Pollution prevention pays off in a board paper mill

Environmental problems caused by recycling wasted paper at a board paper mill provide the material of this study. Two scenarios have been investigated: The first being the treatment of the end-of-pipe, and the second being the control and management of pollution problems through the application of in-plant control and pollution prevention measures. Comparison between the two alternatives, based on a cost-benefit analysis and compliance with National Environmental Laws was done. From this study it was apparent that the implementation of the pollution prevention measures such as the recovery of fiber, reduction of fresh water consumption, and optimization of white water usage proved to be very cost effective. All the implemented solutions have short payback periods and resulted in great savings compared with the treatment of the end-of-pipe.