Evaluation of Recyclability of Fibrous Raw Materials from Scums in Papermaking Process

Abstract

As the meaning of dictionary terminology, scum refers to a layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid. In papermaking process, scum indicates the floated solid waste generated by a flotation process during the primary wastewater treatment. In this study, different kinds of stocks and scums collected from newspaper, liner, tissue and fine paper were analysed in details. The purpose of this study was firstly to demonstrate the composition characteristics of different sources of scum, secondly the analysis of environmental hazardous materials, and thirdly the evaluation of reutilization ability of fibrous materials from collected scum. As mentioned the meaning of solid waste, scum was actually differ from the waste sludge in sources, compositions and recycling abilities. In the same manner of waste paper, the sludge which is generated within onsite of papermaking processes would be reused as a raw material. The general compositions of scum from waste water were mainly inorganic ash materials, fine fibre fractions, recycled fibre debries, and ink particles. If the scum is able to reuse as fibrous additives in papermaking process, it could contribute to the savings of running costs in both the subsidiaries of fibrous material and the solid waste treatment with even small quantity.