03 03

EWC 03 03 covers the diverse waste and by-product streams from pulp manufacturing and paper/board production: fibre-rich rejects (primary sludge, screen rejects, broke), biological treatment sludge (biosludge), causticising residues (green liquor dregs, lime mud/grits), ash from bark boilers and recovery furnaces, and de-inking sludge from recovered paper processing. The EU pulp and paper sector processes ~90 Mt of fibre annually, making this a significant industrial waste category.

Primary fibre sludge (fine fibres, fines, fillers) is the largest stream by mass in integrated mills. It can be dewatered and used in board production, composted or burned. Biosludge from activated sludge treatment of mill effluent has lower calorific value but is typically co-fired with bark in the mill's power boiler. De-inking sludge from recovered paper mills contains ink particles, fillers and short fibres — its management is a major operational cost, typically composted, landfilled or used as soil amendment. Dregs and grits from lime cycle operations are typically landfilled or used in construction.

Integrated kraft pulp mills are largely energy self-sufficient through recovery furnace combustion of black liquor and bark, but generate causticising waste (dregs, grits) requiring dedicated disposal routes. The IED BAT Reference Document for pulp and paper defines BAT-associated emission levels and waste minimisation techniques. Increasing fibre recovery from de-inking sludge and ash-to-cement routes are active areas of industrial symbiosis development.