The ecology of paper mill by-product and its evaluation as a casing medium in the culture of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Pilat

Effluent from pulp and paper production at the Kemsley mill of Bowaters U.K. Paper Company Limited passes through two treatment stages before its discharge into the Swale estuary. Suspended material removed during treatment is deposited on wasteground as a thin sludge. The solids it contains are mainly wood components lost during pulp production, whilst it also has a high salt content, derived from chemicals used in pulping processes. After deposition the sludge undergoes an ageing process during which it dries out and its salt content is reduced. This ageing can be reproduced and accelerated by improved drainage under controlled conditions. The paper mill sludge was investigated as a casing medium in the culture of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Pilat, the cultivated mushroom. It was unsuitable up to one year from deposition due largely to the inhibitory effect of its salt content on fruiting. Material eighteen months or more in age gave yields comparable to standard peat casing. Before use as a casing the material must be shredded to a satisfactory structure, neutralised with chalk, and pasteurised to eliminate organisms harmful to the crop. The prepared medium has a high water holding capacity and a structure resilient to management procedures, important requirements of a good casing. A passive movement of salts from the compost to the casing was shown to occur during culture, capable of enhancing the natural decline in cropping if sufficiently great. The ions chloride, potassium, sodium and sulphate were shown to be responsible, their damaging effects being due to high conductivity created in the casing. Studies of elements available during culture suggested phosphate availability in the compost could limit crop potential, whilst iron released by mycelium of A.bisporus in the casing may be utilised by associated micro-organisms.

The intermediate pyrolysis of de-inking sludge to produce a sustainable liquid fuel

De-inking sludge is a waste product generated from secondary fibre paper mills who manufacture recycled paper into new paper sheets; it refers directly to the solid residues which evolve during the de-inking stage of the paper pulping process. The current practice for the disposal of this waste is either by land-spreading, land-filling or incineration which are unsustainable. This work has explored the intermediate pyrolysis of pre-conditioned de-inking sludge pellets in a recently patented 20 kg/h intermediate pyrolysis reactor (The Pyroformer). The reactor is essentially two co-axial screws which are configured in such a way as to circulate solids within the reactor and thus facilitate in the cracking of tars. The potential application of using the volatile organic vapours and permanent gases evolved would be to generate both combined heat and power (CHP) located at paper making sites. The results show that de-inking sludge could be successfully pyrolysed and the organic vapours produced were composed of a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds and some fatty acid methyl esters as detected by liquid GC-MS. The calorific value of the oil after condensing was between 36 and 37 MJ/kg and the liquid fuel properties were also determined, permanent gases were detected by a GC-TCD and were composed of approximately 24% CO, 6% CH and 70% CO (v/v%). The solid residue from pyrolysis also contained a small residual calorific value, and was largely composed of mainly calcium based inert metal oxides. The application of applying intermediate pyrolysis to de-inking sludge for both CHP production and waste reduction is in principle a feasible technology which could be applied at secondary fibre paper mills. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-Channel-Management im Spannungsfeld von Kundenzufriedenheit und Organisation

Technologische Entwicklungen wie der massenhafte Einzug des Internets haben dazu geführt, die gewachsenen Absatzketten insbesondere im Handel zumindest teilweise außer Kraft zu setzen. Das Management von Kundenkontakten stellt Unternehmen vor neue Herausforderungen, da der multioptionale Konsument zur Realität geworden ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird mittels dreier empirischer Studien, durchgeführt vom Institut für Handelsmanagement und Netzwerkmarketing, ein Modell der Zufriedenheit von Konsumenten im Internet hergeleitet, welches den Unternehmen neue Ansatzpunkte präsentiert, um erfolgreich im Markt zu bestehen.

Fixed bed downdraft gasification of paper industry wastes

The two main wastes generated from secondary fibre paper mills are rejects (composed mainly of plastics and fibres) and de-inking sludge, both of which are evolved from the pulping process during paper manufacture. The current practice for the disposal of these wastes is either by land-spreading or land-filling. This work explores the gasification of blends of pre-conditioned rejects and de-inking sludge pellets with mixed wood chips in an Imbert type fixed bed downdraft gasifier with a maximum feeding capacity of 10kg/h. The producer gases evolved would generate combined heat and power (CHP) in an internal combustion engine. The results show that as much as 80wt.% of a brown paper mill's rejects (consisting of 20wt.% mixed plastics and 80wt.% paper fibres) could be successfully gasified in a blend with 20wt.% mixed wood chips. The producer gas composition was 16.24% H, 23.34% CO, 12.71% CO 5.21% CH and 42.49% N (v/v%) with a higher heating value of 7.3MJ/Nm. After the removal of tar and water condensate the producer gas was of sufficient calorific value and flow rate to power a 10kWe gas engine. Some blends using rejects from other mill types were not successful, and the limiting factor was usually the agglomeration of plastics present within the fuel.

The intermediate pyrolysis of de-inking sludge to produce a sustainable liquid fuel

De-inking sludge is a waste product generated from secondary fibre paper mills who manufacture recycled paper into new paper sheets; it refers directly to the solid residues which evolve during the de-inking stage of the paper pulping process. The current practice for the disposal of this waste is either by land-spreading, land-filling or incineration which are unsustainable. This work has explored the intermediate pyrolysis of pre-conditioned de-inking sludge pellets in a recently patented 20 kg/h intermediate pyrolysis reactor (The Pyroformer). The reactor is essentially two co-axial screws which are configured in such a way as to circulate solids within the reactor and thus facilitate in the cracking of tars. The potential application of using the volatile organic vapours and permanent gases evolved would be to generate both combined heat and power (CHP) located at paper making sites. The results show that de-inking sludge could be successfully pyrolysed and the organic vapours produced were composed of a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds and some fatty acid methyl esters as detected by liquid GC-MS. The calorific value of the oil after condensing was between 36 and 37 MJ/kg and the liquid fuel properties were also determined, permanent gases were detected by a GC-TCD and were composed of approximately 24% CO, 6% CH and 70% CO (v/v%). The solid residue from pyrolysis also contained a small residual calorific value, and was largely composed of mainly calcium based inert metal oxides. The application of applying intermediate pyrolysis to de-inking sludge for both CHP production and waste reduction is in principle a feasible technology which could be applied at secondary fibre paper mills. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.