Paper Mill sludge recycling
Alexander Stefanovich
Mrs.Lee
June 5,2013
Introduction:
Every year Paper Mills creates millions tons of wast. Paper waste is responsible for 40% percent of all waste in the United States. Paper waste is accountable for 25% of all landfill material. The average American consumes over 700 pounds of paper each year. Paper mills not only create paper but they also create a waste that has no recycling methods so far. This waste is titled SPN Sludge. The byproduct is made of cellulose, Calcium Carbonate, Silicone, and Aluminum. It appears like gray clumped up fibers that when dried, do not stick together.
The goal of this lab is to find a way to recycle or dispose this byproduct in environmentally safe and efficient way. My solution to this problem is to produce insulation out of SPN sludge. It is mainly made of cellulose which is great insulator and is hard to catch on fire. By adding fiberglass to the insulation there will be an additional fire resistance.
Background:
SPN sludge is made of 50-80% of Cellulose, 8-12% Calcium Carbonate,2-10% Silicone,<1-10% Aluminum. None of the substances in the sludge is considered toxic to humans. Cellulose has an R-value of 3.8/inch which makes it a great insulation. It also has a Class 1 fire safety rating which is highest rating for fire resistance.In fact,Cellulose is already being used as isolation.They can apply cellulose by blowing it in or by installing ready made sheets of cellulose. I will be trying to make sheets of cellulose. Fiberglass is not flammable which will contribute to the insulation’s fire resistance.
I believe that this could make a big difference in the world. It will certainly benefit our economy and environment. With new raw material to make in to a new products,jobs will be created helping our economy. Recycling sludge will create less waste which will improve our ecological situation.
I believe that this could make a big difference in the world. It will certainly benefit our economy and environment. With new raw material to make in to a new products,jobs will be created helping our economy. Recycling sludge will create less waste which will improve our ecological situation.
The process of making this insulation requires a small number of things. Including Sludge, Fiberglass, water, and Potassium iodine.
Materials:
Materials:
- Beaker
- Beaker that fits in to a first beaker
- Sludge
- Fiberglass
- Heater
- Bunsen burner
- Stirring rod
- Water
- Potassium Iodide
Procedure:
- Mix sludge with fiberglass with a 50/50 ratio. Fiberglass insulation
- Add Potassium iodide with water at a ratio of 15% potassium iodide and 85% water.
- Add sludge and fiberglass mixture to the new liquid substance.
- Mix it together.
- Start to heat the solution and compress it. Slowly drain the water.
When most of the water evaporates and the product is compressed, remove the product from the heat source and let it air dry.
- Mixing of Potassium iodide and water KI+H2O->K(+)+I(-)+H2O)
- Mixing of new substance with Sludge: K+I+H2O+CaCO3--->CO2+Ca(OH)2+K+I
Test of insulation:After the creating my insulation,it was time to put it under a flame test. I've put my newly made product under the fire for about 15 minutes and it did not catch on fire during that time at all. It would only get darker ,other than that it didn't tend to ignite.After experiment research :After doing my experiment I've done allot more research work and i found out number of things. I've discovered that Cellulose actually preforms better than fiberglass. That means, me adding fiberglass to the mixture was not very good idea. I also found out that cellulose can be applied by blowing it in so I didn't have to make it in to the block of insulation.
There I have two beakers with Sludge,Fiberglass mixed in solution of water and Potassium Iodide.
This is what the new product looks like after heating it and compressing it in tho the shape.
In this picture you can see my attempt of burning the new insulation which is unsuccessful which is good for my purpose.Limitations:
There is still allot of work that I would like to do but I am not able because of my time limit. I would like to research a way on how to make that isolation using as little chemicals as possible. I also want to find a way to filter out everything but Cellulose so you could make real isolation that already exists.Although filtering out all the other substances is certainly a big challenge that I foresee.Other limitation is that cellulose is not very water retardant and can be eaten by insects.
Conclusion:
The goal of this lab was to find environmental friendly,cost efficient, and useful product out of paper mill waste named Sludge. My solution for this issue was to create insulation. I'm happy to say that my project was a success. As you can see in the picture above my isolation does not burn and I can support it with evidence from other souses. This project will benefit to our economy creating new jobs and environmental friendly by being biodegradable,and recyclable.
