Bindlas Duplex and UNIDO win award at IPPTA seminar

The Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association (IPPTA) organised a two-day zonal seminar on 30 and 31 October 2023 in Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh). The theme was ‘efficient collection and processing of recovered paper for achieving improved yield and quality’.

Marching on the matter, the experts Pankaj Aggarwal, chief managing director of Bindlas Duplex, and Rakesh Kumar Jain, technical expert at United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), delivered a presentation on how Indian paper mills can step up productivity with zero liquid discharge, a strategic wastewater management system.

To begin with, they provided a synopsis of the Indian paper industry, which contributes 4% of global paper production. It boasts a total production of 22-MTPA and has witnessed a 6-7% market growth rate. Also, the industry provides direct employment to around 6,50,000 persons, which involves higher participation of MSMEs.

Of the raw material that enters the production line, it is crucial to note that recycled fibre accounts for 73% of the raw material usage, and the wood and agro residue contribute 18% and 9% respectively. Yet the question remains - is it sustainable enough?

The Indian paper industry faces challenges in terms of raw material availability, increased pollution, cheap technologies, and evolving market demand. Aggarwal and Jain propose the UNIDO intervention to defy these challenges. The industry must adopt technologies and manufacturing practices, and implement an innovation-centric approach.

UNIDO, a specialised organisation of the United Nations, has been working for over five decades in India with governments, business associations and individual companies. It extends help to supporting and enhancing manufacturing productivity and excellence, and thereby the overall economic performance of India.

At the seminar, the highlight of the UNIDO paper presentation was the demonstration of technologies and production practices to achieve work optimisation in the pulp and paper industry. 

In the Indian context, membrane filtration, application of chlorine dioxide (CIO2) and black liquor heat treatment are innovative technologies aimed at wastewater treatment and energy efficiency. 

The use of CIO2 can result in paper breakage caused by slime, spots and specks on paper and marked odour. Thereby, further resulting in production loss, customer rejection and non-eligibility for exports. 

However, a broad-spectrum, effective oxidant and disinfectant, ClO2 will improve internal process water quality and control of foul smell in Indian paper mills. It has a faster microbial killing rate, also can penetrate the polysaccharides barrier (EPS) in aged bacteria. Its application makes the process cost-effective and leaves negligible traces in process water.

A trend chart of ClO2 for the period August to September revealed that the paper breaks in August were high. In September, it was minimised remarkably to almost zero. There is effective control of microbial contamination and odour, also reduced paper machine breaks
and downtime.

Implementation of ClO2 treatment in RCF-based paper mills producing packaging paper grades in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh has incurred an operational cost of Rs 21 per tonne of paper. With a quick ROI of less than a month, there is the benefit of approximately Rs 35,000 per day.

The solution is an effective sporicide in food-grade paper, it is appropriate to use this versatile disinfectant in food-grade paper applications. 

In the packaging sphere, paper-based materials account for more or less 40% of food-grade packaging. It has spurred with rise in eCommerce, the F&B industry, the FMCG and pharma sector, and the ban on single-use plastic in India.

This UNIDO intervention led them and Bindlas Duplexthe to win the ‘Best Paper Award’ at the IPPTA zonal seminar in Muzaffarnagar. The project has the ability to not only promote water recycling with reduced freshwater consumption and wastewater discharge but also the ability to meet discharge norms mandated by the regulatory authorities.

With such programmes, IPPTA aims to address the challenges faced by the paper industry and pave the way for sustainable breakthroughs. The discussions revolved around the paper's second life, on how to enhance its yield and quality responsibly.