Friday, June 7, 2013

Paper Mill

The problem is that a paper mill in town generates waste and an objectionable odor; and for my part, I have made a few ideas to improve upon the current uses.
First of all, a paper mill is a factory that makes paper from vegetable fibers. For example, wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients using a type of paper machine. 
The chemical that is causing the odor is called dimethyl sulfide. 
To reduce the harmful waste, EAP scientists have created a green chemistry technology; which converts the chemicals into useful resources. 

MSDS for Sludge 
SPN Sludge. 
Product derived from waste water treatment clarifier solids, containing 45%-75% of water. 
Contains cellulose (wood pulp), calcium carbonate (limes), silicon (clay), and aluminum. 
Solid. 
Grey fibrous. 
Odorless. 

To use some of the waste, there are a few ideas that came up. First of all, wood pulp is actually used to make most paper. In fact, the pulp and paper industry produces over 304 millions tons of paper every year. Meanwhile, the global production is expected to increase 77% by 2020. So, doing this, could actually help in a big way.

Another way to make the waste useful is using it to make gasoline and diesel fuel. It can be made by removing the oxygen from the biomass and convert the other main ingredients, which is hydrogen and carbon, into molecules. However, the cost turns out to be a couple hundred million on a plant to make this work. Although gasoline and diesel are not healthy for the environment, biodiesel has some advantages in a lower impact in the environment. In other words, I feel like making the fuel for our cars will help. 
More studies have been trying to use the waste to convert it to bioplastic, foam, old rags, and other uses.



You could use it as soap, break down soil, or fuel for cars and home heating.

The Glycerin By-Product: 
Biodiesel uses three major waste products; glycerin, methanol, and water. 
Some home-brewers are creating soap used from biodiesel waste glycerin. Glycerin can be converted to ethanol if you add E.coli.  

 
Glycerin:


 
Nutrition Content:
There is none. Although it can change glycerin and E.coli to succinate used to flavor drinks and food, and formate (a common preservative in animal feed).
Transporting waste: 
The methanol and water can be done in-house. Excess methanol can be boiled off the glycerin within a closed container and directed into a condenser. Then reused for the next biodiesel batch. Waste water can be disposed of down the drain. Then you would have fuel trucks for ethanol and distribution to gas stations. Farmers can use glycerin on their fields as fertilizer, food production and chemical plants. However, if you don't have that option, you'll have to have it transported to plants that use it or pay to dispose it. 
Sustainability:
According to some, they are worried that we are going to run out of paper. Though, our world is becoming more advanced with technology, we are using less paper in the long run. 
Environmentally Friendly: 
Yes, except the methanol if it's not recyclable. You need to burn off the methanol off the glyercin to get rid of the methanol. 
Chemistry Involved: 
This is a molecule of biodiesel, it's a chain of carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, and an ester functional group. 

Biodiesel is like diesel. Diesel has a chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms, but the ester functional group doesn't.

At first, diesel engines used vegetable oil. Which also has the chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms chain; but is three times bigger. In the blue, it is the ester functional group. 

Converting it into biodiesel makes the molecule smaller.
Converting vegetable oil into biodiesel requires methanol, which causes the OCH2 bonds to break. This reaction, which is called transesterification reaction, creates glycerol. Glycerol binds to the methanol creating a methoxy group. Sodium hydroxide and potassium are used as catalyst. 


Trace water must be removed before transesterification reaction. 

If there is excess water it will create soap and make it more difficult to separate the leftover methanol, the catalyst, and the glycerol byproduct.


Converting waste paper into biofuel is something that should be looked into. About 83 billion liters of ethanol can come from the waste paper. 
Today, bioethanol is the most important biofuel. Which, the mills are able to give the bioethanol to be good for the economy. Waste paper includes an amount of municipal and industrial waste. When paper is recycled, it's made into new products and the fiber length becomes shorter. In doing so, is decreases the quality. 65% of recycled paper is turned back into paper. While the rest is deposed of and can be used for energy. There is two types of wood, hardwoods and softwoods. Softwoods can not produce ethanol. 
Autohydrolysis is good for the economy on hardwoods or non-wood plants. Though, is is not great for softwoods. Autohydrolysis is economically the best for softwood. 
To improve obtainability of enzymes to fibers and not losing the carbohydrates, is known as mechanical refining. 
The lignin is taken away by ozone and chlorine dioxide, but oxygen gives a boost to the lignin. Enzymes bind preferentially to lignin; which means, the chemical structure of residual lignin as a factor is important. 

So, to use the paper mill's waste, there are many ways to dispose it and make it into something useful.

Sources:
* MSDS for Sludge
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/6/1/13
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search? 
q=cache:hjgWKTbC4d0J:biomass.ucdavis.edu/files/reports/2007-cbc-biofuels-from-municipal-solid-waste-background-paper.pdf+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=ubuntu
http://www.answers-to-your-biodiesel-questions.com/biodiesel-waste.html
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-delignification.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-methods-of-delignification.htm
http://www.goshen.edu/chemistry/biodiesel/chemistry-of/

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