to their relatively small size, with an output of 10 to 40 tonnes per day, their technology constraints, and their larger specific pollution load. Environmental management is particularly necessary in this sector.

Raval Paper Mills is a 300-employee enterprise, located in Rae Bareilly, a small semi-industrialised town in Uttar Pradesh, about 500 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. Raval is an agricultural residue-based paper mill. It is privately owned. Depending on the season, various combinations of wheat straw, rice straw and waste paper are fed as raw material. The operating capacity of the plant is 25 tonnes per day. 10 tonnes of the daily output are unbleached semi-kraft paper, which is used by the packaging industry, and 15 tonnes are bleached and dyed writing paper. Raval sells its products to the government and the packaging and printing industries.

The main reasons for the company to adopt cleaner production techniques and technologies were:

• shortage of water especially in the summer, leading to poor capacity utilisation. During this period the company normally produced 15 tonnes per day, 65 per cent of operational capacity;
  
  
• pressure from State Pollution Control Board (Regulatory Authority);
  
  
• pressure from local bodies and environmental NGOs, and;
  
  
• the opportunity of participating in a demonstration project on waste minimisation (project DESIRE, DEmonstration in Small Industries for REducing wastes).

Raval's main aims in implementing cleaner production were to:

• reduce water consumption to enable operation at full capacity even during the summer;
  
  
• reduce waste water treatment costs;
  
  
• reduce raw material costs and thus be more competitive in the market, and;
  
  
• meet effluent discharge standards.

The major environmental issues and problems faced by the company were:

• high process water consumption, (176m³ per tonne compared to the recommended level of 120m³ per tonne of paper), and high waste water generation;
  
  
• high costs related to raw materials, chemicals and energy consumption, adding up to US$ 237 per tonne of paper, thus eroding the profitability of the company;
  
  
• high environmental pollution load, particularly the water pollution load which was:
  0.20 tonnes of biological oxygen demand (BOD) per tonne of paper;
  0.99 tonnes of chemical oxygen demand (COD) per tonne of paper;
  0.34 tonnes total suspended solids (TSS) per tonne of paper, and;
  1.21 tonnes total solids (TS) per tonne of paper.

Under the project DESIRE, a Cleaner Production Demonstration Project was launched in the company. The waste minimisation assessment methodology developed by the National Productivity Council (NPC) was used. A waste minimisation team comprising mill employees and NPC consultants was formed. This team was assisted by an expert from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The process steps were identified, a material and energy balance was prepared, and the causes of waste generation were determined to enable the team to develop waste minimisation solutions. Towards the end of the project period, 64 waste minimisation measures were identified. Of these, 29 measures which were directly implementable were taken up straightaway.

Another 22 measures required further technical feasibility and economic viability analyses. Their environmental aspects also were analysed. The measures were then prioritised and an implementation plan was drawn up. Towards the end of the project, the company had already implemented 31 measures, and another 20 were being implemented or planned for implementation in the future. 13 measures were rejected because of low expected economic gains and/or poor technical viability.

External support was provided to the company in the form of:

• measurement and monitoring facilities for preparing the material and energy balance, waste stream characterisation, quantification and assessment of pollution load, the required facilities and expertise were provided by NPC, and;
  
  
• expert advisory assistance for identifying cleaner production measures and training of company staff provided by UNIDO and NPC.

The main problems experienced by the company in implementing cleaner production were:

• lack of company-level technical expertise;
  
  
• high turnover of employees which limited the ability of the enterprise to work on cleaner production measures which require greater involvement of the employees;
  
  
• limited decision-making powers of employees, which meant that the middle-managers had little say in the decision-making process and, consequently, it took longer to implement the cleaner production measures;
  
  
• inappropriate pricing of natural resources;
  
  
• continued emphasis on end-of-pipe pollution control on the regulatory and policy level, and;
  
  
• during the project period, the plant was undergoing a financial crisis, and had serious constraints on financing.

The project was successful because of the partnership of various organisations. The main partners in the project were:

• concerned industry: Raval Paper Mills;
  
  
• industry association: Agricultural Residue-based Pulp and Paper Industry Association;
  
  
• professional organisation: NPC;
  
  
• international support organisation: UNIDO;
  
  
• governmental organisation: Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, and;
  
  
• research institute: Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute.

The project team consisted of the Managing Director (overall coordinator), Works Manager (team leader), Project Manager, Pulp Mill Incharge, Maintenance Incharge, Laboratory Analyst, and an operator. Shopfloor personnel were involved from time to time. Being a small industry in a rural location, communication was mainly informal on a person-to-person basis. The company and external support organisations held regular meetings to monitor progress. Interim reports were prepared mainly by the external support organisations to keep track of developments. Towards the end of the project, an overall report was prepared by the experts and submitted to the management, to enable Raval to incorporate the project into its managerial procedures and take the project further on its own.

Production capacity

The overall production capacity of the plant has risen by about two tonnes per day (eight per cent). This was made possible by implementing double felting in the paper machine and by providing uniform pressure to the edge-cutting nozzle. These alternatives reduced paper breakages by about 18 times a day, equivalent to about two hours of paper production. As this productivity increase was achieved without additional overhead expenditure, profits increased by approximately US$ 118 per day.

Table 1: Increase In Production Capacity

Product	Total Production (Tonnes/day)
	Before CP	After CP
Writing & Printing Paper	15	16
Kraft Paper	10	11
TOTAL	25	27

Water consumption

The implementation of the following cleaner production alternatives has reduced water consumption by 28 per cent, on average by about 35m³ per tonne of paper:

• installation of a screw press, which after squeezing of pulp requires less water for washing, and;
  
  
• substitution of fresh water by fibre-rich back water, where possible.

Table 2: Reduction in Water Consumption

Product	Water Consumption Per Unit of Product
	Before CP	After CP
Total process water consumption (m3/day)	4,400	3,443*
Writing & Printing Paper (m3/tonne)	186	132
Kraft Paper (m3/tonne)	161	121

* For a paper production of 27 tones/day

Electrical energy consumption

The electrical energy requirement for the paper-making section alone increased by eight per cent, because the cleaner production measures required additional electricity for transfer of waste materials for recycling, reuse and recovery. However, total electricity consumption for the combined pulp and paper sections decreased by approximately 42 Kwh per tonne of paper. The decrease was mainly due to the reduced electrical energy requirements for waste water treatment. This was achieved by segregating the concentrated black liquor for solar drying.

Table 3: Reduction in Electrical Energy Consumption

Product	Electricity Consumption Per Unit of Product (KWH/tonne)
	Before CP	After CP
Writing & Printing Paper Manufacturing	910	985
- Pulp Mill	500	548
- Paper Machine	410	437
Waste Treatment	350*	230
TOTAL	1,260	1,215
Kraft Paper Manufacturing	880	948
- Pulp Mill	480	528
- Paper Machine	400	420
Waste Treatment	310	202
TOTAL	1,190	1,150

*The plant is not currently incurring the treatment cost.

 

Steam consumption

Implementation of the following cleaner production measures resulted in an 8.5 per cent:

• reduction in the steam requirement;
• dedusting of agricultural raw materials;
• insulation of condensate return line, and;
• waste heat recovery through use of an economiser to provide hot water for maintaining the proper bath ratio in the digester.

In addition, the solar-dried black liquor cakes could produce an additional 0.50 tonnes of steam per tonne of paper, equivalent to 12.5 per cent of the existing steam requirement.

Raw material consumption

The reduction in fibrous raw material consumption is mainly due to the recovery of fibre from the fibre-rich waste streams. Fibre recovery amounts to about 53 kg per tonne of paper. Taking an average fibrous raw material yield as 54 per cent, the above fibre recovery is equivalent to fibrous raw material of about 98 kg per tonne of paper. The fibrous raw material consumption for kraft-grade paper was further reduced by recylcing Johnson screen rejects back into the system after refining. Johnson screens remove rejects in the form of knots and uncooked material, after the cooking and defibration of pulp. The rejects were of the order of 73 kg of fibre per tonne of kraft paper. This was equivalent to 138 kg of fibrous raw material per tonne of kraft paper. The reduction in alum consumption was mainly due to improved washing of the pulp. Caustic consumption was reduced by recycling a portion of the black liquor, and dedusting of raw materials.

Solid wastes

Solid waste generation from processing decreased by 32 kg per tonne as a result of recycling of Johnson screen rejects. Although dust from raw materials increased by 60 kg per tonne of paper, due to the dedusting operation, it will ultimately be reutilised with solar-dried black liquor cakes in the boiler. Thusly, the process solid waste contribution decreased by about 32 kg per tonne. The sludge from the water treatment facility is reduced because of the black liquor segregation. The total solid waste generation was reduced by 18 per cent due to the cleaner production programme.

Water pollution load

The reduction of approximately 46 per cent in the overall water pollution load was achieved after the implementation of cleaner production. About 70 per cent of this impact is due to the solar evaporation of black liquor. The other measures which contributed to this impact are:

• recycling of fibre-rich streams for pump dilution;
• installation of Johnson screen showers;
• maintenance of digester bath ratio;
• use of fibre saver at centricleaner, and;
• removal of dust from raw material which would otherwise result in waste water

Table 4: Reduction in Water Pollution

Parameter	Water pollution load (Tonne/tonne of water)
	Before CP	After CP
BOD	0.20	0.12
COD	0.99	0.56
TSS	0.34	0.19
TS	1.21	0.61

 

Cost savings

A total approximately US$ 80,000 was invested in the first 30 measures implemented. Annual savings amounted to a total of US$ 88,000. The overall pay-back period was 11 months. The reduction in pollution load saved the company an additional US$ 55,000 per year in effluent treatment costs. So total annual savings realised by the company amount to approximately US$ 143,000. The operation production capacity increased from 25 tonnes per day to 27 tonnes per day. The financial benefit accrued by this increased capacity, particularly in summer months, has not been included in the above figures. The entire expenditure was financed through the company's own resources.

Table 5: Cleaner Production Cost Savings

Area of Savings	Amount (US$ per day)
1. Increased Capacity tonnes/day @ US$ 44.12 profit/tonne	88.24
2. Electrical Energy Savings 1,134 KWH/day	83.38
3. Fibre Savings	144.12
4. Steam Savings t/t @ US$ 7.35/tonne	89.32
5. Caustic Savings* kg/t @ US$ 0.29/kg	55.59
6. Alum Savings kg/t @ US$ 0.12/kg	5.09
7. Water Conservation US$ 0.01 /m3, 1,309 m3/day	15.35
TOTAL SAVINGS PER DAY	451.68

*Savings due to black liquor recirculation & raw material dedusting

Other benefits

Other benefits which followed the implementation of cleaner production at Raval were:

• the company's image among local bodies, NGOs and regulatory bodies has improved and the company is now being considered as "environmentally conscious", and;
  
  
• most importantly the cleaner production programme has resulted in improving the work environment, thereby improving worker productivity and morale.

The most important lessons of the Raval experiences that that need to be taken into consideration for future work with SMEs are:

• cleaner production has immense potential, particularly in SMEs;
  
  
• the success of cleaner production can be optimised if workers at all levels, from the shopfloor to middle management are included in the decision-making processes;
  
  
• cleaner production is economically very attractive;
  
  
• demonstration projects help to convince companies of the scope and potential of cleaner production;
  
  
• industrial enterprises require professional support for implementing cleaner production;
  
  
• SMEs require equipment and expertise for the measurement and monitoring of waste streams;
  
  
• training and involvement of plant personnel is essential for a sustainable cleaner production programme in industry, and;
  
  
• adoption of a systematic methodology of cleaner production assessment helps maximise benefits.

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This case study was provided by NCPC for inclusion in the INEM Casebook, Case Studies in Environmental Management in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the publication of which was made possible through the financial support of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

The National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC) was established at the National Productivity Council as part of an initiative taken by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and United Nations Environment Programme on building Cleaner Production capacity in developing countries. The main objectives of NCPC are to propagate the Cleaner Production concept in industries, particularly in small-scale industries.

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