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Mitigation of global warming, energy security and industrial competitiveness urge the energy-intensive pulp and paper industry (PPI) to transform energy use practices. This study investigates how the PPI has responded to the need for the energy transition in the 2000s. Finland and Sweden as forerunners of energy-efficient operation and decarbonization of the PPI are used as target countries. Understanding of changes in energy consumption is complemented using decomposition analysis (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index Method) and the energy efficiency index approach. Analysis of companies’ investments in energy technologies is used for explaining changes in energy production. Evidence of significant development towards the more sustainable operation of the PPI was found. Energy consumption per produced unit has decreased, i.e., energy efficiency has improved. Fossil fuels have been partially replaced with bio-based alternatives. Thus, the CO2 intensity has decreased substantially. The generation of renewable electricity has increased in both countries. Examples of Finland and Sweden indicate that the PPI has great potential to contribute to CO2 emission reduction worldwide in the future as energy efficiency can be further improved, and the share of fossil fuels can be decreased increasing the use of biofuels and self-generated green electricity at least in kraft pulp mills.

In the tourism industry, the sales of local specialties is an important part, and the package design and integrity of the specialties are very important. This paper first introduced the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm that was used for detecting defects on the surface of paper packages. Then, the design of red wind packages was briefly described, and the simulation experiment was carried out on SVM algorithm using red wine packages with different degrees of surface defects. Proper parameters were tested using the k-fold cross-validation method. The results demonstrated that the properties of paper improved the value of packages and the SVM algorithm had better accuracy than artificial recognition in recognizing different degrees of defects on the surface of packages. In conclusion, this paper describes the application of paper in packages and provides an effective method for the defection of defects on the surface of packages. This study provides an effective references to the improvement of package values and the enhancement of package integrity.

Rising socioeconomic level and increasing popularity of e-commerce have dramatically increased the use of cardboard packaging materials, and consequent related recycling and wastes. Large amounts of sludge (up to 40% of input mass) is formed through the recycling process, with sludge solids that are very rich in cellulose fibers (~ 75% w/w). To date this sludge is mostly disposed in landfills, resulting in added economic and environmental costs to the recycling process. Short ozonation pretreatment of RPS resulted in enzymatic release of ~ 34% of the cellulosic fraction of the sludge as sugar, and fermentation of these sugars by yeasts resulted in production of ~ 15 g/L ethanol. The solid remnants, were used as a bio-sorbent, efficiently removing dyes from textile wastewater. Recycled paper sludge waste was thus a good source for both energy and water-treatment applications, increasing sustainability and circular economy in the paper and cardboard recycling industry.

In the packaging sector of the printing industry, different coating applications are tried and investigated in order to increase the surface appearance and performance characteristics of paper and cardboard. The printability, water and ink absorption capacity, frictional resistance, light sensitivity of the visual graphical design that are going to be printed on the packaging papers are some of them. In this study, different types of cardboards that are used as a packaging material were chosen and coated with nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC)/PVA at different rates (%). In order to determine effective and economical usage conditions, the coating solutions, at three different concentrations as 3 wt.%, 5 wt. %, 7 wt.%, were prepared. The coating was applied on the test papers, which were at the same weights (350 g/m2) and had different surface properties as matte glossy, bright glossy, American Bristol. NCC/PVA existence on the coated paper surface was confirmed with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The impact of the coating, which was prepared at different concentrations, on the packaging materials was studied with respect to thickness, stiffness, water absorbability, contact angle and surface tension.

This study focused on the applying endo-xylanases to reduce the use of bleaching agent, coupled with the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOs), in mulberry paper making. Paper mulberry pulp (PMP) was consecutively prepared from paper mulberry bark by traditional NaOH-treatment, and two types of thermostable endo-xylanase from Streptomyces thermovulgaris TISTR1948 (wild-type and recombinant endo-xylanases) were employed in the biobleaching of PMP. This process was optimized to achieve maximum XOs yields and the highest PMP quality. The optimal condition was an enzyme dosage of 125 U/g PMP at 12 h of reaction time, both in a 500 mL laboratory bottle and a 150 L reactor. The mixture obtained from the reactor was separated as liquid of XOs derived from PMP (PMP-XOs) and solid biobleached PMP. The PMP-XOs from wild-type endo-xylanase were composed of 31.6% xylopentaose (X5), 30.9% xylohexaose and higher-degree XOs (X ≥ 6), and 11.7% xylobiose (X2), whereas 76.6% of X5 and 8.6% of X2 were the main products from recombinant endo-xylanase. The PMP-XOs derived from both endo-xylanase types exhibited high antioxidant activities, reducing power, phenolic contents, and prebiotic efficacy. In addition, the application of both endo-xylanases enhanced the brightness of PMP by 5.1% and 3.5%, and reduced the kappa number by 9.1% and 3.6%, respectively. Biobleached PMP was subsequently subjected to the NaOCl bleaching step to produce the mulberry paper. This approach could reduce NaOCl consumption by 20–25%, making it an environmentally friendly alternative. The production of valuable prebiotics, such as PMP-XOs, further enhances the economic viability of this approach.

The kapok (Ceibapentandra (L.) Gaertn) seed fibre is unicellular with length up to 35 mm, however, it is covered by a hydrophobic waxy layer that limits its application in paper production. In this study, the effect of various pulping methods namely mechanical, chemi-mechanical, semichemical and chemical pulping on kapok fibre properties was investigated. Each kapok pulp was then blended with the secondary fibre recovered from kraftliner board for handsheet making to examine their reinforcing ability on strength properties. The results showed that kapok mechanical pulps (with and without dewaxing (5% (v/v) diluted detergent) and chemimechanical pulp were unable to improve the strength properties of the handsheet. Kapok pulps chemically treated with 18–25% of sodium hydroxide gave a better effect on handsheet strength properties whilst fibre treated with 20% sodium hydroxide showing the highest increment. Although the reinforcing effect of the 4% native cooked starch was slightly higher than that of the 10% kapok pulp blended in recycled paper, the recycling potential of the latter was better as all strength properties retained unchanged after recycling. The findings indicated that kapok chemical pulp is a promising reinforcing fibre source with superior recycling potential.

In traditional deinking process, large amounts of chemicals are required which makes these methods expensive and polluting. Also, application of sustainable material implies the use of green processes to reduce waste and pollution. Green enzymatic deinking processes are alternatives to those technologies that have negative effects on the environment. In this work, we applied response surface methodology for deinking the electrophotography-printed paper based on a systematic experimental pattern. The individual and interactive effects of enzymatic deinking parameters including time, temperature, and enzyme dosage on the handsheet properties were investigated. Different analyses were carried out to determine the best process conditions of enzymatic deinking to optimize the handsheet properties (i.e., tensile, burst, whiteness, and brightness). The obtained responses of an oven-dried fiber at 45 min, 43 °C and the enzyme concentration of 1 mg/15 g were 12.44, 0.65, 72.20, and 87 for tensile strength, burst strength, whiteness, and brightness, respectively. Measuring the optical density of the deinked handset after printing showed that the printability of the deinked paper is in the desired range.

The pulp and paper industry’s multi-tonnage liquid waste is spent cooking liquor containing lignosulfonates, which disposal and processing remains one of the most complex environmental and technological problems, which should be solved. Lignosulfonates have unique colloidal-chemical properties, which determines their high resource potential. However, lignosulfonates’ composition instability often does not provide the properties and indicators set by the consumer. Changing market conditions require constant waste monitoring and modification, that prevents the widespread lignosulfonates use in industrial practice. In this paper, the causes for the formation of lignin-containing waste and its impact on the environment are considered. A strategy for lignosulfonates utilization has been developed, as well as promising methods for these wastes processing and disposal, which will expand the use of lignosulfonates and reduce the pulp and paper industry negative impact on the environment.

Industrial effluent Management is one of the major environmental concerns, especially in developing countries under rapid industrialization. The grossly polluting industries recognized by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), such as Pulp and Paper Industries, poses even bigger environmental threats, owing to quantity and quality of effluent generated. This paper aimed at analyzing effluent management practices in pulp and paper industries in India, and asses the performance variability of a paper mill effluent treatment plant (ETP), as a Case Study. Majority of pulp and paper industries found to still employ conventional methods of effluent treatment. Although, most of the parameters of treated effluent are commonly reported within CPCB’s permissible discharge limits, the treatment is usually cost and energy intensive, and produce high amount of solid residuals as sludge. For the case study paper mill ETP, the treatment efficiencies of the ETP units were analyzed under variable inlet pH, TSS, TDS, BOD and COD loads. The pH variations in the range of 6.5 to 9 had little effect of COD or TSS removal, however removal efficiencies were higher for larger inlet COD or TSS loads. The results of the study could be helpful in optimizing operation of the existing ETPs, as well as, guiding on upgrading ETPs with more cost-effective and efficient units.

Thermochemical parameters of A4-sized printing paper (AP), filter paper (FP), newspaper (NP), writing paper (WP), and reed pith (RP) samples were estimated using standard protocol to identify its fuel characteristics, and thermal degradation of the same was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) techniques in the temperature range of 30–800 °C at the heating rates of 10, 15, and 20 °C/min under nitrogen atmosphere. The curves of TGA and DTG exhibited four significant stages. Maximum weight loss was found to be in the second stage. Kinetic analysis was carried out in the conversion range of 0.1 to 0.7 using iso-conversational models of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Vyazovkin, and Vyazovkin AIC (V.AIC). The average activation energies were found to be 139.90, 115.93, 212.52, 257.41, and 241.63 kJ/mol using FWO; 129.73, 103.06, 202.46, 248.38, and 231.55 kJ/mol using KAS; 145.57, 134.00, 195.29, 256, and 241.63 kJ/mol using Vyazovkin; and 140.71, 133.86, 193.14, 247.57, and 190.14 kJ/mol using Vyazovkin AIC model. Thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy change (ΔH), Gibbs free energy change (ΔG), and entropy change (ΔS)) using these models have been evaluated.

This paper aimed to modify the ignitability of the bagasse paper by using talc powder, 1,3-di-aniline-2,2,2,4,4,4-hexachlorocyclodiphosph(V)azane, and nanocellulose crystal. The formation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was detected using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal analysis as thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of the specimens recorded the improvement of the highest % of ash residue at 750 °C compared to the untreated one. The shape of the flame spread was studied. The ignition properties were studied for the untreated and treated specimens by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and flame chamber (UL/94), which recorded enhancing compared to the untreated specimen. This improvement was recorded either by measuring the mechanical properties (tensile strength, burst strength, elongation, and elasticity) of the specimens. The current article showed that the treated specimen was recorded the highest values compared to the untreated one in all physical, mechanical, and ignition properties, so these treatment paper sheets may be used as fire-retardant packaging materials.

This study investigated the feasibility of utilizing paper sludge (PS) as feedstock in the production of composite boards that are lightweight, durable and environmentally friendly. PS samples were collected from recycled newsprint (RN), corrugated recycled (CR) and virgin pulp (VP) pulping mills in South Africa. The PS was dried and mixed with magnesium phosphate cement to produce boards in a central composite design. Three different fillers including fly ash, calcium carbonate and silica fume were also added to the mix as binder replacement. The PS was characterized before use, and the produced composite board was evaluated for mechanical and physical properties. The boards produced had medium to high density (0.52—1.12 g/cm3) that could be used for non-structural interior applications. The results showed that boards containing RN had the highest mean value for modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 769 MPa. The mean MOE for boards containing CR- and VP-PS was 357 and 411 MPa, respectively. Calcium carbonate had the best effect on the board properties. Techno-economic analysis was simulated for four different types of feedstock scenarios at different locations including a combined scenario. Sensitivity analysis revealed that decreased feedstock cost resulted in decreased minimum required selling price. The analysis also revealed that the combined scenario proved to be the most cost-effective and profitable option for the future.

PurposeThis study develops an integrated zero waste discharge planning approach for improving resource efficiency in a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.Design/methodology/approachThe objectives of this study are to (1) identify the environmental, technical and social metrics in resource efficiency; (2) utilize fuzzy multi-objective programming and the hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve the fuzzy problem; and (3) develop an assessment for resource efficiency improvement in an industrial case study.FindingsThe findings demonstrate the superiority of hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm in generating optimal results for a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.Practical implicationsThe findings demonstrate the superiority of hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm in generating optimal results for a pulp-and-paper manufacturing firm.Originality/valueResource efficiency is a multi-objective problem in an uncertain environment. In particular, zero waste discharge planning involves minimizing the total cost and maximizing the waste material recovery rate, wastewater reuse, and waste heat recovery.

There is a relative lack of research on the development of creepage discharge in aged oil-paper insulation subjected to AC-DC combined voltage in converter transformers. In this study, based on the physical and chemical properties of oil-paper, we propose a sphere-plate electrode model to study the creepage discharge parameters and characteristic spectra of aged oil-paper subjected to AC-DC combined voltage. The results show that the creepage discharge inception voltage of aged oil-paper is related to the AC voltage component of the AC-DC combined voltage. However, when the DC voltage component is 60 kV, the flashover phenomenon was found to occur in one of the severely aged samples before the AC voltage was applied. Despite being subjected to the same DC voltage, the flashover phenomenon did not occur in three other samples aged to different degrees. Large-amplitude discharges were found to appear earlier in the severely aged samples. At the same creepage discharge stage, as the aging time of the oil-paper increased, the number of large-amplitude discharges was found to rapidly increase, and the time interval between adjacent discharges was found to gradually decrease. At each stage of the creepage discharge, the small-amplitude discharge has a “hump” shaped distribution. The larger the DC voltage component, the shorter the endurance time of aged oil-paper, and the more severe the damage to the oil-paper. The DC voltage component was found to have an accelerating effect on the development of creepage discharge in aged oil-paper insulation.

This study evaluates the use of fermentation to increase nutrient availability in pulp and paper bio-sludge (PPBS) as feed for black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). Rearing of BSFL on fermented PPBS was carried out in a climate chamber in order to assess nutrient availability and larvae survival and growth. The PPBS used came from a chemo-thermomechanical pulp/groundwood pulp mill. The PPBS was fermented at 35 °C and 55 °C, respectively, at initial pH of 10. The effects of sediment and liquid from fermented PPBS on larvae dry weight, survival rate until the prepupae stage, bioconversion, and reduction rate of PPBS were measured. The bioconversion of the liquids (4.1–6.6%) was substantially higher than for both the sediments and untreated PPBS (≤ 0.4%). The survival rate, on the other hand, was substantially lower (26.3–30.9 %) than for the sediments and untreated PPBS (49.5–52.6%). Neither the sediments nor the liquids had significant effects on the larvae weight or on the PPBS reduction rate. The sediments had no significant effect on the survival rate or the bioconversion. This study demonstrates that fermentation dissolves a part of the PPBS and that dissolved substances in the fermentation liquid readily convert to larvae biomass. However, the bulk of the lignocellulose is not dissolved, and most of PPBS nutrients remain unavailable for growth of the larvae. Further research should focus on improved pretreatment of PPBS to increase availability of nutrients and thereby improve the feasibility of BSFL as a recycling method for PPBS.

Biodiesel, as a green fuel, acts as a potential candidate to supplement conventional fossil fuels. This research study targets green environment (using biodiesel) and clean environment (reduce wastewater) by producing biodiesel through oleaginous biomasses (Yarrowia lipolytica, Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Lipomyces starkeyi) grown on pulp and paper industrial wastewater. Batch culture studies were explored for the potential feedstock of the oleaginous organism by the synthesis of single cell oil and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to design the optimal experimental matrix and identify the optimal process conditions that enhance the FAME yield. To determine the inherent characteristics of the growth of oleaginous biomasses on the industrial wastewater, a data-driven adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is implemented. Y. lipolytica strain cultured shown high biomass concentration of 32.36 g/l with biomass productivity of 5.39 g/l/d was considered for further scale-up for the transesterification process. Results indicated that the maximum yield of 0.48 (g-biodiesel/g-lipid) was obtained under the 2.5 g of lipid dosage with 0.02 g/ml of catalyst concentration by constant stirring at 70 °C. The optimum conditions to achieve maximum FAME yield of 1.154 g/g was obtained at 2.485 g, 70.87 °C and 0.021 g/ml for lipid dosage, temperature and catalyst concentrations, respectively.

Paper mulberry, a fast-growing and vigorous plant, is a potential substrate for producing lignocellulosic bioethanol and an important renewable alternative to fossil fuels. In order to improve the economic feasibility of ethanol production from paper mulberry, H3PO4/H2O2 pretreatment was selected as the most suitable pretreatment method that could produce the highest glucose concentration (131 g/L) compared with other pretreatments (73.2–89.3 g/L) at high solid loading. Whereafter, the final solid loading of H3PO4/H2O2 pretreatment was significantly increased to 40% (w/v) without any decrease in the final glucose concentration. Finally, a novel Fed-nonisothermal-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation was constructed using H3PO4/H2O2 pretreated paper mulberry, which bypassed the inhibition caused by paper mulberry solid and high temperature on the traditional simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, improving ethanol concentration (63.9 g/L), ethanol productivity (1.33 g/L/h) and ethanol yield (0.160 g/g-biomass) by 30.4%, 30.4% and 30.1%, respectively, compared to those obtained from SSF (simultaneous saccharification and fermentation) process. Thus, we have opened up a novel way to produce ethanol or other biofuels using the paper mulberry as an outstanding alternative substrate.

Paper wastes form the major biodegradable fraction of the municipal solid waste. One of the best ways to treat paper wastes is using them as a feedstock for biomethane production through anaerobic digestion (AD). However, the AD characteristics, kinetics, and energy potential of different types of paper wastes are not clear. In this study, four kinds of typical paper wastes including corrugated board (CB), office paper (OP), tissue paper (TP), and magazine paper (MP) were used as feedstocks to produce biomethane at different volatile solids (VS) organic loading (OL). TP had a high cellulose content and showed high biomethane potential, while the lowest was obtained by CB, possibly due to its high lignin content. Kinetic analysis showed that Cone and modified Gompertz model could fit the biomethane production process well. Energy potential analysis revealed that biomethane yield, electric generating efficiency, and electricity price were the principal factors accounting for the profitability of biomethane production project treating paper wastes. Overall, paper wastes could be a promising feedstock for biomethane production, because paper wastes not only had high biomethane yield and biodegradability that exceeded many kinds of organic wastes but also could be continuously supplied for AD plants without the influence of seasonal changes.

The search for non-wood fibers as alternative to the limited wood fiber resources is highly imperative in the pulp and paper-based industries. This is due to growing environmental concern as a result of excessive deforestation. This study aimed at investigating the pulp and paper potentials of pineapple crown (Ananas comosus), sandbox (Hura crepitans), pino macho (Pinus caribaea), elephant grass (Pennissetum purpureum) and teak (Tectona grandis) leaves. Chemical properties (holocellulose, cellulose, hemicellulose, ash contents, hot water and 1% NaOH solubilities) were determined using the relevant TAPPI test and chlorite methods, while the physical properties were determined after the pulping processes. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) analyses of intrinsic functional groups of the paper sheets produced from the pulps of the waste plant leaves were determined. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX) analyses of the morphological characteristic and elemental compositions of the resulting hand sheet surfaces were also examined. P. caribaea has the highest lignin (80.22 ± 0.012%) and cellulose (72.30 ± 0.012%) contents with lowest 1% NaOH solubility (15.20 ± 0.05%) values. A .comosus has the highest hemicellulose (21.73 ± 0.1%) and moisture (75.00 ± 0.12%) contents with lowest ash values (5.01 ± 0.15%). The fibre lengths and the Runkel ratio of the resulting pulps were of the order, A. comosus > P. purpureum > P. caribaea > H. crepitans > T. grandis and A. comosus

The study examines the potential of Mauritian hemp (Furcraea foetida L.), a lignocellulosic non-wood biomass, as a more environmental friendly substitute to virgin wood for printing paper production. The best pulping method for Mauritian hemp was first investigated. A4 sized papers were then produced using 100% Mauritian hemp fibres and mixtures of Mauritian hemp fibres with Elephant grass fibres and wastepaper. Using Standard tests, the physical (thickness, grammage, apparent density, water absorbency) and mechanical (tensile strength, burst strength, crease recovery, abrasion resistance) properties of the papers produced were evaluated and compared with those of an 80 gsm A4 commercial printing paper used as control. Lastly, internal sizing was done by adding different proportions of starch to the paper whose properties were closest to the control (judged most printable) to investigate any property enhancement. Soda cooking with 12% Wt/V NaOH solution at a temperature of 90 °C for 90 min was found best for pulping Mauritian hemp. The 100% Mauritian hemp paper had characteristics closest to the control, with apparent density 141.54 kg/m3, water absorbency time 1.436 s, burst strength 0.323 kPa m2/g, tensile strength 10.97 Nm/g, abrasion resistance 37.5 cycles before rupture and crease recovery angle 34.8°. Increasing the starch content from 10 to 40% caused the 100% Mauritian hemp paper’s characteristics to increasingly approach those of the control, thus showing printability improvement. The methodologies adopted for papermaking and testing demonstrated that Mauritian hemp is a suitable alternative to wood to produce good quality printing paper.

This study aimed to evaluate eggshell wastes, which have the potential to turn into high value-added products in paper industry. Membrane-removed eggshell wastes were subjected to certain processes of washing, drying, grinding, and sieving. The final product of eggshell calcium carbonate (ECC) was used in office paper production as filler, and its possible effect on physical and optical properties of papers was investigated. Mixed office wastes were turned pulp using as raw material of office paper production. Moreover, the effects of ECC was compared with the use of industrial calcium carbonates of ground (GCC) and precipitated (PCC) forms as filler. Breaking lengths of the papers were shown to reduce up to 65.2, 76.6, and 64.1% by a 30% usage of GCC, PCC, and ECC fillers, respectively. PCC and GCC were more effective in improved optical properties of papers than ECC. The brightness values were measured to be 96.8, 98.4, and 93.1 ISO% with a 30% dosage of GCC, PCC, and ECC fillers, respectively. These results suggested that ECC can be used as filler in paper industry.

The study is a first investigation of the feasibility to preserve recycled fillers (e.g. calcium carbonate, kaolin) from deinking paper sludge for newspaper production using an alternative approach respect to the actual methods. Deinking paper sludge was incinerated at 575 °C. The thermal stability of the incinerated sludge (ash) was evaluated by infrared analysis. Subsequently, the resulting ash was bleached by sodium dithionite. The particle size of the ashes was analysed by laser diffraction. The effect of recycled fillers on recycled paper pulp, after blending, was evaluated by the analysis of the physical and optical properties of the obtained paper sheets. Analysis showed the conservation of the calcium carbonate and other fillers’ molecular structure, both after incineration of the sludge and after bleaching. The dithionite treatment of the ashes resulted in ISO brightness levels of more than 70. The brightness was stable over one month. Paper sheets made by blending the bleached ashes with recycled paper showed an improvement of brightness and opacity but a decrease in terms of porosity and breaking length compared to paper sheets made without any filler. The proposed method still requires further studies to evaluate the economical application but offers an opportunity for the recycling of inorganic materials and valorisation of the sludge.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of mobile video-guided home exercise program and standard paper-based home exercise program. Methods: Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either experimental group with mobile video-guided home exercise program or control group with home exercise program in a standard pamphlet for three months. The primary outcome was exercise adherence. The secondary outcomes were self-efficacy for exercise by Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE) Scale; and functional outcomes including mobility level by Modified Functional Ambulatory Category (MFAC) and basic activities of daily living (ADL) by Modified Barthel Index (MBI). All outcomes were captured by phone interviews at 1 day, 1 month and 3 months after the participants were discharged from the hospitals. Results: A total of 56 participants were allocated to the experimental group [Formula: see text] and control group [Formula: see text]. There were a significant between-group differences in 3-months exercise adherence (experimental group: 75.6%; control group: 55.2%); significant between-group differences in 1-month SEE (experimental group: 58.4; control group: 43.3) and 3-month SEE (experimental group: 62.2; control group: 45.6). For functional outcomes, there were significant between-group differences in 3-month MFAC gain (experimental group: 1.7; control group: 1.0). There were no between-group differences in MBI gain. Conclusion: The use of mobile video-guided home exercise program was superior to standard paper-based home exercise program in exercise adherence, SEE and mobility gain but not basic ADL gain for patients recovering from stroke.

Pulp and paper industry in the world have been growing fast. As a result, there has been a massive request for pulp and paper raw materials. The raw materials used in papermaking can be classified into three groups: wood, non-wood, and recycled wastepaper. The Non-wood raw material is an important fiber resource in the regions where forest resources are limited. The current usage of non-wood plant fibers, as rice straws, corn stalks, cotton stalks, and bagasse would play a chief role in increasing papermaking raw materials. Using of non-wood plant fibers in the paper industry associated with some problems, including collection, transportation, storage and handling, washing, bleaching, papermaking, chemical recovery, supply of raw material and the properties of finished paper. Recently, a high-tech innovation in all the fields of papermaking has made non-wood more reasonable with wood as a raw material for papermaking. Although till now, use of non-wood fibers for pulp and paper manufacture was focused in countries with limited wood supply, it is now showing a growing effort even in countries with acceptable wood source due to environmental concerns. Consequently, the future of non-wood plant fibers as pulping and papermaking raw material looks bright.

The thriving development of the paper industry leaves behind a great amount of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), which constitutes a considerable source of pollution. Experts estimate that...

This paper presents a broadband, simple, re-useable and low-cost approach for noninvasive sweat monitoring using a passive microwave circuit and a cellulose filter paper as a superstrate. The proposed sensor is composed of filter paper with the ability to absorb the sample liquid under test (LUT) placed on top of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line. Various samples of sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions with concentrations in the range of 0.01-2 mol/L and models of artificial sweat are used to test the proposed sensor. The difference in transmission coefficient (S21) between dry and wet states is used to determine the concentrations of tested solutions in the band of 1-6 GHz. The sensor detects concentrations as low as 0.01 mol/L (0.58 g/L) and quantities as low as 137 μL with a maximum sensitivity of 46.7 dB/g/L. The proposed sensor presents a simple approach to sample and characterize liquids with enhanced sensitivity and consistent performance using microwave signals.

The pulp and paper industry utilizes more biomass for stationary heat and power than any other industry in the United States. In total, pulp and paper mills in the US emit ∼150 million metric tons of CO2 each year, of which 77% is biogenic. Thus, the pulp and paper industry has significant potential to indirectly remove atmospheric CO2 through bioenergy with CO2 capture and storage (BECCS). In addition, avenues for CO2 utilization exist in pulp and paper processing. Here, we analyze the technical and economic potential of integrating carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies at pulp and paper mills in the US through top-down, industry-wide screening and bottom-up, chemical process modeling techniques. We estimate costs of capturing and transporting CO2 from pulp and paper mills using post-combustion amine chemisorption in the year 2026 with application of the existing federal tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration (Section 45Q). Costs are highly dependent on scenario-specific details, such as waste heat or power generation at the mill, idling or stranded assets, and proximity to suitable geologic storage opportunities. Some CCS implementation scenarios produce significant economic returns for pulp and paper mills, indicating a near-term opportunity to accelerate CCS in the US. Finally, we qualitatively assess alternative techniques for CO2 capture through process innovation, and opportunities for CO2 utilization at pulp and paper mills.

Maturity of vermicomposted end products obtained from citronella bagasse (CB) and a mixture of citronella bagasse and paper mill sludge (CB + PMS) was determined employing the epigeic earthworm species Eisenia fetida. Two of the primary biological indicators—enzyme assay and germination index—were used for evaluation of vermicompost maturity. The enzyme assay includes the changes in dehydrogenase and urease activities in the final products. The test for germination index was performed on two economically important plant species Abelmoschus esculentus and Solanum melongena. The results revealed a significant increase in dehydrogenase and urease activities in the vermicompost samples over the raw materials and traditional compost. The enhancement was recorded 215.63–225.63% in dehydrogenase and 149.89–249.31% for urease in the end products obtained after 45 days of experimental trials. Further, the higher values of germination index in the vermicompost treatments as against the control confirm the suitability and stability of the vermicomposted final products.

In society, there is widespread and growing acceptance of the value of cooperation between industry and universities being collaborative Research and Development (R&D) domain and industrial policy the fuel of knowledge-based economies. In this paper, different domains of cooperation between the University and Industry as well as their generated benefits for each partner are identified. These benefits have been assigned to each domain of cooperation, showing a large number of benefits associated to collaborative R&D. Leading us to make a statement - collaborative R&D is the key cooperation domain for sustainable long-term university-industry partnerships. Suggestions are given about how to continue this research study.

Paper folding-and-punching tests are used to measure spatial abilities in humans. This paper presents a qualitative model for paper folding (QPF) and a computer game (Paper Folding Game) developed to apply and show the reasoning capabilities of the QPF model. This interactive game presents paper-folding activities intended to help users train and understand how to fold a paper to get a specific shape. Then, it presents paper-folding-and-punching tests to the players. The Paper Folding Game can automatically generate paper-folding-and-punching questions with varying degrees of difficulty depending on the number of folds and holes made, thus producing additional levels for training. The reasoning mechanisms in the QPF model are used by the Paper Folding Game to infer the right answer to each paper-folding-and-punching question. This reasoning capability allows the game to provide feedback to the players when they are wrong and also to create other plausible answers automatically, so that random question-answers are shown to the players in the master-mode. The Paper Folding Game has been implemented using Unity engine and it is available to download from GooglePlay and AppleStore for everyone to train their spatial reasoning skills.

We present a short review of several fundamental results, which have been obtained within frameworks of one trend of the wide spread of investigations, carried out during 1970 –2010s under the leadership of doctor of science, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus P. D. Kukharchik, whose scientific interests were connected with the study of physical properties of heterogeneous dielectric and metal-containing industrial materials by the methods of holography, holographotomography, digital radiography, microwave and infrared introscopy. In this review, by the example of several base problems, we describe the semi-analytical methods of rigorous theoretical simulation of electromagnetic fields, arising under electromagnetic diffraction by slots in perfectly conducting screens of arbitrary thickness in absence and in the presence of plane dielectrics in the plane and cylindrical geometries of electromagnetic propagation. It demonstrates application of the these methods to simulation of processes of moisture measuring of paper sheet using microwave cavities with slots, which are employed on enterprises of pulp and paper industry.

Background: Although some have noted that combining technical and marketing content is precarious, technical communication professionals are increasingly involved in content marketing, which includes the creation of white papers. Literature review: The little existing literature on white papers provides conflicting guidance about managing the combination of technical and marketing content. Both soft-sell and hard-sell marketing approaches have been recommended. One source of such inconsistent guidance may be the lack of agreement about definitions. Research on print advertisements has described hard and soft selling as multidimensional rather than binary aspects of persuasive appeals. Research question: Which dimensions of hard- and soft-sell appeals are predominant in white papers? Research methodology: To complete our descriptive study, we collected a corpus of documents labeled as white papers in TechRepublic, and then selected and trained three raters to complete a series of judgments about dimensions of persuasive appeals in the corpus. We aggregated those ratings, calculating the mean and standard deviation for the dimensions to describe their distribution across the corpus. Results/discussion: Overall, hard-sell dimensions were more prevalent than soft-sell dimensions. However, the soft-sell category of “implicitness” was also dominant. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the value of treating hard and soft selling as multidimensional, complementary, and combinatory marketing appeals that allow, for example, a single white paper to be both “subjective” (soft sell), and “precise” (hard sell), or both “creative” (soft sell) and “informative” (hard sell).

Bioethanol production using paper wastes seems a promising approach towards sustainable energy, but mainly hindered by hazardous ink. Therefore, in our experimental plan various methods were applied for the deinking of waste newspapers, laser printed papers and examination papers. A newly designed paper pulper reduced the pulping time from 6 h to 2 h. Cellulase (15 FPU/g) from Aspergillus oryzae MDU-4 was found effective for the deinking of newspapers, whereas laccase isozymes (150 U/g) from Ganoderma lucidum MDU-7 along with 2 mM HOBt was preferred for the ink removal and degradation from the examination papers. Ozonation in the presence of Tween-80 was found to be efficient in the removal of toxic toners used in laser printing papers. The biologically and physically deinked papers, studied with the help of SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD analysis revealed significant changes in the chemical and surface structure. Moreover, the saccharification of deinked papers with the help of an enzymatic consortium of Trichoderma citrinoviride MDU-1 resulted in 305 mg/g, 377 mg/g, and 409 mg/g release of sugars from the newspaper, examination paper, and laser printed paper, respectively. Finally, the enzymatic hydrolysates fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM-3640 produced 3.35 g/L ethanol, with 40.85% ethanol yield.

This paper presents the design and analysis of a paper-based chipless RFID sensor for wetness content measurement in plant leaves. The sensor is designed using a passive microwave resonator to measure the ambient physical parameter. The resonator is designed with a rectangular loop inductively coupled with an interdigital capacitor. The experimental analysis of the designed sensor is illustrated here to prove its efficacy. The resonator provides adequate backscattered signal for wireless measurement in the microwave frequency band. When interrogated with a couple of UWB antennas and a VNA, it yields accurate leaf wetness response of the plant. The commercial competence of this sensing device is validated through its experimental analysis on three different types of leaf samples. This sensor is suitable for plant health monitoring in any small-scale gardening applications such as nurseries and greenhouses.

Insulated tubular busbar is a new type of current-carrying equipment with excellent performance. However, the research on this equipment is insufficient because of the short application and the lack of technical digestion, which has resulted in many accidents. In this paper, the full-scale model of epoxy-impregnated-paper insulated tubular busbar with bubble defects was designed and produced, its electrical breakdown process was investigated by withstand voltage test. In the experiment, the failure mode of breakdown caused by gas expansion was found for the first time. The research showed that the electrical-mechanical breakdown process could be divided into two stages: gas increase stage and breakdown threshold stage. The research also obtained the characteristics and the change criterions of the two stages. The gas in the bubble defects generated from epoxy decomposition which caused by partial discharge. When the gas pressure exceeds the critical fracture toughness of the bubble defects wall, the unstable crack extension occurs, therefore, improving the ability about resistance to partial discharge of epoxy resin or improving the fracture toughness of epoxy resin by modifying would enhance the breakdown performance of insulated tubular busbar. The result also has reference significance for other epoxy-impregnated-paper insulated electrical equipment.

Abstract writing is a very important since it is the piece of formal writing which should attract the attention of the reader and make him/her read the rest of the paper. Thus, it must be clear, concise, coherent, and powerful enough to attract the reader and provide him/her with the key information about the content of a research paper. All university students have to write an abstract in English in their qualification papers. However, non-native students of English usually have difficulties in writing an abstract in English. For example, the Czech students lack formal writing skills in English since the skill of formal writing is not developed enough in their native language, i.e. Czech. Therefore, the aim of this article is to discuss the use of an off-line scaffolding tool, which can help students develop an abstract in English, as well as to demonstrate how this tool can be incorporated in the whole Course of Practical English taught at the Faculty of Informatics and Management of the University of Hradec Kralove in the Czech Republic. The application was developed for students as support to a face-to-face class instruction, which proved to be insufficient in teaching students how to write an abstract in English. The application reflects the structure and sentence functions of the abstract and provides students with a model abstract, as well as with additional formulations. Overall, the application was designed with the purpose to enhance student’s skill of writing an abstract in English, as well as to lead students to successfully complete the task by making the application user-friendly - easy-to-use, accessible and transferrable as far as the knowledge is concerned. The application aims to enhance students’ autonomous learning by tailoring the content to their specific needs and making it accessible anytime and from anywhere.

Biohydrogen and biomethane production via two stage sequencing system from paper mill effluent (PME) was evaluated to enhance its COD reduction. Heat-shock pretreatment of anaerobic sludge at 90 °C for 15 min was chosen to obtain a mixed microbial inoculum for dark fermentative hydrogen production. The effect of initial pH (5, 6 and 7) on the efficiency of hydrogen fermentation at different concentrations of substrate (3, 5 and 7 g-COD/L) was investigated, which the maximum hydrogen yield was obtained at initial pH 5. After that, the effects of substrate concentration (3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 g-COD/L) and fermentation temperature (37 and 55 °C) were investigated on the hydrogen production yield. The efficiency of dark hydrogen fermentation for all substrate concentrations was higher at 55 °C. The hydrogen production was enhanced as substrate concentration increased up to 5 g-COD/L, but then it was reduced, and the optimum hydrogen yield of 38.8 mL H2/g-CODinitial was obtained at substrate concentration of 5 g-COD/L at 55 °C. The highest hydrogen (35.1 mL H2/g-CODinitial) was obtained at 5 g-COD/L and 55 °C and the highest methane (553.8 mL CH4/g-CODinitial) was obtained at 3 g-COD/L and 37 °C. Maximum COD reduction of 88.1% was obtained in two-stage sequencing dark fermentation/anaerobic digestion system at 3 g-COD/L and 37 °C.

Many organic residues are being wasted since they are not given a comprehensive management; anaerobic digestion is an alternative to reduce the impact of these residues, and to produce biogas. The chapter includes the state of art about biogas and energy production, and later, the analysis of a study case focusing on the use of pulp and paper wastes to produce biogas. The study was carried out through anaerobic digestion at a bench scale using three temperature phases to treat primary and secondary sludge, establishing operational parameters such as temperature, retention time, and organic loadings. Monitoring of volume, methane concentration in the biogas, volatile solids reduction, volatile fatty acids during the process, the performance of the process in function of methane produced per volatile solids removed is calculated. This case study shows that it is feasible to use the sludge from the company’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for the generation of biogas, thus reducing waste management problems.

This paper evaluates the environmental impacts of different alternatives for handling of sludge from paper and pulp mills in Sweden, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The common practice of incineration of biosludge with energy recovery followed by landfilling of ash (System A) was compared with the alternative of digesting sludge anaerobically to produce biogas using different digestate residue management options. The digestate produced from anaerobic digestion (AD) was assumed to be incinerated for heat energy recovery in System B or pyrolyzed for biochar production in System C to be mixed with forest soils. The impact categories considered in this work are climate change, non-renewable energy use, mineral extraction, aquatic ecotoxicity, carcinogens and non-carcinogens. The LCA results demonstrate that the two proposed systems significantly reduce the environmental impacts of biosludge management relative to incineration. An 85% reduction in the aquatic ecotoxicity impact is achieved in System C, due to the reduced mobility of heavy metals in biochar relative to ash. System C, on the whole, outperformed the other two, leading the authors to the recommendation that the use of pulp and paper mill biosludge in biogas-biochar production systems is preferable to merely recovering energy from it.

The dramatic fluctuations of oil cost and climate change have together concentrated political and scientific attention on the search of alternative fuels. The aim of this work is to recycle waste p...

In the present work, the production of enzymatic cocktails from different Aspergillus species grown in eucalyptus chips has been investigated. In addition, hydrolysis of the eucalyptus chips and pa...

We investigated miscanthus (MS) and willow (W) lignin-furfural based resins as potential reinforcement agents on softwood and hardwood kraft paper. These resins might be sustainable alternatives to the commercial phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. Phenol is a petrochemical product and formaldehyde has been classified as a carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The lignin used in this study was derived from hot water extraction (160ºC, 2 h) of MS and W biomass, and may be considered sulfur-free. These biorefinery lignins were characterized for their chemical composition and inherent properties via wet chemistry and instrumental techniques. The resin blends (MS-resin and W-resin) were characterized for their molecular weight, thermal behavior, and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties were measured by the resin’s ability to reinforce softwood and hardwood kraft papers. The effect of adding hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), a curing agent, to the resin was also examined. Mixtures of PF and lignin-based resins were investigated to further explore ways to reduce use of nonrenewables, phenol, and carcinogenic formaldehyde. The results show that lignin-based resins have the potential to replace PF resins in kraft paper applications. For softwood paper, the highest strength was achieved using W-resin, without HMTA (2.5 times greater than PF with HMTA). For hardwood paper, MS-resin with HMTA gave the highest strength (2.3 times higher than PF with HMTA). The lignin-based resins, without HMTA, also yielded mechanical properties comparable to PF with HMTA.

Unprinting of paper can reduce multiple life-cycle stages in the recycling of paper to yield significant environmental impact. Laser-unprinting has been demonstrated for uncoated paper but causes significant damage to coated paper. This work explores a scalable optical (non-laser) process for unprinting coated paper. Printed coated paper is exposed to pulsed broad-spectrum Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) from a xenon lamp and the toner is then removed by dabbing gently with an ethanol wipe. While black toner is easily unprinted, unprinting of colored prints (red, blue, green) is best realized by incorporating an initial overprint of black toner. An unprinting throughput on the order of mm2/s is achieved. Three distinct regimes of unprinting are identified based on the extent of toner removal and damage of the paper. The optical properties of the unprinted paper, characterized via UV–Visible spectrophotometry, are correlated to these regimes to understand the potential for in-situ optical process monitoring. Scanning Electron Micrography and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy are performed to understand the underlying mechanisms that govern the occurrence of the different unprinting regimes. Further, the potential impact of the developed approach on recycling of paper is discussed in the context of the capabilities of current optical unprinting approaches and the potential elimination of life-cycle stages in conventional paper recycling.

The hypothesis of this paper is that writers with similar academic backgrounds express personal attitudes in English and in Spanish differently in research papers. Thus, the main objectives are, first, to study the differences in the use of attitude devices in Spanish and English academic discourse; second, to compare the results in the different sections of articles; and finally to study the positive or negative semantic implications of the lexical items by carrying out a sentiment analysis. To this end, fifteen Spanish industrial engineering papers were compared with fifteen English industrial engineering papers. The results showed that there are in fact differences in the way academic writers communicate attitude, but the sentiment analysis revealed that neutral lexical items were the most commonly used in engineering research papers. Even though engineering researchers share the knowledge of the specialist content and the academic style of expressing their thoughts, personal attitudes were expressed in different ways in Spanish and in English.

The recycling of waste paper has been an effective way to achieve the environmental-friendly growth of papermaking industry. Focusing on the mixed-pulping process which has been generally employed, to ensure the required properties of the deinking pulp (DIP) and minimize the purchase cost of waste paper, an intelligent model scheduling the mixing ratio of waste paper was developed in the study. Primarily, driven by the field data of mixing ratio of waste paper and DIP properties, the prediction models of DIP properties were developed by SVM, GA-SVM, and BP-NN algorithms. Subsequently, based on the best prediction model, the scheduling model for the mixing ratio of waste paper was set up by NSGAII algorithm. The experimental results showed that, based on the obtained best BP-NN prediction model of DIP properties, the developed NSGAII scheduling model for the ratio of waste paper could achieve excellent scheduling results under the rigorous constraints and multi-objective. Compared with the previous study, the developed prediction and scheduling models in this study reduced the purchase cost of waste paper by 2.16%, and improved the acceptable proportion of DIP property from 56.07% to 100%.

Industrialization and urbanization are the key drivers to threaten the environmental quality and natural resources. Traditionally, pulp and paper industry has been highly reliant on forest based resources for its escalation. Shortage of forest based raw materials, strict environmental regulations and policies have compelled the industry to seek for alternate raw materials for its production. Mills are now focusing on exploring the potential of different agro wastes such as cereal straws and bagasse etc. In present research, sugarcane trash, one of the most abundant agro residues in India, was investigated for its capability in pulping and bleaching. Chemical characterization of sugarcane trash showed that it contains 40.4% cellulose, 33.2% hemicelluloses, 17.4% lignin and 6.45% ash content with 2.76% silica. To cook sugarcane trash with soda pulping method, 14% alkali charge, 15 min time and 162 °C temperature was found to be optimum and pulp of kappa no. 19.8 was prepared that exhibited good strength properties. Bleaching of pulp was carried out using elemental chlorine (Cl2), hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) based sequences. Replacement of Cl2 with ClO2 has significant impact on strength properties and effluent characteristics. Oxygen delignification stage was incorporated prior to ClO2 that resulted in improved optical properties of pulp with noticeable reduction in wastewater load. This paper elaborates the need of using sugarcane trash in paper mills with environment friendly pulping and bleaching processes to combat with the problem of waste management, wastewater load reduction during bleaching and substitute for wood based raw materials in papermaking.

The effects of paper waste (PW) ratio on biogas production by two-stage thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion (coAD) of food waste (FW) and PW, two main components of organic fraction of municipal solid waste, were evaluated in lab-scale continuously stirred tank systems with semi-continuous feeding. Four PW ratios (0, 20, 40, and 50%) were studied in the test. The experimental results showed the two-stage thermophilic coAD could operate stably after an adjustment period at all PW ratios. Although the increase of PW ratio decreased methane content, production and yield, reaction rates of four AD steps, it could increase the methane production of substrate when the FW was fixed. The pH, total volatile fatty acids, total alkalinity, and total ammonium of the sludge in the second stage of AD, also decreased with the increase of PW ratio in the test. The change of the substrate's organic composition, increase of carbohydrate and decrease of protein and lipid, were the main reason for the decrease of methane content, production and yield and changes of the second stage sludge characteristics. An apposite PW ratio (PW-20%) could enhance the degradation of matters (TS, VS and TCOD).

This paper examines the mechanical properties and durability of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) containing 100% coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and industrial by-products. The by-products, including waste paper sludge ash (PSA), fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), and metakaolin (MK) of different proportions (5%, 10%, 15%) in RAC, were used in two methods: replacement and addition methods. The use of by-products (mineral admixtures) to mitigate the low quality of RAC was demonstrated through experimental outcomes in this study. The addition of industrial by-products was presented as a promising alternative for the addition of more Portland cement in RAC to enhance RAC's quality. The results showed that the strength and durability of RAC containing mineral admixtures in the addition method were higher than the addition of more cement or the replacement method. Notably, PSA considerably improved the mechanical properties of RAC at an early age, and it substantially improved the resistance of RAC to acid and sulfate attacks. At 90 days, FA and MK improved mechanical properties of RAC greater than SF and PSA did. Among combinations, the proportions of by-products in RAC of 5% PSA, 10% SF, 15% MK and 15% FA can produce the highest performance of RAC with 100% coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA).

The paper drying process has the highest level of energy consumption in the pulp and paper production process. Analysis and optimization of the energy system during the paper drying process is critical for improving the energy efficiency of the entire paper mill. In the existing model for the paper drying process, the solution requires accurate boundary conditions such as the air temperature and humidity of the pocket area and the cylinder surface temperature, which are very difficult to obtain in the papermaking process. This can result in significant deviations between the model solution and the actual production process. This paper focuses on the single-tier dryer cylinder-based paper drying process that has been widely used with high-speed papermaking machines in recent years. A mathematical model is proposed based on real-time data. The verification via industrial production demonstrates that the proposed model is reliable for the paper drying process. Based on the simulation results, two optimization operations have been proposed. The energy consumption decreases from 1.51 t steam/t paper to 1.44 t steam/t paper, 4.6% of the steam and 1.26 × 106 RMB can be saved for a medium-scale paper mill with the annual production capacity of 105 t paper.

Pulp and paper industry is one of the high priority sectors that generates large amount of solid (sludge) and liquid (paper mill effluent) wastes. Making use of this huge quantity of paper mill sludge (PMS) in an environment friendly manner is challenging and cost involving. Similarly the present wastewater treatment strategies based on physical and chemical methods encounter certain serious setbacks including secondary pollution generation with expensive mode of abatement processes. The present study aims at a “waste treats waste” strategy for the bioremediation of paper mill effluent in fluidized bed reactor (FBR) using another waste of the same industry, PMS as immobilizing matrix for Planococcus sp. TRC1, a wastewater bacterial isolate. This study simultaneously explores this isolate for the yellowish orange pigment it produces (2.3 ± 0.2 mg/gm of dry bacterial biomass) and characterizes it as a member of the pharmacologically important carotenoid pigment family via UV-Vis spectrophotometry, TLC, FT-IR and 13C NMR. The antioxidant potential of this pigment was studied by DPPH assay (IC50 = 33 ± 0.4 μg/ml) and H2O2 assay (IC50 = 147.4 ± 2.2 μg/ml). In FBR, the PMS immobilized bacteria showed removal of phenol, lignin, colour and COD from the effluent by 96%, 74%, 81% and 85% respectively after 60hr of treatment. The experimental data on immobilization fitted well with pseudo second-order (R2 = 0.955) and Freundlich adsorption isotherm (R2 = 0.996) models. The alterations in PMS before and after bacterial immobilization, as revealed by SEM and FT-IR, depicted the success of PMS as immobilization matrix. Phytotoxicity (90% seed germination) and mutagenicity studies confirmed that the treated effluent was substantially less toxic than its raw state. This study highlights a novel utilization possibility of PMS in an eco-friendly and economic way as immobilization matrix for Planococcus sp.TRC1 for paper pulp mill effluent treatment along with production of carotenoid pigment from this potential bacterial isolate as value added product.