Freshwater availability, allocation and quality are increasingly becoming a concern in Canada. Canada’s apparent availability of abundant freshwater is not what it was thought to be. With increasing competition for water sources and inadequate management systems water use and management approaches are being re-examined. While urban and municipal water uses are highly studied, Canadian industrial water use is not. Despite that industrial water use is understudied, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is a major user of water and contributes to quality water issues where mills are located. This thesis is divided into two equally important parts. First, this research seeks to understand the influences and prevailing conditions on the decision-making framework of pulp and paper mills. Second, it seeks to understand how the prevailing conditions affect the applicability of the water soft-path concept in the pulp and paper industry. It will contribute to the literature of Canadian industrial water management. This research specifically examines the applicability of the water soft-path concept under the stresses and realities of the systems of influence identified as market forces, policy and regulation, and technology faced by the Canadian pulp and paper industry. Corporate culture was an implicitly common thread that ran through these systems of influence. A variety of methods were used in this study including, a literature review conducted by themes, surveys, interviews, analysis of archival data and backcasting were used as the methodological approaches. The literature review was conducted by themes of water management, technology, market forces, regulation and corporate culture. Surveys were conducted to gain water use data from specific mills but a low response rate required a widening of the research boundaries. Interviews were conducted with government officials, industry representatives, and environmental non-governmental organizations. The interviews contributed to the boundary setting and understanding of the influences that impact decision-making for industry. The analysis of archival data was to better understand how water use in pulp and paper mills has changed through the years. Understandably the systems of influence (market forces, policy and regulation, and technology) work independently and together to create a complex environment in which decisions on water use in pulp and paper mills are made. The complexity of the decision-making framework is great and the barriers to water soft-path application difficult. Market forces are less capable of addressing environmental externalities such as water. Regulation and policy has yet to address water use in industry. Technology does provide an important opportunity for efficient water use and application of the pulp and paper industry. Ultimately, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is in a redefining moment where opportunity exists to create a new direction and approach to water use in the Canadian pulp and paper industry.

The overall objective of the research conducted and described in this thesis was to develop an environmentally relevant bioassay to assess the effects of complex effluents on a sentinel fish species. A short-term fathead minnow (FHM) reproductive bioassay was utilized to assess the effects of industrial effluents on multiple levels of biological organization (sub-organismal to population endpoints). The FHM bioassay was tested in both lab and on-site investigations using an artificial stream system. The incorporation of trophic-transfer into the bioassay was also developed to quantify the importance of contaminated food as a source of exposure. This work was conducted in two key phases. Phase I focused on testing and developing the FHM bioassay, in the lab and on-site with pulp mill effluent (PME), to firstly document response patterns and, secondly, to conduct an investigation of cause study. Phase II focused on developing the trophic-transfer system to document responses to metal mine effluent (MME) in the lab and on-site in an artificial stream system. Development of the trophic-transfer system was also conducted during this phase to compare responses to standard water-only exposures. <p>In Phase I, exposure to PME in both the lab and field studies resulted in disruptions in egg production and spawning events. By focusing on identifying response patterns I was able to determine that the effects observed were indicative of an estrogenic response. I was also able to identify a process stream that was the potential cause of responses observed after exposure to final effluent. Isolation of this process stream will assist the mill in developing approaches for future mitigation. The results from this research will also provide additional data for the environmental effects monitoring (EEM) program for pulp and paper and investigation of cause studies on a national basis. <p> In Phase II, in both the field and laboratory investigations, significant decreases in reproductive output (egg production and spawning events) were observed in the water-only system exposures. Significant decreases in hatching success and increases in deformities were observed in the trophic-transfer system only, suggesting that the combination of both food and water was important in assessing the effects on the F1 generation. Overall, the responses in the trophic-transfer system were not comparable between the lab and field studies. In the lab study, significant decreases in reproductive output occurred, compared to the field study where significant increases in egg production and spawning events occurred. In addition, the effects on the F1 generation in the field study were not as severe as those observed in the lab investigation. It was concluded that the presence of reference water and the environment within the trophic-transfer system were responsible for this reduction in toxicity. <p> Phases I and II of this research have made significant contributions to artificial stream development within Canada for the assessment of industrial effluents and their effects on aquatic biota. The results from these studies have also demonstrated that environmentally relevant testing is essential if we are to accurately assess effects on aquatic biota. Future development and application of this bioassay should be towards developing a standardized approach for not only assessing the effects of industrial effluents in a comparative manner, but also in investigation of cause studies.

The most common strategy for handling paper mill solid waste is typically disposal in landfills. However, several drawbacks are associated with this type of solid waste management, such as increasing costs due to oil price rise, governmental restrictions on land use, and environmental concerns such as leaching of disposed contaminants into groundwater, as well as methane generation of and release to the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming. An alternative to reduce solids prior to disposal and to recover methane as a renewable fuel is anaerobic digestion, but it is not yet clear whether such an approach is feasible in paper mills. In this study, the anaerobic digestion of paper mill waste streams was evaluated for a paper plant located in Belen, Costa Rica, to investigate up to what extent certain waste streams can be anaerobically digested, to what extent energy can be produced in the form of methane for implementation in a wastewater treatment plant and to evaluate the conditions that will favor methane generation from select waste streams. Batch assays were performed to evaluate the biodegradability of single and combined waste samples under ideal, laboratory conditions. Samples were obtained from the manufacturing plant as well as the wastewater treatment plant at the paper mill under study. The ultimate biodegradability ranged 25 to 85% in terms of volatile solids destruction, corresponding to the waste activated sludge (WAS) and Flotation Cell rejects, respectively. The COD destruction of single samples ranged from 45 to 63%, corresponding to WAS and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) dissolved air flotation (DAF) skimmings, respectively. Methane generation ranged from 80 to 190 ml at 35oC/g COD added for all single samples (excluding underflows). In combination Feed 1 was reduced by 46 and 52% and Feed 2 by 27 and 38%, respectively. Two combinations of two single samples each (Feed 1 and 2), formulated according to plant operational data, and their solids and COD destruction as well as methane generation in semicontinuous flow anaerobic digesters were evaluated at different solids retention times (30, 20, 15, and 7 days). Nutrients (N, and P) availability as well as alkalinity in the plant waste streams were evaluated and minimum supplements were used to support an efficient anaerobic digestion process. The reactors reached stable operation at all retention times evaluated. Methanogenesis was the predominant, terminal metabolic process under anaerobic, mesophilic conditions, but the overall process rate was determined by the hydrolysis of the particulate substrate. Reactors fed with Feed 1 achieved the highest level of destruction, which amounted to 85% of phosphorus that is typically present in paper mill wastes. Alkalinity addition to the feed (3.5 mg NaHCO3/L) was necessary to maintain the reactors pH above 6.9.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004 iii, 111 leaves / The purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies of Sappi Forest Product division as a basis for establishing future developments. The literature focused on the resource-based view where the analysis of the firm’s internal resources and capabilities can be used as the starting point of strategy.

This work explores the usefulness of fish bile analysis in combination with biomarkers for identifying and evaluating new environmental contaminants in the aquatic environment. It illustrates how bile analysis can be used together with biomarkers to assess the causes of estrogenic effects, to identify chemicals in the aquatic environment that are taken up by fish, and to monitor environmental exposure. In a first application, fish exposed to sewage treatment plant effluent were studied. Elevated levels of vitellogenin in the exposed fish demonstrated that estrogenic effects occurred. Several estrogen disrupting substances were identified in the fish bile, and analysis of water samples confirmed that these substances were present in the effluent. The synthetic estrogen 17a-ethinylestradiol, which is known to be present in sewage treatment plant effluent, was shown for the first time to be taken up by fish. Considering the reported potencies of the detected substances, it was concluded that 17a-ethinylestradiol was the major contributor to the estrogenic effects. Chemical analysis of bile was used to identify rubber additives that were released from tires immersed in water. The bile of rainbow trout held in the water contained high levels of metabolites of PAHs and aromatic nitrogen compounds. Several biomarkers were also measured in the exposed fish, and EROD induction and oxidative stress were observed. Based on the bile analysis observations together with knowledge of toxicological mechanisms, it was postulated that the EROD induction was due to the PAHs, while aromatic nitrogen compounds caused the oxidative stress. Resin acids in fish bile proved to be a good indicator of exposure in a chronic long-term study of rainbow trout exposed to effluent from a total chlorine free (TCF) pulp mill. Elevated levels of GST (gluthatione-S-transferase) and GR (gluthatione reductase) activity, and the presence of DNA adducts after a two month recovery period, indicated that compounds in the pulp mill effluents have persistent effects. In addition to characterising the exposure of the fish to the effluent, the analysis of the resin acids in the bile provided evidence of accidents in the pulp mill that the existing process monitoring system had not detected. Resin acids in bile were also found to be a valuable indicator of exposure to pulp mill effluents for eelpout living in the Baltic Sea. A correlation between resin acid levels in bile and skewed sex ratios provided an important link in the chain of evidence that substances in the pulp mill effluents cause male bias of the eelpout embryos. A particularly good example of the potential of bile analysis was the identification of a previously unknown environmental contaminant. A large peak was observed in the bile extracts of fish that had been exposed to sewage treatment plant effluent. This peak was identified as triclosan, which demonstrated its presence in sewage treatment plant effluent. Other work went on to show that it is a common contaminant of the aquatic environment. The ability of fish to concentrate contaminant metabolites in bile to levels very much higher than in the environment, and the comparatively low levels of analytic interferences, make bile a particularly attractive matrix to search for new, unknown organic pollutants

This thesis has been performed at Mondi kraft pulp and paper mill located in Sweden, Kramfors Dynäs due to the low return rate of condensate. Currently, the return rate is only at 65 - 75 %. This is problematic as the demineralization process is operating on full capacity and thus requires a reduced make-up water need. The production of demineralized water is an expensive process due to large requirements of chemicals and pump-energy, but also due to the cost of raw water and maintenance. Therefore the purpose of the work was to investigate the possibility to increase the condensate return rate and thus reduce the need of make-up water. The investigation was performed during normal production rates to simplify the interpretations. The steam and condensate system was mapped and extracted flows were identified, measured and marked on map. The extracted flows were investigated in more detail and characterized as either consumed in a process or lost to sewer or atmosphere. In the work, both minor and major improvements were investigated. Minor improvements are accomplished with small intervention measures and could be done with small or no investments costs. Major improvements require large investments costs and further investigations. Six different processes were found to constitute the total production of make-up water. These are the free blowing of excess steam, soot blowing steam, paper machine 6, de-aerating process in the feed water tanks, digester process and steam- &amp; condensate leaks along the pipe network. Improvements with the category of minor were found to reduce steam and condensate consumption by 22 - 23 ton/h. This implies a reduction by 30 - 32 % of the added make-up water, including an annual financial benefit of 3,3 - 3,9 MSEK. Additionally 0,41 - 0,82 MSEK could be gained annually by improving the insulation on the cylinder dryer heads. The make-up water would be further reduced if insulation jackets and inspection programs were implemented on equipments along the steam lines. Two major improvements are recommended. The first major improvement involves elimination of the free blowing of excess steam. This could be accomplished by drying the bark before combustion. The added make-up water would be reduced by 25 % and with the possibility to sell the dried bark during low steam production. The second major improvement involves the digester process, where the consumptions of medium pressure steam could be reduced by replacing steam with liquor-steam from the strong liquor accumulator. Medium pressure steam could instead be converted into electricity by the turbine.

The effects of UV pretreatment on alkaline bleaching (EOP) wastewater from a kraft pulp and paper mill were investigated prior to anaerobic digestion (AD) in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The aim was to enhance the methane production, increase the reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) and determine the best UV exposure time. The exposure time of 2.6 minutes partially degraded the organic material in the EOP wastewater since it generated higher biogas and methane production than the reference period, while it also increased the reductions of solved chemical oxygen demand (CODsol) and TOCsol. The exposure time of 16 minutes, on the other hand, did not show any significant improvement regarding increased biogas and methane production nor did it increase the reduction of CODsol. However, it did increase the reduction of TOCsol, but not to the same extent as the exposure time of 2.6 minutes. The presence of unwanted microbial growth in the system during the experiment might have affected the effectiveness of the UV pretreatment more during the exposure time of 16 minutes as the amount of growth was more substantial during this period of time. Furthermore, no optimal exposure time could be determined due to lack of time.

Dissertation (M.Sc. (Chemical engineering)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-52)

Thesis (M.Sc. (Industrial Ecology and Environment))--Mahidol University, 2007. / LICL has E-Thesis 0022 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1967. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.