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Green liquor dregs (GLD) is an alkaline by-product from the pulp and paper industry with a pH between 10 and 14. Today most of the produced GLD in Sweden is landfilled. As a fine-grained alkaline material, it might be possible to use it for acid-generating mining waste remediation. To increase the utilization, quality characteristics and environmental performance need to be determined. In this study samples were collected 5 times from 16 mills during a period of 2.5 years, and were characterized by analyzing dry matter content, loss on ignition (LOI) 550 °C and LOI 950 °C, elemental analysis, pH, electrical conductivity, and calorific value. The results were then evaluated using multivariate statistics (PCA) as well as being compared to other studies and Swedish till. The results show that even if GLD is heterogenous (both within a mill and between different mills) trends can be seen for samples from most mills. When samples do stand out, it is predominately related to the same four mills. Most of the studied parameters showed characteristics favorable for use as a remediant; however, TOC, sulfur, and some of the elements require further study. In general, this study concludes that GLD can be a viable option for the remediation of small orphaned sulfidic mining sites and thus worthy of further studies on the interaction between GLD and acidic mining waste. Overall, GLD can be a good alternative for cost-effective remediation of smaller orphaned mining sites. It is readily available in large quantities, has the qualities needed for remediation of many orphaned acidic mining sites, and can often be locally sourced near the mining site. The use of GLD for mining site remediation is likely also a more sustainable method compared to traditional remediation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing fake paper problem is a cause for concern in the scientific community. These papers look scientific but contain manipulated data or are completely fictitious. So-called paper mills produce fake papers on a large scale and publish them in the name of people who buy authorship. The aim of this study was to learn more about the characteristics of fake papers at the metadata level. We also investigated whether some of these characteristics could be used to detect fake papers. For that purpose, we examined metadata of 12 fake papers that were retracted by Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology (NSAP) in recent years. We also compared many of these metadata with those of a reference group of 733 articles published by NSAP. It turned out that in many characteristics the fake papers we examined did not differ substantially from the other articles. It was only noticeable that the fake papers came almost exclusively from a certain country, used non-institutional email addresses more often than average, and referenced dubious literature significantly more often. However, these three features are only of limited use in identifying fake papers. We were also able to show that fake papers not only contaminate the scientific record while they are unidentified but also continue to do so even after retraction. Our results indicate that fake papers are well made and resemble honest papers even at the metadata level. Because they contaminate the scientific record in the long term and this cannot be fully contained even by their retraction, it is particularly important to identify them before publication. Further research on the topic of fake papers is therefore urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper mill sludge (PMS) is featured with a high content of cellulose and hemicellulose, and using its characteristics to make paperboard can achieve a high-value utilization of PMS, which has attracted growing interest. In this study, currently prevalent landfill, incineration technologies (generating heat and electricity by incineration), and three paperboard technologies (medium density fiberboard, pulp board, and corrugated paper) were evaluated and compared via life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods. LCA results show that the PMS-to-pulp board outperforms others with an energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) value of − 2.86 × 10−8, while the landfill exhibits the highest overall environmental impact with an ECER value of 4.80 × 10−9. LCC results reveal that the PMS-to-pulp board delivers the highest economic profit with $257.357, while the landfill is the lowest with $ − 35.63. The PMS paperboard technologies are more economically friendly than the incineration technologies due to additional electricity/steam consumption during the PMS pre-drying process in incineration. In addition, different scenarios were set up to explore national GHG emission reduction potential by increasing paperboard technologies application rate and reducing the proportion of landfill and incineration. The scenario analysis suggests that replacing 90% of landfill and incineration ratio with PMS paperboard technologies could tremendously improve the overall emission reduction performance with − 9.08 × 1010 kg CO2 eq. This result indicates that the PMS treatment technology transformation has a significant favorable impact on the achievement of the "carbon neutrality" target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honesty of publications is fundamental in science. Unfortunately, science has an increasing fake paper problem with multiple cases having surfaced in recent years, even in renowned journals. There are companies, the so-called paper mills, which professionally fake research data and papers. However, there is no easy way to systematically identify these papers. Here, we show that scanning for exchanged authors in resubmissions is a simple approach to detect potential fake papers. We investigated 2056 withdrawn or rejected submissions to Naunyn–Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology (NSAP), 952 of which were subsequently published in other journals. In six cases, the stated authors of the final publications differed by more than two thirds from those named in the submission to NSAP. In four cases, they differed completely. Our results reveal that paper mills take advantage of the fact that journals are unaware of submissions to other journals. Consequently, papers can be submitted multiple times (even simultaneously), and authors can be replaced if they withdraw from their purchased authorship. We suggest that publishers collaborate with each other by sharing titles, authors, and abstracts of their submissions. Doing so would allow the detection of suspicious changes in the authorship of submitted and already published papers. Independently of such collaboration across publishers, every scientific journal can make an important contribution to the integrity of the scientific record by analyzing its own pool of withdrawn and rejected papers versus published papers according to the simple algorithm proposed in the present paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic development of a country directly depends upon industries. But this economic development should not be at the cost of our natural environment. A substantial amount of water is spent during paper production, creating water scarcity and generating wastewater. Therefore, the Pollution Control Board classifies this industry into red category. Water is used in different papermaking stages such as debarking, pulping or bleaching, washing, and finishing. The wastewater thus generated contains lignin and xenobiotic compounds such as resin acids, chlorinated lignin, phenols, furans, dioxins, chlorophenols, adsorbable organic halogens (AOX), extractable organic halogens (EOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls, plasticizers, and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins. Nowadays, several microorganisms are used in the detoxification of these hazardous effluents. Researchers have found that microbial degradation is the most promising treatment method to remove high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from wastewater. Microorganisms also remove AOX toxicity, chlorinated compounds, suspended solids, color, lignin, derivatives, etc. from the pulp and paper mill effluents. But in the current scenario, mill effluents are known to deteriorate the environment and therefore it is highly desirable to deploy advanced technologies for effluent treatment. This review summarizes the eco-friendly advanced treatment technologies for effluents generated from pulp and paper mills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we focus on a very curious and bibliometrically important case of a 2017 moth pheromone paper published in Cell Press' Current Biology that has already accumulated over 1600 Google Scholar-based citations within the past 4 years (i.e., since 2020) to appreciate whether all those citations are valid, i.e., within thematic scope, or whether a portion of those citations might be invalid, and which we colloquially refer to herein as "unwanted citations". Our investigation assessed Scopus-based data (1088 citations on 10 August 2023). In addition to creating a SciVal thematic profile, which indicated a wide diversity of topics of papers citing the 2017 paper, a manual screen revealed only one paper that was directly thematically relevant to the topic of insect reproductive biology. The remaining > 99% of citations, or "unwanted citations", are invalid. To reflect a valid state of scientific truthfulness, those papers should be corrected to reflect that citation abuse has taken place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorization of paper mill sludge (PMS) is the main goal of this study. The emissions of PMS continue to increase at global scale, especially from packaging paper and board sectors. The raw sludge was used to prepare an adsorbent to remove toxic pollutants from wastewater, the methylene blue (MB), an organic dye. Firstly, the physico-chemical characterization of PMS was done determining the crystalline phases of PMS fibers, the content of main elements, and the pH zero point charge, which was determined at around pH 7. The adsorption of MB on PMS powder was studied at 18 °C with an agitation of 200 rpm, being the best operating conditions 30 min of contact time, 250 mg L−1 of initial MB concentration and 0.05 g in 25 mL of adsorbent dose. Experimental data of MB adsorption was fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. The Langmuir model was more accurate for the equilibrium data of MB adsorption at pH 5.1. The PFOM and PSOM were adjusted to experimental adsorption kinetics data, being PSOM, which describes better the MB adsorption by PMS powder. This was confirmed by calculating the maximum adsorption capacity with PSOM, which was 42.7 mg g−1, being nearly similar of the experimental value of 43.5 mg g−1. The analysis of adsorption thermodynamics showed that the MB was adsorbed exothermically with a ΔH0 = − 20.78 kJ mol−1, and spontaneously with ΔG0 from − 0.99 to − 6.38 kJ mol−1 in the range of temperature from 291 to 363 K, respectively. These results confirm that the sludge from paper industry can be used as biosorbent with remarkable adsorption capacity and low cost for the treatment of wastewater. PMS can be applied in the future for the depollution of the effluents from the textile industry, which are highly charged with dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, cellulose nanofiber (CNF) production has primarily relied on virgin cellulose sources. Yet, the shift to using paper mill sludge (PMS) as a source for CNF underscores the significance of reusing and recycling industrial byproducts. PMS contains significant amounts of cellulose that can be extracted as a raw material. The purpose of present study is to provide a sustainable approach to PMS utilization as a paper coating additive in the cellulose nanofibrils (CNFPMS) form via simply scalable wire-wound rod coating method. The effect of CNFPMS additive amounts at two coating layers on microstructure and surface properties of coatings such as porosity, air permeability surface roughness and optical properties such as brightness, gloss and CIE L*a*b* is studied, which they can also provide insight for the eventual print performance. Results indicated that the obtained CNFPMS in paper coating shows 52% decrease in porosity, presenting significant improvement in the coating microstructure. The marginal increase in permeability coefficient and surface roughness, 54% and 10%, respectively, suggests improving color reproduction and preventing color density losses. Optical analysis showed slight decrease in brightness and gloss, as was expected. Notably, the lightness was improved, which also indicates increasing color gamut volume in printing applications. As a result, the current work offers a sustainable approach to manage PMS for use in paper coatings as a high-value-added material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash–lime–gypsum bricks are an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient alternative to burnt clay bricks. Nowadays, the scarcity of fly ash and lime adversely affects the production of fly ash bricks. To mitigate this, the current study examines incinerated paper mill sludge ash as a supplement to fly ash and lime. In the current study, in blend 1, coal fly ash is replaced by incinerated paper mill sludge ash (2.5–30 wt%), and in blend 2, lime is completely replaced by incinerated paper mill sludge ash (2.5–15 wt%). Based on Indian standards, bricks were tested for compressive strength, water absorption, weight density, percentage voids, efflorescence, drying shrinkage, dynamic modulus of elasticity, and impact energy. Before developing bricks, the materials have to be examined by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry differential thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscope techniques. Results from X-ray diffraction showed that higher replacement of incinerated paper mill sludge ash does not produce any phase transformation and merely improves porosity, which reduces weight. Higher replacement of incinerated paper mill sludge ash leads to a reduction in strength and a higher water requirement. The study found that incorporating incinerated paper mill sludge ash at replacement 2.5–15 wt% in blend 1 and 2.5–5 wt% in blend 2 satisfied the building brick requirements. By incorporating incinerated paper mill sludge ash into bricks, the brick industry can produce sustainable bricks that utilize resources effectively. Graphical abstract illustrating the reuse of incinerated paper mill sludge ash in the manufacturing of building bricks to minimize the demand for fly ash and lime. The visual shows the drawbacks of paper mill sludge in land dumping, the suggested methodology for reusing incinerated paper mill sludge ash to minimize environmental degradation, improved sustainability through waste utilization, its benefits, and the characterization of bricks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To elucidate whether occupational noise exposure increases the mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke, and if exposure to paper dust modified the risks. Methods: We studied 6686 workers from soft paper mills, with occupational noise exposure, < 85 dBA, 85–90 dBA and > 90 dBA, and high (> 5 mg/m3) exposure to paper dust. Person-years 1960–2019 were stratified according to gender, age, and calendar-year. Expected numbers of deaths were calculated using the Swedish population as the reference and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were assessed. Results: SMR for IHD was 1.12 (95% CI 0.88–1.41) for noise < 85 dBA, 1.18 (95% CI 0.90–1.55) for 85–90 dBA, and 1.27 (95% CI 1.10–1.47) among workers exposed > 90 dBA. Joint exposure to high noise exposure and high exposure to paper dust resulted in slightly higher IHD mortality (SMR 1.39, 95% CI 1.15–1.67). SMR for ischemic stroke was 0.90 (95% CI 0.37–2.15) for noise < 85 dBA, 1.08 (95% CI 0.45–2.59) for 85–90 dBA, and 1.48 (95% CI 0.99–2.00) among workers exposed > 90 dBA. High noise exposure and high exposure to paper dust resulted in higher ischemic stroke mortality (SMR 1.83, 95% CI 1.12–2.98). Conclusion: Noise levels > 90 dBA was associated with increased IHD mortality. Combined exposures of noise and paper dust may further increase the risks. Our results do not provide support for a causal relationship for ischemic stroke. Residual confounding from smoking has to be considered. Workers need to be protected from occupational noise levels exceeding 90 dBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pith is the internal part of the sugarcane plant with short and variable fiber length. The presence of pith creates process-related issues in papermaking, so it must be removed from the bagasse. Pith has low calorific value, and burning of pith in boilers also creates boiler operational issues as well as environmental pollution and health hazards. The imposition of stringent emission norms by the environmental regulatory bodies is compelling these industries to search for cleaner alternatives to fuels. Pith is generated in huge quantities so its disposal or management will become a major challenge if industries shift to cleaner fuel. Considering these pressing issues and some recent relevant research reported on pith valorization, this study was planned to explore the potential of pith valorization. Therefore, in the present review, research studies available on alternate routes for the valorization of pith into value-added products have been extensively covered. Since pith is also lignocellulosic biomass, therefore, its valorization after pretreatment and as such direct utilization (without pretreatment) has also been categorically discussed. Furthermore, the promising pathways and prospective research in pith valorization are discussed that will make the sugar and associated pulp and paper mill more economically and environmentally sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-speed milling, the machining system is affected by a chatter resulting from the dynamic interaction between the tool and the part, which can cause harmful effects on the tool and the machined surface of the part. Chatter occurs more frequently for the milling of thin-walled parts due to their low stiffness. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of thin-walled parts vary along the tool path. The dynamics of the part are therefore the dominant factor that should be considered in the modeling and the study of the milling process and must be performed in 3D, where the third dimension is the tool position. This paper studies the milling stability of Al 7075-T6 thin-walled parts during high-speed milling considering the variation of dynamic characteristics and develops three-dimensional stability lobe diagrams of the spindle speed, axial depth of cut, and tool position. The dynamic equations of motion are solved numerically using semi-discretization method. Modal parameters of the tool and the part were extracted experimentally by modal tests. Then, cutting tests were conducted to validate the established model by measuring the machined surface roughness which is used as a criterion for detecting instability. The experimentally obtained results correspond well with the predicted stability limits. Moreover, the influence of different cutting parameters on the machining stability along the tool path was investigated. It is found that the variable spindle speed improves significantly the cutting process, and the best selection of feed per tooth impacts positively on the machined surface quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study "Retracted papers originating from paper mills: cross sectional study" examines the scientific misconduct of so-called paper mills, which produce and sell fake articles. The authors mainly come from Chinese institutions and most of the articles were published in high-impact factor journals. The study identified 1182 retracted articles from paper mills and warns that this could only be the tip of the iceberg. The falsification of scientific literature through manipulated data is a serious problem. Editorial boards of scientific journals must take measures to detect and reject such submissions. [Extracted from the article]

The disposal of paper mill wastewater (PMW) is a serious environmental issue for the Mediterranean countries. In present study, the Box-Behnken design was used to determine the optimum experimental conditions of coproduct sugarcane bagasse, yeast extract, inoculum size, and temperature on biodegradation of PMW by Pseudomonas putida. This species has manganese and lignin peroxidase activities inducing the valorisation of the treated paper mill effluent in agriculture. The variables involved in Box-Behnken design included sugarcane bagasse (0–0.5–1 ppm), yeast extract (1–2–3%), temperature (20–25–30 °C), and inoculum size (0.6–0.8–1) level with bacterial-treated PMW to determine the effects on batter chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color removal. Predicted values of parameters using model equations were in good agreement with the experimental values with R2 ≥ 0.94. The maximum color and COD removal were obtained at optimized conditions of 1 ppm sugarcane bagasse at 2% of yeast extract with 1.0 inoculum size in temperature 25 °C. It must be noted that the valorization and exploitation of a coproduct such as sugarcane and yeast extract can have a considerable impact on the COD and color removal of PMW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The best way to understand the environmental status of a certain region involves thorough non-target analysis, which will result in a list of pollutants under concern. Arkhangelsk (64° 32′ N 40° 32′ E, pop. ~ 344,000) is the largest city in the world to the north of the 60th parallel. Several industrial enterprises and the "cold finger" effect represent the major sources of air contamination in the city. Analysis of snow with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry allows detecting and quantifying the most hazardous volatile and semivolatile anthropogenic pollutants and estimating long-term air pollution. Target analysis, suspect screening, and non-target analysis of snow samples collected from ten sites within the city revealed the presence of several hundreds of organic compounds including 18 species from the US EPA list of priority pollutants. Fortunately, the levels of these compounds appeared to be much lower than the safe levels established in Russia. Phenol and dioctylphthalate could be considered as the pollutants of concern because their levels were about 20% of the safe thresholds. ChromaTOF® Tile, MetaboAnalyst software platform, and open-source software protocols were applied to process the obtained data. The obtained clusterization results of the samples were generally similar for various tools; however, each of them had certain peculiarities. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) hexanedioate, benzyl alcohol, phthalates, aniline, dinitrotoluenes, and fluoranthene showed the strongest influence on the clusterization of the studied samples. Possible sources of the major pollutants were proposed: car traffic and pulp and paper mills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a techno-economic assessment of carbon dioxide capture from limekiln flue gas of a pulp and paper mill (Mill A) and a linerboard mill (Mill B) using a Monoethanolamine (MEA) absorption desorption process was carried out. We coupled the ASPEN Plus simulator with a derivative-free optimization (DFO) tool to identify the optimal configuration for minimizing the total capture cost. The capture costs were calculated using CAPCOST, a modular program for equipment cost estimation, and appropriate coefficients. Eight degrees of freedom, the direct contact cooler stages, the absorber stages, the stripper stages, the solvent lean loading, the solvent weight concentration, the stripper inlet temperature, the flue gas inlet temperature, and the amount of CO2 captured, were selected for process and flowsheet optimization. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of steam integration and Sect. 45Q of the existing federal tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration on CO2 capture costs. The total capture costs per tonne of CO2 were $64.9 for Mill A and $69.7 for Mill B. When steam integration and Sect. 45Q are considered, the costs dropped to − $2.5 and $2.6 for Mill A and Mill B, respectively. The sensitivity of CO2 capture cost to changes in the inlet flue gas flowrate, flue gas CO2 mol%, and the electricity and MEA prices were investigated. The sensitivity analysis results revealed that the capture costs vary from − $5.9 to $5.9 per tonne of CO2 captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteriophages are key viruses that can kill thousands of harmful microbes generally present at polluted sites. Such bacteriophages are abundantly present in the river Ganga, where millions of people in India and abroad drink its water and take baths every day for spiritual reasons. Besides bacteriophages, several pathogenic and zoonotic microbes are present in the river Ganga. It is interesting to study the diversity and abundance of bacteria and their respective phages present in polluted or non-polluted sites. Thus, the metagenomics study was carried out at the most polluted sites of river Ganga near Kanpur and non-polluted sites at Farakka, which harbors several harmful bacteria and their phages. The results revealed a significantly higher percentage of Microviridae phage family, ssDNA viruses, and Mimiviridae virus family near Kanpur than Farakka. In addition, compared to Kanpur, Farakka has a more significant percentage of Myoviridae, an unidentified phage family, and Retroviridae viral families. Despite heavy drainage of untreated and contaminated effluents from the leather industry, pesticide industry, paper mills, metropolitan cities, and other sources, the vast number of said phages kills several harmful pathogenic microbes in polluted sites to maintain the Ganga water's healing power or natural sterility. In a polluted aquatic environment, the varieties of bacteriophages were identified in the Ganga and their interaction with the microbial host. The taxonomic diversity of several bacteriophages found in pathogenic host systems was investigated to get exceptional knowledge of these small viruses in the aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry produces massive amounts of waste that in contact with oxygen can result in leaching of metals. Access to a suitable cover-material for the mine waste is sometimes limited, creating a driving force for recycling industrial residues for these purposes. Green liquor dregs (GLD), an industrial residue from paper and pulp production, has the potential to be used in a sealing layer as an amendment to till. Though hydraulic conductivity is commonly used to evaluate the quality of the sealing layer, field application from laboratory investigations is challenging as many factors, apart from vast variations in the physical properties of both the till and the GLD, control hydraulic conductivity. In this study, 5–20 wt.% of GLD from two different paper mills, with different total solid contents and particle size distributions, were mixed with a silty till with varying total solid contents to investigate how the materials' dry density, initial water content, and compaction affects the hydraulic conductivity. We found that the initial water content of the materials was the most important factor. With a drier till and GLD, more GLD should be added to attain the lowest hydraulic conductivity possible. The compaction was not found to notably affect the mixtures' hydraulic conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon is mainly an adsorbent material and for its versatile application in material science, it's received much attention in recent years. Activated carbon can be prepared using different methods such as physical or chemical activation or physicochemical activation. As a precursor Paper Mill Sludge was used to prepare activated carbon by direct chemical activation where H 3 PO 4 was used as an activating agent. Among different activation temperatures (200 °C, 250 °C, 300 °C, 350 °C, and 400 °C), high yield (49.2%) and iodine number (761.4 mg/g) were obtained at 250 °C with 30 min activation time. The decrease in iodine number and yield of activated carbon was observed with increasing temperature due to activation burn off at higher temperature. A higher iodine number indicates higher activation. The obtained product was characterized by using XRD, FTIR, and EDAX-SEM. FTIR indicates the presence of several aliphatic and aromatic carbons and XRD showed the presence of amorphous structure at the produced activated carbon. SEM showed an irregular and highly rough surface of activated carbon. All the studies of characterization reveal that paper mill sludge has been converted into activated carbon successfully. The novelty of this work is that activated carbon can be produced from paper mill sludge by direct chemical activation with less time and energy consumption. The textural properties and potential applications of obtained activated carbon will be done in our future research works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to optimize the applicability of TiO2 nanoparticles for paper mill and pulp wastewater treatment under solar irradiation using response surface methodology, provided by the software package DOE. The principle independent parameters were TiO2 loading, pH, time and H2O2 concentration, and COD removal efficiency was chosen as desire response. To evaluate the influence of the parameters on the outputs, the quadratic formulation was applied and for determining the validation of developed models analysis of variance was utilized. The results represented the greatest COD removal was achieved 82%, approximately at pH of 8.1, TiO2 fraction of 0.83 g/L, H2O2 concentration of 2.4 ml/L and the contact time of 196 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apart from protecting the environment from undesired waste impacts, wastewater treatment is a crucial platform for recovery. The exploitation of suitable technology to transform the wastes from pulp and paper industries (PPI) to value-added products is vital from an environmental and socio-economic point of view that will impact everyday life. As the volume and complexity of wastewater increase in a rapidly urbanizing world, the challenge of maintaining efficient wastewater treatment in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner must be met. In addition to producing treated water, the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has a large amount of paper mill sludge (PMS) daily. Sludge management and disposal are significant problems associated with wastewater treatment plants. Applying the biorefinery concept is necessary for PPI from an environmental point of view and because of the piles of valuables contained therein in the form of waste. This will provide a renewable source for producing valuables and bio-energy and aid in making the overall process more economical and environmentally sustainable. Therefore, it is compulsory to continue inquiry on different applications of wastes, with proper justification of the environmental and economic factors. This review discusses current trends and challenges in wastewater management and the bio-valorization of paper mills. Lignin has been highlighted as a critical component for generating valuables, and its recovery prospects from solid and liquid PPI waste have been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-chemical monitoring of the snow cover in the impact zone of a pulp and paper mill was carried out. Conditional impact zones of the mill were identified. The interannual variations in their area were shown. There was a more than 50% decrease in the area of impact zones after the reconstruction of the mill. It was estimated that the seasonal features of the wind regime significantly influenced the formation of a snow pollution plume. A calculation of air mass trajectories showed a probable area of displacement of emission components from the mill. A comparison of field data on the pollution dispersion obtained during the snow cover study with data on the wind direction and air mass transport confirmed the consistency of these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is one of the key negative emission technologies (NETs). Large-scale implementation of BECCS has been criticized of the associated increase in land use. The existing large Nordic pulp and paper production units enable BECCS deployment without additional land use, as they currently release large amounts of bio-based carbon dioxide (CO2). The application of BECCS in pulp mills has been found technically feasible in earlier studies. This study explores key factors that affect the propensity to invest in BECCS in different types of existing European pulp and paper mills. The results give fresh understanding on the effects of BECCS on the market price of pulp and paper products and the required level of incentives. Based on statistical data, the marginal carbon dioxide credit (€ per ton CO2) to make BECCS profitable was derived. The results show that the required level of credit greatly depends on the mill type and details and that the feasibility of BECCS does not clearly correlate with the economic performance or the measured efficiency of the mill. The most promising mill type, a market kraft pulp mill, would find BECCS profitable with a credit in the range of 62–70 €/tCO2 and a credit of 80 €/tCO2 would decrease pulp production costs by 15 €/tproduct on average if 50% of CO2 emissions was captured. The EU Emission Trading System (ETS) is the main policy instrument to achieve the climate targets related to fossil energy use, but does not yet contemplate bio-based emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry have historically been one of the world's largest consumers of freshwater resources and producers of wastewater discharges. More than 250 chemicals have been identified in effluents including chlorine-based organic and other toxic compounds. Some of these are resistant to biological degradation such as color-related compounds. The goal of this study was to analyze the real wastewater from the paper mill and to suggest a photocatalytic treatment method in order to reduce the organic pollutants load. The efficiency of the commonly used treatment photocatalytic processes (photo-TiO2 and photo-Fenton reagent) on the treatment of real paper mill effluent was investigated. Additionally, the performance of TiO2 photocatalytic reactions with and without the addition of hydrogen peroxide was also examined. For the experiment, a 500 mL pyrex UV reactor and a 125-W high-pressure mercury lamp, surrounded by pyrex filter blocking wavelengths below 290 nm were used. The approach has been applied for the treatment of effluents produced from a papermaking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate indigenous bacteria possibility in recycled paper and cardboard mill (RPCM) wastewater treatment through the isolation and identification of full-scale RPCM indigenous bacteria. The molecular characterization of the isolated bacteria was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Klebsiella pneumoniae AT-1 (MZ599583), Citrobacter freundii AT-4 (OK178569), and Bacillus subtilis AT-5 (MZ323975) were dominant strains used for RPCM wastewater bioremediation experiments. Under optimal conditions, the maximum values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color biodegradation by C. freundii AT-4 were 79.54% and 43.81% after 10 days of incubation, respectively. In the case of B. subtilis strain AT-5 and K. pneumoniae AT-1, the maximum values of COD and color biodegradation were 70.08%, 45.96%, 71.26%, and 32.06%, respectively. The results from optimal conditions regarding efficiency were higher in comparison with the efficiency obtained from the oxidation ditch treatment unit in full-scale RPCM-WWTP. Therefore, the present study introduces the isolated indigenous bacteria strains as a promising candidate for improving the RPCM-WWTP efficiency using bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments received from referees during peer-review were analysed to determine the rates of duplication and partial duplication. It is very unusual for 2 different referees to submit identical comments, so the rare cases where this happens are of interest. In some cases, it appears that paper-mills create fake referee accounts and use them to submit fake peer-review reports. These include comments that are copied and pasted across multiple reviews. Searching for duplication in referee comments is therefore an effective method to search for misconduct generally, since the forms of misconduct committed by paper-mills go beyond peer-review fraud. These search methods allow the automatic detection of misconduct candidates which may then be investigated carefully to confirm if misconduct has indeed taken place. There are innocent reasons why referees might share template reports, so these methods are not intended to automatically diagnose misconduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Excessive paper dust during paper production may harm the workers’ respiratory health. We wanted to assess the inhalable paper dust levels and its determinants among paper industry workers.A study was conducted in Ethiopia to assess the level of personal inhalable paper dust exposure among four paper mills. A total of 150 samples were collected using the IOM sampler attached to Side Kick Casella pumps at a flow rate of 2 L/min. The samples were analyzed in Nemko Norlab, Norway. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to identify determinants of inhalable paper dust.The geometric mean of personal inhalable paper dust was 3.3 mg/m3 with 80% of the measurements exceeding the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m3. The linear mixed-effects model showed that the level of dust was 28% higher when using high-speed than when using low-speed rewinding machines, while paper mills with an average of more than four machines per job group had 22% higher exposure than paper mills with a lower number of machines. Furthermore, working in packing and preparation was associated with higher dust exposure than in other areas.The dust exposure levels were above the Swedish OEL for 80% of the samples. This indicates that preventive measures should be established in the industry. The exposure model identified high-speed rewinding machines, a high number of machines, and work in preparation and packing as associated with high levels of paper dust exposure.Methods: Excessive paper dust during paper production may harm the workers’ respiratory health. We wanted to assess the inhalable paper dust levels and its determinants among paper industry workers.A study was conducted in Ethiopia to assess the level of personal inhalable paper dust exposure among four paper mills. A total of 150 samples were collected using the IOM sampler attached to Side Kick Casella pumps at a flow rate of 2 L/min. The samples were analyzed in Nemko Norlab, Norway. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to identify determinants of inhalable paper dust.The geometric mean of personal inhalable paper dust was 3.3 mg/m3 with 80% of the measurements exceeding the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m3. The linear mixed-effects model showed that the level of dust was 28% higher when using high-speed than when using low-speed rewinding machines, while paper mills with an average of more than four machines per job group had 22% higher exposure than paper mills with a lower number of machines. Furthermore, working in packing and preparation was associated with higher dust exposure than in other areas.The dust exposure levels were above the Swedish OEL for 80% of the samples. This indicates that preventive measures should be established in the industry. The exposure model identified high-speed rewinding machines, a high number of machines, and work in preparation and packing as associated with high levels of paper dust exposure.Results: Excessive paper dust during paper production may harm the workers’ respiratory health. We wanted to assess the inhalable paper dust levels and its determinants among paper industry workers.A study was conducted in Ethiopia to assess the level of personal inhalable paper dust exposure among four paper mills. A total of 150 samples were collected using the IOM sampler attached to Side Kick Casella pumps at a flow rate of 2 L/min. The samples were analyzed in Nemko Norlab, Norway. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to identify determinants of inhalable paper dust.The geometric mean of personal inhalable paper dust was 3.3 mg/m3 with 80% of the measurements exceeding the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m3. The linear mixed-effects model showed that the level of dust was 28% higher when using high-speed than when using low-speed rewinding machines, while paper mills with an average of more than four machines per job group had 22% higher exposure than paper mills with a lower number of machines. Furthermore, working in packing and preparation was associated with higher dust exposure than in other areas.The dust exposure levels were above the Swedish OEL for 80% of the samples. This indicates that preventive measures should be established in the industry. The exposure model identified high-speed rewinding machines, a high number of machines, and work in preparation and packing as associated with high levels of paper dust exposure.Conclusions: Excessive paper dust during paper production may harm the workers’ respiratory health. We wanted to assess the inhalable paper dust levels and its determinants among paper industry workers.A study was conducted in Ethiopia to assess the level of personal inhalable paper dust exposure among four paper mills. A total of 150 samples were collected using the IOM sampler attached to Side Kick Casella pumps at a flow rate of 2 L/min. The samples were analyzed in Nemko Norlab, Norway. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to identify determinants of inhalable paper dust.The geometric mean of personal inhalable paper dust was 3.3 mg/m3 with 80% of the measurements exceeding the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 2 mg/m3. The linear mixed-effects model showed that the level of dust was 28% higher when using high-speed than when using low-speed rewinding machines, while paper mills with an average of more than four machines per job group had 22% higher exposure than paper mills with a lower number of machines. Furthermore, working in packing and preparation was associated with higher dust exposure than in other areas.The dust exposure levels were above the Swedish OEL for 80% of the samples. This indicates that preventive measures should be established in the industry. The exposure model identified high-speed rewinding machines, a high number of machines, and work in preparation and packing as associated with high levels of paper dust exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulp and paper industries are very important for developing the Brazilian economy. During production processes, many effluents are generated with high polluting potential. The objective of this study is to conduct an extensive literature review on the characteristics of effluents and treatment forms adopted by Brazilian mills in this industrial sector. Most consulted studies address raw (without treatment) and secondary (after biological treatment) effluents, considering their main characteristics like pH, chemical and biochemical oxygen demands (COD and BOD, respectively), color, solids, organochlorines, toxicity, estrogenic activity, and phenols. Raw effluents differ considerably in composition, depending on the type of paper produced, the pulping process employed, and other steps, like pulp bleaching. Raw effluent characteristics indicate that this effluent cannot be directly disposed of into water bodies, because it does not comply with federal and state disposal standards. Secondary effluents normally comply with Brazilian legislations, although some studies have reported COD and total phenol concentrations higher than disposal standards, suggesting that additional treatments are necessary. Treated effluent reuse was verified in some Brazilian mills, while its disposal in eucalyptus plantations has been considered a promising alternative for irrigation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly fibrillated cellulose, including cellulose micro or nanofibrils (CMFs or CNFs), has been extensively investigated. However, its morphological properties defined as the degree of fibrillation vary over time according to the fiber sources and preparation methods. In this study, a facile method for evaluating the degree of fibrillation was developed using a conventional Canadian standard freeness (CSF) tester and the obtained values were called drainage volumes (DVs). The standard screen used in the CSF test is used to retain fibers and fibril, but the screens in the DV test to fractionate the fibrils by their size. Two DVs of the highly fibrillated cellulose were obtained using two special mesh size screens in the DV test. The differences between two DVs were found to have a linear relationship with the degree of fibrillation and the average fibril width of the highly fibrillated cellulose. They also exhibited a linear relationship with the crystallinity, degree of polymerization and the mechanical properties of the fibril-based sheets. Two commercial CNFs produced by paper mills with different wood sources were evaluated using the developed method. Their DV differences enabled the estimation of their degree of fibrillation, with which the average fibril widths and physical and mechanical properties were predicted and they were found to be well matched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca-HAp) was synthesized from calcium carbonate (CaCO3) extracted from a paper mill sludge. The extraction of CaCO3 was carried out by chemical precipitation process and synthesized to HAp nanoparticle under appropriate stoichiometric condition through wet chemical precipitation process. The size of the HAp nanoparticle was 42.5 nm under an optimized aging period of 24 h. This work aims in the batch adsorption of arsenic, an anionic metal arsenic in the form of Arsenite: As(III) on the synthesized Ca-HAp in laboratory scale. Batch kinetics studies were conducted for varying operational parameters such as temperature, initial adsorbate concentration, dye solution pH and rotation speed (RPM). In comparison with the two suggested isotherm models, Langmuir isotherm was suited to this adsorption process with a correlation coefficient of 0.92 and isotherm constant as 1.18 (KL). Chemisorption was found to be the rate-limiting mechanism for the sorption of arsenite onto Ca-HAp and thus followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. A maximum monolayer adsorption of 0.43 mg/g of arsenic was obtained at an equilibrium time of 60 min with 93% to 94.2% removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Paper mills" are unethical outsourcing agencies proficient in fabricating fraudulent manuscripts submitted to scholarly journals. In earlier years, the activity of such companies involved plagiarism, but their processes have gained complexity, involving the fabrication of images and fake results. The objective of this study is to examine the main features of retracted paper mills' articles registered in the Retraction Watch database, from inception to the present, analyzing the number of articles per year, their number of citations, and their authorship network. Eligibility criteria for inclusion: retracted articles in any language due to paper mill activity. Retraction letters, notes, and notices, for exclusion. We collected the associated citations and the journals' impact factors of the retracted papers from Web of Science (Clarivate) and performed a data network analysis using VOSviewer software. This scoping review complies with PRISMA 2020 statement and main extensions. After a thorough analysis of the data, we identified 325 retracted articles due to suspected operations published in 31 journals (with a mean impact factor of 3.1). These retractions have produced 3708 citations. Nearly all retracted papers have come from China. Journal's impact factor lower than 7, life sciences journals, cancer, and molecular biology topics were common among retracted studies. The rapid increase of retractions is highly challenging. Paper mills damage scientific research integrity, exacerbating fraud, plagiarism, fake images, and simulated results. Rheumatologists should be fully aware of this growing phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lignocellulosic biomasses produced from agriculture and forest-based industries are the cheapest or negative-cost biomass with a great potential for biotransformation to value-added bioproducts. Paper mill sludge, an important lignocellulosic biomass creates an environmental threat, which requires financial input for disposal. Thus, this study was aimed to isolate a novel bacterial strain capable of degrading cellulosic biomass including paper mill sludge to produce reducing sugar and other value-added bioproducts. Results: A novel bacterial strain Arthrobacter woluwensis TDS9 isolated from the soil was screened for its cellulolytic activity using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the sole carbon source. The incubation period, temperature, pH, carbon, and nitrogen sources are the most important factors ruling the CMCase and sugar productions of the strain A. woluwensis TDS9, and an alkaline pH (pH 8.0) led to enhanced sugar production up to 1100.09 μg/mL after 72 h of incubation at 25°C in a medium containing 1.5% CMC and 1.25% beef extract. The optimal conditions for maximum CMCase activity were defined, and the potassium ion boosted the CMCase activity up to 1.06 U/mL when the enzymatic reaction was performed for 30 min at 50°C and pH 8 using CMC as a substrate. Moreover, the strain A. woluwensis TDS9 produced 433.33 μg/mL reducing sugar from 1% pretreated paper mill sludge. Significant alterations in the structural arrangement of cellulosic fiber of paper mill sludge observed under microscope after each step of chemical treatment process helped for loosening the cellulose fibers and increased the saccharification for enzymatic hydrolysis. Endoglucanase IV (33 KDa) and beta-glucosidase II (53 KDa) were identified in crude enzyme based on the zymogram analysis and substrate specificity. Conclusions: The research has for the first time proved that this A. woluwensis TDS9 strain can efficiently convert cellulose. Therefore, the strain TDS9 could be a potential candidate for cellulase production in an industrial biotransformation process of paper mill sludge to produce reducing sugar. This sugar stream can be further used as a substrate to produce biofuels and other organic acids using another microorganism, which represents a greener alternative to add value to the paper production helping paper mill industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tool wear is unavoidable during machining, which is one of the most common tool failure modes. It is significant to evaluate the tool state quickly and effectively for timely tool change strategy. The cutting vibration signals after tool wear show strong non-Gaussian characteristics. Higher order spectrum is a powerful tool for analyzing the non-Gaussian characteristics of signals, and can restrain noise and provide more information than classical power spectrum analysis. This paper presents a milling tool wear state monitoring method based on higher order spectrum entropy. Due to the large amount of calculation of bispectrum, bispectrum diagonal slice is investigated. And the diagonal slice spectral entropy is proposed as tool wear indicator to monitor tool state. To verify the proposed method, cutting vibration signal of CNC machining center were collected and analyzed. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach can effectively monitor and diagnose the tool state, and has good robustness. It is feasible and effective for online monitoring milling tool wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed at the use of char produced during pyrolysis of mix plastic waste. It further focused on producing activated carbon from char and also found its efficacy as efficient adsorbent for treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewater. The activated carbon was characterized in comparison with raw char for their physical, surface and adsorptive properties. Batch type adsorption experiments were carried out using 100 ml wastewater to observe the individual effectiveness using five different variables such as adsorbent dose (0.25–2.0 g), pH (6–10), time (5–24 h), agitation speed (100–200 rpm) and temperature (30–50 °C) by keeping other variables constant which helped to find out the effective range of all the variables. The competency was evaluated on the basis of colour and lignin content of pulp and paper industry wastewater. Once the effective range of different variables was identified, the statistical analysis was conducted to monitor the mutual impact on the reduction in colour and lignin contents in wastewater. From the statistical design applied, the best result was obtained at activated carbon dose (1.25 g), pH (8.0), contact time (7 h), agitation speed (184 rpm) and temperature (40 °C). The study resulted in reduction of 96.48% in colour and 94.25% in lignin at optimized condition in comparison with 87.37 and 80.44%, respectively, at unoptimized conditions. A potential increase in reduction of 9.0% in colour and 14.0% in lignin content was achieved after optimization through statistical design that confirmed its usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a paper manufacturing mill (PML) that had been previously part of an integrated pulp (bisulphite) and paper mills industry, cyanobacterial blooms were observed in the mill's aerated stabilization basin (ASB) ponds at about 3 years after pulping had been discontinued. This study aimed to determine the factors that led to bloom occurrences and potential control strategies applicable to the paper manufacturing mill's, aerated stabilization basin system that discharges wastewaters into a coastal lake. Following discontinuation of pulping, the colour of the wastewaters reduced to low levels (~ 10 Hazen units or less), while the levels of nutrient remained potentially supportive of cyanobacteria growth with total phosphorus at ~ 0.1 mg/L and total nitrogen at > 2.5 mg/L. Incidences of blooms in the ABS were associated with preceding average monthly rainfalls and wind speeds being less (~ 44% and ~ 7%, respectively) and average direct sunlight hours being greater (~ 9%) than the long-term average values. Zinc was investigated for control of cyanobacteria as this metal is less toxic to aquatic organisms and microflora than copper algaecides. In laboratory culture trials, zinc was found to inhibit growth of M. aeruginosa (strain MIC338) and Pseudanabaena sp. when dosed at ~ 2.5 mg/L. The inhibition of cyanobacteria by zinc was found to vary between ASB pond samples which had different in situ chlorophyll a levels. This study found that the PML wastewaters investigated can be supportive of cyanobacterial growth to bloom levels after discontinuation of pulping processes and that zinc has potential as a cyanobacteria control agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milling force during machining process has strong time-varying and multi-frequency characteristic, which is easy to cause tool vibration, wear, and cutting chatter, and even lead the machining accuracy of parts to be out of tolerance. The paper proposed a milling force prediction method for a general helix cutter during peripheral milling. In this model, the geometric parameters of milling cutter are parametric defined, and then an analytical instantaneous uncut chip thickness (IUCT) model is presented with taking cutter runout (offset and inclination) and geometric entity shape of workpiece into account. A series of milling experiments using aluminum alloy were carried out with six kinds of milling cutters in a high-speed machining center. The analysis results show that the predicted value of milling force can better reflect the change trend of the actual measured one, and well prove the validity of the presented method. Furthermore, the influences of milling parameters, cutter runout, milling type, cutter tooth number, and unequal spacing angle on the time domain and frequency domain excitation characteristics of milling force are systematically analyzed, which can provide useful guidance for the tool design and machining parameter selection in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the study of the condition of the territory and waste deposits of the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill using radar and optical satellite data are presented. The Earth's surface deformations in the area of waste deposits are analyzed using the method of differential radar interferometry applied to the ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 L-band radar satellite data. By processing the C-band radar data from the Sentinel-1B satellite using the method of multitemporal SBAS interferometric measurements, two blocks are found in the study area, one of which is rising and the other one of which is subsiding. The difference between deformations over the period from 2017 to 2020 reached 17–19 mm. A significant correlation in determining waste water content between radar-backscatter intensity measurements (Sentinel-1B satellite) and optical data (Sentinel-2A/B satellites) using the NDWI water index is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid poplars (Populus sp.) are increasingly implemented in agroforestry systems across the U.S., mainly for their biomass production, carbon allocation, and ecosystem services. While agroforestry systems are usually established on marginal land, soil amendments, such as paper mill fibercake residuals, can provide necessary nutrients such as nitrogen (N) to increase poplar yield. To assess the effects of such amendments on poplar early growth and establishment, three clones (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh × P. maximowiczii A. Henry 'DM114'; P. deltoides × P. nigra L. 'DN170'; P. nigra × P. maximowczii 'NM2') were grown in a greenhouse for 35 days in soils amended with fibercake residuals from two northern Wisconsin sources (Expera Specialty Solutions, EXP, Rhinelander, WI; Packaging Corporation of America, PCA, Tomahawk, WI). Trees were grown in eleven different soil treatments (one potting mix control, one nursery soil treatment, and nine nursery soil-fibercake blends), with soils mixed according to tillable depth and N application rates. Expera treatments produced 4–30% greater values for growth parameters (excluding root number) and 2% greater values for biomass parameters (excluding root dry mass and root–shoot ratio) than other treatments containing fibercake (i.e., PCA and combined EXP + PCA treatments). Clone 'NM2' produced the greatest values for all parameters tested, while 'DM114' and 'DN170' values were typically intermediate and low, respectively. 'NM2' grown in Expera soils produced the highest values for all parameters, suggesting that 'NM2' has potential for greater early growth and biomass production on agroforestry sites amended with Expera fibercake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the synthesis of the {001} facet of anatase TiO2 (T-{001}) was hydrothermally carried out by a two-step process (without using fluoride ions as capping agent); the synthesized T-{001} sample was characterized by XRD, FESEM and HRTEM. The T-{001} was used for improvement in biodegradability of paper mill wastewater in the batch and continuous system under UV light irradiation. The performance of T-{001} was compared to commercial TiO2 (P25). In the batch system, the effect of the pH, time and photocatalyst dosage on the COD removal were investigated. The results showed that alkaline condition enhanced photocatalytic degradation of COD. For batch system, biodegradability index (BOD5/COD ratio) improved from 0.12 to 0.71 by application of the T-{001}; whereas this improvement was 0.52 for P25 sample. For the continuous system, the TiO2 samples were immobilized on the glass media and utilized in a packed bed photoreactor (PBPR). The effect of different flowrates on the COD removal was investigated. To investigate the stability of the samples, the photocatalytic experiments were continuously carried out for 3 h; both samples showed considerable stability during this time. The final values of BOD5/COD ratio at flowrate of the 5.4 ml/min were 0.64 and 0.42 for CT-{001} and CP25, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste-to-energy or value-added products have been increasingly considered in many pulp and paper mills (PPMs) worldwide. However, developing appropriate conversion technologies are a major challenge in transforming PPMs wastes into biofuels or value-added biomaterials. In the present study, a long term (320 d) anaerobic digestion of primary sludge of a thermomechanical pulp mill (TMP) was carried out for the first time in a thermophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (ThAnMBR). Effect of organic loading rate (OLR) in the range of 2.5–6.8 kg COD/m3 d and hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 3–8 d on the process performance was investigated. Under various OLRs, stable biogas productions were obtained, and the best results were achieved with lower OLR (2.5 kg COD/m3 d) and higher HRT (8 d), at biogas yields of 189 L biogas/kg MLSS fed. However, it was found that the biogas production and sludge biomass degradation decrease when the organic loading rate increases. The proportion of sludge reduction ranged from 28.9 to 46.7% depending on the applied OLRs. Despite varying OLRs, stable membrane performance was obtained, where the required membrane flux was easily maintained during the reactor operation. In this study, also the properties of digestate and membrane permeates were studied under different operating conditions, and they fluctuated to some extent with OLR. ThAnMBR is a promising new technology for pulp and paper mill primary sludge treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results are presented for a study of summer phytoplankton (July 2018–2020) in the middle reaches of the Vychegda River at the sites where treated wastewater is discharged from the Mondi Syktyvkar JSC pulp and paper mill. In the phytoplankton of the studied section of the river, 263 species with algal varieties from seven divisions were identified: Cyanoptokaryota, 8; Ochrophyta, 4; Rhodophyta 1; Euglenophyta, 1; Bacillariophyta, 232; Chlorophyta, 15; Charophyta, 2. Widespread, eurytopic species predominate in terms of diversity. In 3 years of research, phytoplankton species communities have demonstrated stability of the complex of dominant and structural diversity. The basis of the dominant complexes is formed by species from the genera Aulacoseira, Dolichospermum, Pandorina, Eudorina, Closterium, etc. The composition of dominants is similar for conditionally background points and the zone of wastewater discharge. A massive development of the thermophilic species of diatom Diadesmisconfervacea, an indicator of thermal pollution, was noted below the wastewater-discharge site. The total recorded number of phytoplankton in the Vychegda river at the studied stations was 1 150 000–18 000 000 cells/dm3, and the biomass was 0.01–0.29 mg/dm3. The ratio of the total abundance and biomass of phytoplankton algae and the indicator species forming the complex of dominants reflect an increase in the trophic status of the waters of the surveyed areas and a high degree of anthropogenic load on the ecosystem of the Vychegda River. Based on algo-indication, the waters of the conditional background and the receiving wastewaters at observation points were assigned to quality class III (with the quality category 3b, slightly polluted). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports the characterization of reverse osmosis (RO) technology at water treatment plant Cogen-2 in paper and Board mills, Pakistan. RO is a commonly used process to obtain de-mineralized water for high-pressure boiler operation in thermal power plants. Scaling and fouling in three-stage RO plants is a major challenge in chemical industry due to the use of raw brackish water in the power plant of paper and board mills. In our study, the feed water quality of RO was changed from soft water to raw water to make it economical. The cleaning frequency was increased three times than normal, which was unsafe for operation and it was required to control scaling and fouling to achieve the desired result. Differential pressures behavior of all stages for 2-month data was observed without acid treatment, and the results of Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) control parameters (temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, calcium hardness, and alkalinity) clearly showed the abnormality. To optimize scaling and fouling of RO, the LSI factor was controlled in total reject water for the next 2 months by acid treatment in feed water. Duration of chemical cleaning and membranes' life has been extended by fouling and scaling control. Understanding the effect of operational parameters in RO membranes is essential in water process engineering due to its broad applications in drinking water, sanitation, seawater, desalination process, wastewater treatment, and boiler feed water operation. The product flow increased from 18.3 to 19.9 m3/h, and this was due to a decrease in the rejection flow from 8.2 to 6.7 m3/h. The total reject stream pressure also increased from 8.1 to 9 bar. A lower value of LSI of 1.6 is obtained in the reject water stream after the acid treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the paper industry is developing strongly and plays an important role in the industry of our country. Most of the factories have their own wastewater treatment systems. In general, wastewater in paper mill is very difficult to treat and to handle, especially color (Pt–Co) index. In this research, activated carbon with a high surface area and high adsorption capacity was prepared from corn stalks, an agricultural by-products. The suitable conditions of pyrolysis were investigated to prepare activated bio-char from corn stalk. Then, as-obtained carbon material was applied for color treatment of effluent from paper mill. The activated carbon showed high efficiency and capability in color removal of waste water, with the color reduction of 77%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publications baring falsified and fabricated images appear frequently in the primary literature. Industrialized forms of image forgery as practiced by the so-called paper mills worsen the current situation even further. Good education and awareness within the scientific society are essential to create an environment in which honesty and trust are the prime values in experimental research. Here I focus on the detection of publication fraud and provide some examples and advice. Finally, my views on the future of fraud detection and prevention are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the adsorption efficiency of laboratory-produced activated carbon (AC) from pyrolysis of mix waste plastic (MWP) for treating paper mill effluent. In the present work, adsorbent was prepared from MWP and was characterized in comparison to commercial adsorbents. A lab scale adsorption study was performed in 100 mL batch experiments to get the optimized condition of different variables by eliminating the pollutants from EOP wastewater and was found as AC dose 10.0 g/100 mL, temperature 35 °C, agitation rate 150 rpm, contact time 7 h, and pH 9.0. The EOP wastewater was analyzed for different quality parameters after treating with prepared AC (PW-AC) and two commercial ACs (SC-AC and M-AC) at optimized conditions. The efficiency of ACs was found to be in order as M-AC>PW-AC>SC-AC. The optimized conditions were applied for the removal of chlorophenols using different ACs in comparison to control EOP wastewater. The study revealed that elimination of chlorophenolic compounds from EOP wastewater (7824 ng/L) was the highest in M-AC treatment followed by PW-AC and SC-AC, i.e., 1426 ng/L, 1759 ng/L, and 2200 ng/L, respectively. PW-AC had major impacts on reduction of chloroguaiacols (82%) as well as chlorophenols (80.7%) that were present in chief amount in EOP wastewater. PW-AC was found to be a capable adsorbent for the removal of chlorophenolic compounds from the most toxic bleaching effluents of pulp and paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discharged pulp and paper mill wastewater (PPMW) were collected near M/s K. R. pulp and papers Limited, Shahjahanpur, India. Chemical analysis of the wastewater showed high BOD (3653–4180 mg L−1) and COD (17,890–19100 mg L−1) values from two different sampling sites. The levels of total phenol were in the range of 389–432 mg L−1; nitrogen (125–234 mg L−1), sulfate (1926–2098 mg L−1), chloride (3.12–5.43 mg L−1) and lignin (38,950–39,000 mg L−1) along with various heavy metals (Fe, 87–79; Zn, 34–22; Cu, 3.28–2.57; Cd, 1.90–0.36; Ni, 6–5, and Pb, 41.23–36.54 mg L−1) were above the permissible limits recommended by the CPCB and the USEPA. The BOD/COD ratio was < 0.2 which indicated very low biodegradability of the organic matters present in the effluent. The organometallic complex generated from the pulp and paper industry persists in the environment and might be toxic to aquatic organisms. The organic polymers, lignin, metals and ions present in the PPMW were characterized using SEM, EDAX, FTIR, and UV–VIS spectroscopy. The major pollutants detected in the discharged PPMW included nonacosane, heptacosane, octadecanoic acid, hexadecane, and 6-benzamide- 3- [2- [1-(phenylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl] ethyl]-1, 2-benzisoxazole, as well as a group of plant fatty acids classified as EDCs, and mutagenic pollutants. The cytotoxic and androgenic properties of these complex organics were examined. The seed germination test with Phaseolus mungo and cytotoxicity test with Allium cepa showed that at > 20% concentration of PPMW, α-amylase production was inhibited and chromosomal segregation at metaphase and anaphase during cell division was disturbed, which resulted in c-mitosis, sticky chromosomes, and laggard chromosomes. In addition, SEM of the root of A. cepa showed fissures and fractured tissues of the root cap, probably due to the inhibition of auxins that were responsible for root cap formation. The findings indicated A. cepa as a good test model for examining the DNA damage and cytotoxicity by PPMW, and the discharged effluent should be treated at a tertiary stage for environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide variety of biomass is available all around the world. Most of the biomass exists as a by-product from manufacturing industries. Pulp and paper mills contribute to a higher amount of these biomasses mostly discarded in the landfills creating an environmental burden. Biomasses from other sources have been used to produce different kinds and grades of biomaterials such as those used in industrial and medical applications. The present review aims to investigate the availability of biomass from pulp and paper mills and show sustainable routes for the production of high value-added biomaterials. The study reveals that using conventional and integrated biorefinery technology the ample variety and quantity of waste generated from pulp and paper mills can be converted into wealth. As per the findings of the current review, it is shown that high-performance carbon fiber and bioplastic can be manufactured from black liquor of pulping waste; the cellulosic waste from sawdust and sludge can be utilized for the synthesis of CNC and regenerated fibers such as viscose rayon and acetate; the mineral-based pulping wastes and fly ash can be used for manufacturing of different kinds of biocomposites. The different biomaterials obtained from the pulp and paper mill biomass can be used for versatile applications including conventional, high performance, and smart materials. Through customization and optimization of the conversion techniques and product manufacturing schemes, a variety of engineering materials can be obtained from pulp and paper mill wastes realizing the current global waste to wealth developmental approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a milling force model for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) multidirectional laminates based on segmented specific cutting energy. The proposed model simplifies the milling process of CFRP unidirectional laminates into multiple orthogonal cuttings. The CFRP specific cutting energy was determined by experimental segmentation. An empirical formula for the CFRP segmented specific cutting energy was established, and the milling force of the CFRP multidirectional laminates was predicted using the linear superposition principle. Experimental results confirmed the high accuracy of the milling force model. The specific cutting energy gradually decreased with increasing equivalent cutting thickness. With an increase in the fiber cutting angle θ, the specific cutting energy increased first and then decreased, peaking around θ = π/2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fraudulent papers from paper mills are a serious threat to the entire scientific community. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology has become the target of a massive attack of fraudulent papers originating from paper mills. This editorial highlights 20 important features we observed with paper mills and explains how the journal is responding to this serious threat to restore the integrity of science. Hopefully, this editorial is also helpful for editors of other scientific journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim was to study mortality due to cardiovascular disease as well as total mortality, among female industrial workers, and the association to occupational noise and shift work. Methods: Women from cohorts of soft tissue paper mills (N = 3013) and pulp and paper mills (N = 1483) were merged into one cohort. Job exposure matrices were developed and used for classification of shift work and noise exposure. Every year was classified as shift work excluding nights or shift work including nights. Noise was classified into seven 5 dB(A) bins from < 75 to ≥ 100 dB(A). Mortality from cardiovascular diseases and total mortality during 1956–2013 was calculated as a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the female general population as a reference. Results: Fatal myocardial infarctions (N = 144) were increased in the total cohort, SMR 1.20 (95% CI 1.01–1.41) but not total mortality. The SMR for myocardial infarction for women exposed to noise ≥ 90 dB(A) for > 10 years was 1.41 (95% CI 1.02–1.89) and for those exposed to night shifts > 10 years, 1.33 (95% CI 0.91–1.89). Shift workers without nights ≤ 65 years, with noise exposure ≥ 90 dB(A), had SMR 2.41 (95% CI 1.20–4.31) from myocardial infarction. There was no increased mortality from cerebrovascular disease. Conclusions: Female paper mill workers had an increased mortality from acute myocardial infarction, especially before retirement age, when exposed to noise ≥ 90 dB(A) and with long-time employment. Exposure to shift work and noise usually occurred concurrently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]