European pulp and paper industry generates eleven million tonnes of waste annually, of which 70 % is derived from the production of deinked recycled paper. The solid waste streams from paper mills include rejects, various types of sludges and ashes. Global demand for sustainable products is increasing and new environmental concerns and waste disposal laws with increasing treatment costs are pushing the pulp and paper industry to find new and alternative uses for waste residues. Utilisation of pulp and paper industry side streams for plastic composites would decrease waste generation, improve resource efficiency, reduce the environmental footprint and add value of the side streams that would otherwise discarded in the landfills.<br/>Various side streams components from paper industry using recycled paper as raw material were demonstrated as feedstocks for new low-cost plastic composites with good appearance. These side streams can be of different qualities and thus various end uses exist. The tensile properties and water adsorption of such composites are on a good level and their environmental benefits are clear, since they reduce need to landfill these streams. This is also supported by chemical analysis of the sludge. This approach can also bring additional revenue from the same raw material stream, improving the overall economy.<br/>Side streams which include a high amount of fibres have a reinforcing effect in polypropylene composites. They enhance the tensile strength, stiffness and heat resistance of the composites. Side streams with high inorganic content such as deinking sludge, total sludge and fly ash can be used as cheap fillers in polypropylene composites. They lead to stiffer but more brittle materials.<br/>- The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n° 604187 -

Potential use of pulp and paper industry side streams in composites

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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