General Information about the sector

The pulp and paper industry is one of the most important industrial sectors worldwide because of the economic benefits that arise from this activity. At the same time, pulp and paper is one of the predominant contributors of industrial water pollution. Additionally, pulp and paper industry is increasing rapidly. There is a strong correlation between the increase in the consumption of paper products and the growth in the gross national product (GNP). This means that the consumption of paper and board products is related to the standards of living and the economic situation of the user populations. (BREF document "Production of Pulp, Paper and Board" (2015))

Europe’s role in global pulp and pare industry is very important, as Europe is the second largest producer after North America (as indicated also in the following figure) and the third largest consumer of paper and board. The production of wood pulp in Europe is about 41.8 million tonnes per year, which corresponds to 22% of the world’s total pulp production (192.4 million tonnes) (BREF document "Production of Pulp, Paper and Board" (2015)).

Industrial Activity (NACE Code C17.1)

Brine effluent generated during bleaching process

Bleaching process is a process with very large volume with high concentration of pollutants. Almost 60-65% of wastewater is contributed to this section. Bleach effluent contains dissolved organic substances, chlorinated substances, chlorate, phosphorous, nitrogen and salts. Bleaching chemical can end-up as pollutants (e.g. NaOH) in bleaching effluent.

The following table summarizes the components and the parameters to consider for the brine wastewater characterization generated from bleaching process in paper industry.

Key parameters for bleaching effluent characterization