2023-03-02

The REPAPEL project advances in its research for the recovery of by-products and waste from the pulp and paper industry

The initiative, which has the support of the Hazitek program  of  the SPRI,  has already tested and is working in different lines to obtain new value-added materials from by-products and waste from the pulp and paper manufacturing  process.

The REPAPEL project, an Industrial Research initiative that aims to find new technological and management solutions that increase the recovery of  waste and by-products generated in pulp and paper production, is already advancing in its different lines for the validation of new materials and products such as  flocculants, concretes or asphalts, among other possibilities.

These works, which began in 2021, have the participation of a consortium of 10 Basque  companies from  the paper, construction, water and chemical sectors, and the  collaboration and support of Aclima, the Basque environmental cluster;   the Basque Country Paper Cluster;  Tecnalia and CEIT.

The idea is to integrate the entire current value chain that goes from pulp and paper manufacturers themselves to waste treatment companies and processing industries in the chemical sector, also through engineering or construction companies.  In this way, we want to increase the circularity of a sector that currently recycles more than 78% of the paper and cardboard consumed.  The project has a duration of 3 years and a budget of 4.5 million euros and has received the support of the Basque Government through the HAZITEK program of the SPRI, within the category of strategic projects.

The work led by this consortium of Basque companies is progressing with different tests on a pilot and laboratory scale to evaluate new technologies and processes for valuing waste and by-products obtained in the paper industry.

In this sense, the yields of different physicochemical technologies for the extraction of raw materials such as lignin and cellulose from black liquor, dregs and different paper sludge have  already been evaluated, being the basis for manufacturing new products.  Thus, for  example, new methodologies for the synthesis of flocculants from lignin have been investigated  and it has been proven that their laboratory yields can be equal to or superior to other commercial flocculants.

The use of lignin-based biobinders for different bituminous mixtures and waterproofing solutions has also been evaluated,  carrying out, throughout 2022,  permeability studies of different mixtures, replacing binders and usual additives with the new materials.

On the other hand, different ways to reuse ash and limestone sludge in concrete and cement are also being evaluated. In the case of ashes, carbonation tests have already been carried out, generating different samples for later use in prefabricated concretes, also analyzing their cementing potential in mortars.  Work is also being done  on the use of limestone sludge in concrete and cement plants.

Finally, laboratory-scale tests have also been carried out for different ways of valorization of dregs (solid waste obtained at the end of the process of separation of the liquid from the wood pulp in the manufacture of paper) that have made it possible to  validate possible future uses on roads and asphalts, in addition to the recovery of metals and energy recovery through processes of piroradvanced lysis.

The project is complemented by the development of a decision-making tool that will help companies in the paper sector select the best options for the recovery of their waste and by-products. These recovery options will be formed by the current management alternatives, as well as by the recovery and recovery systems of compounds with high added value developed within the framework of the REPAPEL project.

REPAPEL is part of the philosophy of the European Green Deal that aims to accelerate the transition towards an increasingly circular economy to achieve the objective of climate neutrality in 2050. Paper is one of the resource-intensive sectors and therefore the potential for circularity is very high. The initiative aims to avoid the generation of waste or transform it into quality raw materials with high added value.  The project, which has the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), aims to approach the challenge of zero discharge with the search for these alternatives to conventional ways of recovery, a fundamental aspect to meet the objectives of competitiveness and sustainability set by the European Union.

 Project Consortium

REPAPEL is a project with strong business leadership that brings together the entire value chain of the sector and shares a common strategy in the field of circular economy and bioeconomy. It has two international industry benchmarks, one is an integrated manufacturer of kraft pulp and paper, SMURFIT KAPPA Nervión, and the other is a manufacturer of high-performance pulp, ZUBIALDE, as well as leaders in the engineering sectors (ONDOAN, leader in turn of the project consortium, TSK, EKOTEK), waste treatment (SADER), asphalt (CAMPEZO and ASFALTIA), concrete (P. ETXEBERRIA) and chemical (FERALCO), in collaboration with 2 agents of the Basque Network of Science and Technology and Innovation (TECNALIA Research & Innovation and CEIT), as well as the support of the PAPER CLUSTER OF EUSKADI AND ACLIMA, BASQUE ENVIROMENT CLUSTER.