ehs pulp & paper indutry

Environment Health and Safety Management In Pulp & Paper Industry

Dr. I. D. MallProfessor

Department of Chemical Engineering

"Nothing we do is worth an accident."

Dedicated to all victims of Environmental and safety disaster

Paper production plays an important role in the social cultural and industrial development of a country .

Today, the paper industry accounts for about 2.5% of world’s production and 2% of world trade.

Global demand for paper and board is forecast to grow from current level of 353 million tonnes to over 410 million tonnes by the year 2010 at an average growth rate of 2.2% per annum.

IntroductionIntroduction

• Pulp and industry utilizes wide variety of chemicals and the process generate highly toxic compounds in the form gaseous and water pollutants which have very adverse affect to human health

• This constitutes environmental and safety hazards in pulp and paper industry.

• Safety and hazard management are the important aspects in pulp and paper industry to improve safety and reduce the accidental risk.

• Hazardous waste management has become an international problem. The environmental and Human Health consequences of the residuals and wastes: not understood and recognised

• Developments in science, epidemiology, toxicology and analytical chemistry enabled to recognize

• Dioxins and Furan are the major toxic or hazardous material produced from pulp and paper mill effluent

PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY PROFILE

� Worldwide paper consumption in this century has increased 4 times faster than population

� Paper and paperboard worldwide will reach 476 million tones in 2010 and 640 million tones in 2020 with world population of 8000 million people and per capita consumption of paper and paperboard of 80 kg

� There are about 500 mills in India with 7% integrated (capacity more than 100 TPD), 30% medium (capacity between than 50 to 100 TPD), and 70% small paper mills with (capacity less than 50 TPD). The average Production capacity is about 8.5 million tonnes.

� Presently average growth rate of industry is 6 % PA and has to make provision for at least 10% growth rate PA to meet the needs of vision 2020

Indian Pulp and Paper Industry

Chemical pulp and recycled fibre capacity growth by region 2005-2015

32%

39%

29%

Size of paper mills in India

34

150

350

Large paper mills (>100 TPD)

Medium paper mills (50 to 100 TPD)

Small paper mills (< 500 TPD)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Consp. 10^8 tons Popul.million

Per Cap. Consumption

(kg)

USA

China

Japan

Germany

U.K

Italy

Rep. of Korea

India

France

Paper & Paperboard Consumption

Source: IPPTA J. Vol21, No.2 April-June 2009, Page-30

Technological development in pulp and paper industry

A lot of technological developments in pulp and paper industries have been carried out in early years.

Challenges to Pulp and Paper Industry

Challenges to Indian P&P producers

2004 Consumption 5 kg per capita Paper production 5.5MTPA Fibre supply pattern 2003: Wood & bamboo 40% (2.5 MTP) Agro residues 20% (1.3 MTP) RCF 40% ( 2.5 MTP)

Future 2010-2015 Consumption estimate +10-12kg per capita Paper production need 10-12million TPA Fibre supply pattern for the growth? Wood & bamboo 2million TPA Agro residues 1million TPA RCF 2million TPA

� Paper industry: highly polluting industries� Large quantity of waste water� High BOD, COD, pH, solid content, colour, foam,

chlorinated organic compounds and AOX.� Large number of toxic compounds have been identified � Chlorination and extraction stages: Responsible for

major toxicity of kraft mill bleach effluent � Formation: mainly attributed to the consumption of

elemental chlorine � With 80 million tones of bleached pulp: discharge of

organically bound chlorine -1.25 million tones� Pulp and paper market forces: driving the development of

pulp bleaching technology and there has been unprecedented changes in the bleaching technology

Toxic Waste from Pulp and Paper Industry

� In the production of white (bleached) pulp for paper making, chlorine and chlorine compounds are used for bleaching of pulp in different bleaching sequences, basically to remove or modify the residual lignin in unbleached pulp.

� Reaction of chlorine with lignin generates various types of organochlorine compounds, represented together as adsorbable organic halogens (AOX), which may be toxic.

Pulp bleaching sequences� C-E-H-H CD-E-D-D C-EO-H-H C-EP-H-H CD-EOP-D-D

C = chlorinationE = Alkaline extractionEO = Oxidative alkaline extraction

EP = Hydrogen peroxide reinforced alkaline extraction

EOP = Oxygen and peroxide reinforced alkaline extraction

H = treatment with (Na or Ca) hypochloriteCD = chlorination with chlorine dioxide substitution

D = treatment with chorine dioxide

Process technology of pulp and paper making

Off plant

In Plant

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

Major toxic compounds are resinacids,unsaturated fatty acids;juvabiones;diterpene alcohol, chlorinated lignin, resins, phenols,genotoxic compounds etc

Effluent colour is largely islargely as a result of lignin and lignin degradation products such as aromatic and quinoid nuclei, carbonyl and ethylenic groups

Major Solid waste are chipper house dust,cyclean rejects, boilerash and effluent treatment plant sludge.

Atmospheric emissions include H2S, mercaptans,

dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide,Sox ,NOx

and particulate matters sodium sulphate, sodium

carbonate, sodium sulphide and fly ash.

Generation of Solid waste, Toxic Chemicals, Malodrous Gases, Dust, allcalifumes,Flyash,Sludge

Environmental Impact of Pulp and paper manufacturing

Safety?

The word safety is very often used in the everyday life According to the Webster's New World Dictionary the

definition can be given as follows: (1) Safety: The quality or condition of being safe; freedom

from danger, injury, or damage; security (2) Safety: is the condition of being protected against

failure, damage, error, accidents, or harm. Protection involves here both causing and exposure.

“ The fundamental safety philosophy which ensures that an item of equipment can be operated, or an operation performed, in a safe manner with risks that area as low as

practicable”

Basic PrinciplesOf Safety

� Hazards associated with pulp and paper industry can be classified into two major categories that are Safety hazards and Human Health hazards due to toxic pollutants, noise, excessive heat, etc.

� For detailed consideration it can be classified as chemical hazards, physical hazards or injuries, wood/bamboo/straw dust, biological agents, heat, confined spaces, noise and radiation.

THE THREE CAUSE LEVELS OF ANY ACCIDENT

Environmental hazards in pulp and paper industry can be defined as the hazards associated with some serious environmental problem like discharge of highly polluted and toxic material bearing waste water, mission of particulate matter, dust, flue gases, production of hazardous solid waste and noise pollution.

Physical Hazards include the risk forphysical injury of workers.

Other carcinogenic compounds

ChloroformCarbon tetrachlorideDichloromethane

Major type of accident reported are caught in and crushed between rolls, caught between components of equipment / surfaces, struck by falling / tumbling objects, falls from elevation, thermal burns, electrocutions, vehicle mishaps, fatal injuries due to asphyxiation/poisoning by hazardous chemicals [OSHA, 1993].

The major hazards areas in pulp and paper industry mills are: Log and chips pile, Digester house, Recovery furnace, Paper machines, Chlorine plant.

Safety Hazards

Chipper and digester house are one of the major hazard areas.

Source:http://www.rumfordgroup.com/industries/PulpPaper.cfm

Source: http://www.cbtank.com/pulp.html

Aggressiveness of the fibre suspension and cooking liquors

with high temperature and pressure contribute to increased

crack formation in the welds,

Decreasing wall thickness especially in the bottom cone

portion. Explosion in digesters has been reported.

Digester Hazards

Worker opening cap on manually controlled batch digester

Source:http://www.ilo.org/encyclopedia/?print&nd=857200083

Smelt water explosion, which can occur if water is able to enter the furnace and come in contact of the smelt [Ahonen et al., 2006]. This may result due to tube leaks or excessive water in the black liquor.

Hazards of flue gas explosions in the furnace. Leakage of smelt from the furnace wall has also been

observed due to failure of refractory line and corrosion in the furnace casing.

Explosion in the dissolving tank with high level of liquor in the tank.

Paper machine hazard is inherent in the large fast rotating steam pressurized dryer cylinders.

Devasting explosion in the yankee dryers has been reported in the literature [Ahonen et al., 2006]

Recovery Section Hazards

� Possibility of rupture in containers, pipelines and other equipments because of buildup of pressure due to high liquid -gas ratio.

� Fire and explosion may take place by reaction with turpentine, hydrocarbons, powdered metals and sawdust etc.

Conveyors are used in chipper house for transporting chips and constitute major fire risks.

Severe injuries have been reported due to failure of lockout tagout systems.

Figure 2. Root Causes of Lockout/Tagout Events

Worker understanding and involvement in lockout/tagout process can play an effective role in the prevention of lockout/ tagout events Source: http://www.eh.doe.gov/web/oeaf/lessons_learned/ons/sn9605.html

The most commonly encountered risk factors for serious and fatal accidents in pulp and paper industry are the paper making equipment itself and the extreme size and weight of pulp and paper bales and the rolls.

Arrest Loss of Stock from Packing Inside Knife Gate Valves

Occupational fatality in the pulp and paper mill has been reported due to worker being caught in or between rotating rolls or equipment and being crushed by falling or tumbling objects especially rolls and bales.

Other causes of multiple deaths included electrocution, hydrogen sulphide and other toxic gas inhalation, massive thermal and chemical burns [Kenndey, 2002; Toren et al., 2002].

Severe injury in debarker chipper may be also due to exposure because of safety gaurds.

– Burned by hot digester – Cooking liquor, – Digester crack and – Burst, burned by exploding oxygen

tank,, – Flash fire vapours in digester house,

resulting in death due to trapping of worker in hot digester liquor

Major Accident reported in Pulping Section

Potential health and safety hazards in pulp and paper production, by process area

� Wood preparation

� Pulping

� Sheet forming and converting

� Other operations like Power generation , Water treatment , Effluent treatment , Chlorine dioxide generation , Turpentine recovery , Tall oil production etc.

Process area Safety hazards Physical hazards Chemical hazards Biological

hazards

Log pond Drowning; mobile

equipment; slipping,

falling

Noise; vibration;

cold; heat

Engine exhaust

Wood room Nip points; slipping,

falling

Noise; vibration Terpenes and other wood

extracts; wood dust

Bacteria; fungi

Chip screening Nip points; slipping,

falling

Noise; vibration Terpenes and other wood

extracts; wood dust

Bacteria; fungi

Chip yard Nip points; mobile

equipment

Noise; vibration;

cold; heat

Engine exhaust; terpenes

and other wood extracts;

wood dust

Bacteria; fungi

Process Area: Wood preparation


hazards

Stone ground

wood pulping

Slipping, falling Noise; electric and

magnetic fields ; high

humidity

RMP, CMP,

CTMP

Slipping, falling Noise; electric and

magnetic fields; high

humidity

Cooking chemicals and by-

products; terpenes and

other wood extracts; wood

dust

Process Area: Pulping

Process

area

Safety hazards Physical hazards Chemical hazards Biological

hazards

Sulphate

pulping

Slipping, falling Noise; high

humidity; heat

Acids and alkalis; cooking

chemicals and byproducts;

reduced sulphur gases;

terpenes and other wood

extracts; wood dust

Sulphate

recovery

Explosions; nip

points; slipping,

falling

Noise; heat; steam Acids and alkalis; asbestos;

ash; cooking chemicals and by-

products; fuels; reduced

sulphur gases; sulphur dioxide

Process Area: Pulping Cont…………

� SHE APPROACH

� Motivational and promotion activities

� Training ,education and awareness activities

� Inspection,audit and testing

� Investigation and analysis

� System Perfection


hazards

Sulphite

pulping

Slipping, falling Noise; high humidity;

heat


chemicals and by-products;

sulphur dioxide; terpenes

and other wood extracts;

wood dust

Sulphite

recovery

Explosions; nip

points; slipping,

falling

Noise; heat; steam Acids and alkalis; asbestos;

ash; cooking chemicals and

by-products; fuels; sulphur

dioxide

Process Area: Pulping Cont………………


hazards

Repulping/de-

inking

Slipping, falling Acids and alkalis; bleaching

chemicals and by products;

dyes and inks; pulp/paper

dust; slimicides; solvents

Bacteria

Bleaching Slipping, falling Noise; high humidity;

heat

Bleaching chemicals and

by-products; slimicides;


extracts

Process Area: Pulping Cont……………


hazards

Pulp machine Nip points;

slipping, falling

Noise; vibration; high

humidity; heat; steam

Acids and alkalis; bleaching


flocculant; pulp/paper dust;

slimicides; solvents

Bacteria

Paper

machine

Nip points;

slipping, falling

Noise; vibration; high


Acids and alkalis; bleaching


dyes and inks; flocculant;

pulp/paper dust, paper

additives,slimicides,solvents

Bacteria

Process Area: Sheet forming and converting


hazards

Finishing Nip points; mobile

equipment

Noise Acids and alkalis; dyes and

inks; flocculant;pulp/paper

dust; paper additives;

slimicides; solvents

Warehouse Mobile equipment Noise; vibration; high


Fuels; engine exhaust;

pulp/paper dust

Process Area: Sheet forming and converting Cont.


hazards

Effluent

treatment

Drowning Bleaching chemicals and

by-products; flocculant;

reduced sulphur gases

Bacteria

Chlorine

dioxide

generation

Explosions;

slipping, falling

Bleaching chemicals and

by-products

Bacteria

Other Operations Cont…………….

Other Operations


hazards

Power

generation

Nip points;

slipping, falling

Noise; vibration;

electric and

magnetic fields; heat;

steam

Asbestos; ash; fuels;


extracts; wood dust

Bacteria;

fungi

Water

treatment

Drowning Bleaching chemicals and

by-products

Bacteria

Process area Safety hazards Physical

hazards

Chemical hazards Biological

hazards

Turpentine

recovery

Slipping, falling Cooking chemicals and by

products; reduced sulphur gases;

terpenes and other wood extracts

Tall oil

production



reduced sulphur gases; terpenes

and other wood extracts

Other Operations Cont…………….

Explosions can occur in Electrolytic cells, chlorine pipelines, chlorine liquefier and hydrochloric acid units, chlorine cylinders, chlorine pipe line.

Liquid chlorine increases considerable in volume when evaporated. Handling chlorine should be kept away from direct source of heat.

Explosion in the chlorine gas line has been observed due to failure of gassifier.

Leakage of gas line due to severe corrosion because of moisture has been observed.

Explosion in the blower in a malodorous gas collection system has been observed.

Fire in the waste paper due to human factor has been also observed.

Major accidents can result in releases, fires and explosions during handling and transport outside processing unit

Numerous chemicals such as reduced sulfur compound (kraft pulping), oxidized sulfur compounds mainly sulfur dioxide (Kraft and sulfite pulping), chlorine, chlorine dioxide, sulfur dioxide, terpenses and other volatile organic compound that can have adverse effect on workers health.

Occupational Health hazards

Most significant occupational hazards associated with pulp and paper making are fatal exposure to toxic and hazardous chemicals like chlorine, chlorine dioxide, alkali fumes, hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans, dust wood. Bamboo, straw, talcum powder, lime alkali fumes coal dust, carbon monoxide.

There is increased risk in sulfite and kraft mill for workers due to their exposure to wood dust, terpenes, or preservatives present in wood. An increased risk of leukemia has been found [Toren et al., 1998].

There is generation of highly toxic compounds at various stages of pulp and paper manufacture and cause very adverse affect to human health.

It includes many chlorinated organic

compounds viz. adsorbable organic halogens (AOX), Elemental Free chlorine (ECF), Dioxin, furans, Talcum powder, dust and H2S.

Environmental, Occupational health & Safety Policy & Accident prevention

It is well recognized managerial

and organizational errors are key

contributors to accidents or

disaster.

Several accident investigators have found that 80%

correspond to human error and 20% correspond to

technical failure which has been termed as the 80-20 rule

[Santos-Reyes & Beard, 2001; Reason, 1997; Hale & Glendon, 1987].

Review and analysis of toxicity data of chemicals:

carcinogenicity,

Potential hazards of physical pollutants;

Noise, radiation,

Electricity

Evidence in favor of toxic effects

Animal models

Hazard identification should include

Epidemiological evidence,

Ecological studies,

Evaluation of toxic effects

Burden of disease, quantum of exposure.

Preventive measures to avoid any failure, and

Effective tools for creating electric safety awareness in

the work place is to display electrical safety related

pictures or poster at strategic locations.

Chlorine is one of the important raw materials in pulp and

paper industry, and a source of major hazard.

Risk and hazard in chlorine production, handling and

transportation of chlorine may be explosions, fire, physical

injury, chemical poisoning, short-term exposure to during

leakages [Mall et al., 2005].

Chlorine gas is highly toxic having pungent and

suffocating odour, irritant and may be fatal if inhaled.

Chlorine

Characteristics of Chlorine

� Chlorine is a non-flammable gas, but in the presence of an ignition source and fuel, can support and vigorously accelerate combustion.

• Chlorine gas reacts to other materials by eating into, or gradually wearing away, the material by a chemical reaction.

RISK AND HAZARD IN CHLORINE HANDLING

AND PROCESSING

� Explosions

� Fire

� Physical injury like burns etc. due to physical contact with liquid chemicals

� Chemical poisoning due to long

exposure

� Short-term exposures to toxic gases during leakages etc.

The hazards of chlorine production and chlorination process involve:

� Gas phase explosion� Runway reaction of thermal explosion,

deflagration and detonation in the condensed phase

Comparison of Ranking of Chlorine with Other Toxic Gases

CHLORINE SAFETY EQUIPMENT

� Ammonia solution� Ventilation system � Self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for

emergencies� Repair kit� Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)� Hood� Chained� Emergency response phone numbers

Explosions Gas Phase Explosion:

� Self ignition, deflagration and detonation in the gas phase.

� Explosions can occur in Electrolytic cells, chlorine pipelines, chlorine liquefier and hydrochloric acid units, chlorine cylinders, chlorine pipe line.

� Liquid chlorine increases considerable in volume when evaporated.

� Handling chlorine should be kept away from direct source of heat.

Fires due to Chlorine

� It my react to cause fire or explosion in contact with turpentine, ether, hydrocarbons, hydrogen, powdered metals, saw dust and phosphorus.

� Chlorine itself does not burn but it does act as an oxidizer and supports combustion, even in the absence of oxygen.

SAFETY AND HAZARDS IN HANDLING OF CHLORINE: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL

CHLORINE is supplied as:� Chlorine gas Cl2

(gas) 100% Cl2 • Cylinders• Tonners • Rail Road cars


Chlorine Rail Car Unloading


Chlorine Trailer Unloading


Stationary Chlorine Tank

• 25 ton stationary tank

Case Studies

1. Ignition causes(1) Ignition of a paper dust layer at a law temperature(2) Contact sparks from the dryer(3) Friction sparks from the nozzle and chain of the dust collecting system(4) Sparks due to static electricity

2.Concentration of dust, etc.(1)The room humidity was partly below 15 percent.(2)The dust-collecting system was designed to release a large part of collected air after filtering.(3)The dust-collecting method and capabilities were inadequate, considering the accumulated dust in the duct of the system

Paper dust ignited during repair work in milling room of a paper manufacturing plant The accident occurred in the process of tissue milling and winding rolls (an intermediate product) in a paper manufacturing plant.

Source:http://ncsp.tamu.edu/reports/jicosh_jp/2.htm

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/face/Reports/PDF-Reports/Paper%20mill.pdf

� On February 9, 1998, a 40-year-old male employee died while working at a paper mill. The

� Employee was working at the winder station

Disaster management plan

CONCLUSIONS

� To reduce environmental and safety hazards for better health

and safe work environment integrated approach at all level is

essential.

� Additional efforts are needed to prevent high exposure events

in pulp and bleaching operations,

� Hazard identification & risk assessment/safety audit, and

Occupational Health and Safety management. Promote

Occupational Health and safety policy, Compliance of all

relevant statuary provisions in respect of OH & S, relevant

legislative enactments, statutory regulations and orders.

� Inherent safety is better than engineered safety.

� Environmental health hazards can be minimized by

evolving eco-awareness, implementation of environmentally

friendly approach with minimization of toxicity and

releases of malodorous gases.

� Employee’s active participation and sense of ownership is

required to improve productivity, reduce losses and

emission, and safer environment.

� Several accident investigators have found that 80%

correspond to human error and 20% correspond to

technical failure that has been termed as the 80-20 rule.

� Let us remember safety is first and the last. Health is wealth

and service to mankind is the best way of worship.

CONCLUSIONS

Continue� We live in a dangerous world. Yet it is

also a world safer in many ways than it has ever been. Life expectancy is up. Infant morality is down. Diseases that only recently were mass killers have been all but eradicated. Advances in public health, medicine, environmental have dramatically reduced many of the major risks we faced just a few decades ago.

� Let us make the world more green, safer and riskless

� In the end I will quote the verse by the great saint Adi

Sankaracharya that “human actions ,human life, human

discipline human values are meant for purification of the mind

and not for material benefits alone”.

Continue

� Let us not think and plan only, but act for betterment of

mankind through better safety culture & Environmental

management.

Thank You

ehs pulp & paper indutry

Education

consumption of paper

population paper

pulp paper industrydr

indiasheet1large paper

tpd34medium paper mills

tpd150small paper mills

paper industry accounts

recycled fibre capacity