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Scientific fake papers, containing manipulated or completely fabricated data, are a problem that has reached dramatic dimensions. Companies known as paper mills (or more bluntly as "criminal science publishing gangs") produce and sell such fake papers on a large scale. The main drivers of the fake paper flood are the pressure in academic systems and (monetary) incentives to publish in respected scientific journals and sometimes the personal desire for increased "prestige." Published fake papers cause substantial scientific, economic, and social damage. There are numerous information sources that deal with this topic from different points of view. This review aims to provide an overview of these information sources until June 2024. Much more original research with larger datasets is needed, for example on the extent and impact of the fake paper problem and especially on how to detect them, as many findings are based more on small datasets, anecdotal evidence, and assumptions. A long-term solution would be to overcome the mantra of publication metrics for evaluating scientists in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of China Pulp & Paper is the property of China Pulp & Paper Magazines Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Wastewater treatment in the paper industries is of paramount importance in terms of the concentration and type of pollutants as well as the quantity of water used in the production process. In this study, wastewater from a company in Tehran province was treated through two consecutive processes: electrocoagulation and electro-Fenton, in which the effluent of the electrocoagulation unit entered the electro-Fenton unit. After performing initial tests and setting the appropriate range of parameters affecting both processes, experiments were designed using Box Behnken Design. The objective was to reduce Total Suspended Solids and Chemical Oxygen Demand and optimize the variables influencing the performance of both processes. The impact of different factors, such as time, current, hydrogen peroxide concentration, and pH was investigated. Chemical Oxygen Demand and Total Suspended Solids removal of 55% and 96% were, respectively, achieved using EC conducted at pH 8.5, current of 1.049 A, and retention time of 32.4 min. The Chemical Oxygen Demand abatement efficiency of the electro-Fenton process was found as 66.2% within 46.2 min, hydrogen peroxide concentration of 1077 mg/L and current of 0.036 A. The initial Chemical Oxygen Demand of the untreated wastewater was 1080 mg/L, and after treatment, using the hybrid process it reached 175 mg/L. The result showed that the hybrid processes used less energy than single electrocoagulation or electro-Fenton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

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] more...

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] more...

The paper mill crisis, which is polluting the scholarly literature with fake papers, has led to record-breaking article retractions and continues to erode trust in science. While publishers and other scholarly publishing stakeholders have mobilized to address this grave threat to research and publishing integrity, action from the library community has been lacking. This article explores the ongoing impact of the paper mill crisis and its causes. It also reviews the steps being taken across the sector to address it. This includes actions taken by publishers, integrity sleuths and organizations like Retraction Watch, NISO and STM. Based on the severity of the crisis and the current response, this article recommends actions libraries can take to help address the crisis and clean up the mess paper mills have made in the scholarly literature. At a time of declining trust and growing threats facing society, it is critical that all scholarly publishing stakeholders, including librarians, help hold the line on publishing integrity and restore trust in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Due to the high concentration of various contaminants in the paper mill effluent, it must undergo an efficient treatment process before being discharged to the environment or being reused in the production cycle. In the present study, the submerged membrane adsorption bioreactor (SMABR) system was used for the treatment of the paper mill effluent. The modified polyethersulfone PES/MoS2 membrane was fabricated by incorporating exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets prepared in the laboratory, into the PES matrix. This membrane along with the powdered activated carbon (PAC) were utilized in the SMABR system for the paper mill effluent treatment. After the acclimation of the sludge with the target effluent, the optimum values of food to microorganism (F/M), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and adsorbent dosage were determined separately to be 0.451, 18 h, and 3 g/L by considering the maximum values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and mixed liquor suspended solid MLSS concentration in each stage. In the final stage, the MBR and SMABR systems (using the pristine and modified membranes, separately) were prepared to separately investigate the effect of the presence of the PAC adsorbent and modified membrane, on the output parameters. In all systems, the values of pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) were maintained in the normal range (pH: 6.2–6.7, DO>2) to provide favorable conditions for the growth of microorganisms. Most importantly, best performance in this study was related to the SMABR system consisting the PES/MoS2 membrane and PAC adsorbent, with the highest values of COD removal (96%), MLSS concentration (15620 mg/L), and membrane permeation flux (110 L/m2.h). It is worth mentioning that the functionalized membrane exhibited better hydrophilicity compared with the pristine membrane, resulting in high water permeation flux, which is in accordance with the performance results. more...

Copyright of Outre-Mers: Revue d'Histoire Colonial et Impériale is the property of Societe Francaise d'Histoire d'Outre Mer and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

The experiment was conducted near a paper mill industry to evaluate the influence of combining treated wastewater and sludge from paper mills on soil quality and productivity of Ragi (Eleusine coracana) also known as finger millet. The study examined soil microbiota, soil enzymes, and yield characteristics of Ragi across different treatments. Among the treatments, the application of effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge vermicompost at 5 t ha-1 with drip irrigation using treated effluent (T8) resulted in a notable increase in bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes populations (29.49 × 106, 15.50 × 104 and 9.75 × 10² colony-forming units (CFU) ml-1, respectively) at harvest stage. Enzymatic activities in the post-harvest soil, including amylase and invertase (0.99 and 1.49 mg reducing sugars g-1 soil 24 h-1, respectively), cellulose (38.50 µg reducing sugars g-1 soil 24 h-1), phosphatase (18.93 µg phenols g-1 soil 24 h-1) and dehydrogenase (48.19 µg triphenyl formazan g-1 soil 24 h-1) were also significantly higher in the T8 treatment. Plant height, number of tillers, grain and straw yields were all notably higher in T8. The addition of vermicompost sludge enhanced soil microbial activity, thereby stimulating soil enzyme production. As a result, applying ETP sludge vermicompost at 5 t ha-1, along with treated effluent through drip irrigation, significantly enhanced soil health and ragi yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The present study investigated the phycoremediation efficacy of two freshwater green microalgae Chlorella ellipsoidea and Desmodesmus opoliensis for treatment of water of Ellenga beel, a wetland located in the vicinity of Nagaon paper mill and into which effluents of the paper mill are drained-off. After inoculation of water samples with the two freshwater green microalgae, the culture medium were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, phosphate, nitrate, potassium, chloride, phenol, cyanide, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and heavy metals at every seven days interval for a period of 42 days. A reduction of phosphate (85%), sulfate (96%), nitrate (76%) and chloride (48%) was observed after 42 days of incubation in the tested beel water. The micro algal incubation also resulted in decrease of heavy metal such as Pb (54%), Zn (98%), Cr (59%), and Cu (61%). Comparison of Fourier transform infrared spectra of beel water samples (control) with those inoculated with the test micro algal species showed presence of binding sites for certain functional groups like phosphate, amide, carbohydrate and alkyl halides in inoculated samples. D. opoliensis exhibited higher phycoremediation efficiency than C. ellipsoidea in removal of pollutants from the beel water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

This article analyses the importance of paper in the context of early modern warfare. During the war against the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 17th century, the Habsburgs were establishing a new administration in Hungary, which served both military and civil purposes. Not only did administrative tasks have to be organized, but the very success of military operations depended on the well-ordered work of the administration: communication had to be smooth, and a wide variety of tasks had to be properly and reliably processed. To fulfil these requirements, the administration needed large quantities of paper. This study follows the traces of paper in the records of the Chamber Administration in Buda and points to the vital need for paper at the heart of the new Habsburg rule. The challenges of acquiring and producing paper themselves became crucial aspects of the administration’s work. The article argues that a reliable supply of paper competed even with the distribution of arms and food to become an essential resource in warfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Abstract 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. more...

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] more...

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] more...

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] more...

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] more...

Paper mill producing several type papers has a wastewater treatment plant with an aerated lagoon system to remove their pollutants. But the removal efficiency of this system is still low so that the effluent is still not complying with the Indonesian of effluent quality standards yet. It needs pre-treatment plant before aerated lagoon. In an effort to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plant, study of wastewater characteristics, wastewater treatment, the establishment of treatment systems and equipment design have been carried out. After construction of pre-treatment plant, the field trial of wastewater treatment plant using wastewater originated from several type of paper produced was conducted. Result of laboratory-scale experiment showed that the paper mill needs a wastewater treatment with physical-chemical system before aerated lagoon treatment. Field trial of wastewater treatment showed that the removal of suspended solids (TSS) of 97%, COD of 88%, BOD5 of 85%, and a pH of 6.2 to 7.7 could be obtained using 5 - 10 % NaOH solution at doses of 50-240 mg/L and 0.1% cationic polyelectrolyte (PE) solution as flocculants at dose of 1.0 to 1.5 mg/L. Application of physical-chemical treatment plant can lighten the load on an aerated lagoon treatment. Effluent quality of aerated lagoon discharged into environment has met the Indonesian of effluent quality standard. more...

Paper mill producing several type papers has a wastewater treatment plant with an aerated lagoon system to remove their pollutants. But the removal efficiency of this system is still low so that the effluent is still not complying with the Indonesian of effluent quality standards yet. It needs pre-treatment plant before aerated lagoon. In an effort to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plant, study of wastewater characteristics, wastewater treatment, the establishment of treatment systems and equipment design have been carried out. After construction of pre-treatment plant, the field trial of waste water treatment plant using wastewater come from several type of paper produced has also been done. Result of laboratory-scale experiment shows that the paper mill needs a wastewater treatment with physical-chemical system before aerated lagoon treatment. Field trial of wastewater treatment shows that the removal of suspended solids (TSS) of 97%, COD of 88%, BOD5 of 85%, and a pH of 6.2 to 7.7 could be obtained by using 5 - 10 % NaOH solution at doses of 50-240 mg/L and 0.1% cationic polyelectrolyte (PE) solution as flocculants at dose of 1.0 to 1.5 mg/L. The addition of physical-chemical treatment plant can lighten the load on an aerated lagoon treatment. Effluent quality of aerated lagoon discharged into environment has met the Indonesian of effluent quality standard. more...

In this study, the hazards and risks that may arise in the paper industry in terms of worker health and work safety are analyzed and precautions were mentioned in order to keep these hazards and risks at acceptable levels. It is intended to give an idea of how risk analysis is implemented in a sector related to forest products in practice, and to provide an example of further work in the field. Kahramanmaraş Paper Mill (KMK) belongs to Kahramanmaraş Paper Industry and Trade Joint Stock Company was chosen as application area. According to No. 6331 Occupational Health and Safety Act, measurements such as gas, temperature, relative humidity, vibration, light intensity, and noise considered important in work environments in terms of occupational health and safety and workers' safety were performed. Measurements were made in approximately 35 different sections of the mill. When obtained results from measurements were compared with the regulations, it was determined that there was no threat to occupational health and safety in terms of noise, temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, gas and vibration. Besides, temperature and relative humidity values were found to be suitable for the mill when assessed according to U.S. ASHRAE standards. It has been also determined that the hand-arm vibration values of the employees are within the desired range. Hydrogen sulfide gas was only encountered in the refining section while the oxygen level in the working fields was sufficient. Sulfur dioxide has not been detected in any sections of the mills. As a result of these assessments, it is concluded that KMK does not carry any risk in terms of occupational health and safety. more...

• Two sub-period division strategies with MPCA are evaluated in SBR process. • Correlations between the different stages of SBR process are considered. • Four SBR parameters of field data from paper mill are utilized for fault diagnosis. • Sub-period division strategy based on similarity principle demonstrates best. Fault diagnosis of sequential batch reactor (SBR), a widely applied wastewater treatment technology in papermaking industry with huge discharge, has been a significant challenge due to the inherent multi-period characteristics of the process. In this paper, based on the conventional multi-way principal component analysis (MPCA) method (Scenario 0), two sub-period division strategies based on the processing phases of SBR process (Scenario 1) and the similarities of the loading matrices between the adjacent time slices (Scenario 2) are proposed for the detection of faults. Combined with Scenario 0, using the field data of blower current, level of SBR reactor, dissolved oxygen of wastewater and the blower valve opening in the SBR process of paper mill, two different fault diagnosis models with Scenarios 1 and 2 are developed and evaluated, respectively. The study results revealed that, both the calculated statistics of T2 and sum of prediction errors (SPE) of the fault diagnosis models with Scenarios 1 and 2 could detect the faults and identify the fault locations and sources. Compared to Scenario 0 which neglects the correlations between the different stages of SBR process, the fault diagnosis model by Scenario 2 demonstrated a superiority ability in fault identification in terms of the fault's time onset and fault's sources with adequate accuracy. The results enable the feasible and reliable implementation of the developed sub-MPCA diagnosis model with Scenario 2 in the actual SBR plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A Midwestern pulp and paper mill had arc-flash ratings around 100 cal/cm2 on 50 480-V unit substations. New relays were installed to replace the existing protection and add light detection to improve arc-flash detection times. During a couple of one-day outages, sample installations took place. During the cold mill outage, 44 installations were completed over 12 days by working around the clock. Old relays were removed, new plates were mounted and wired in, and fiber sensors were routed through the buswork and into the breaker cubicles. Updated arc-flash studies show an average arc-flash rating reduction of 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Industrial processes and municipal wastes largely contribute to the fluctuations in iron (Fe) content in soils. Fe, when present in unfavorable amount, causes harmful effects on human, flora, and fauna. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the composition of Fe in surface soils from paper mill and municipal landfill sites and assess their potential ecological and human health risks. Geochemical fractionation was conducted to explore the chemical bonding of Fe across different fractions, i.e., water-soluble (F1) to residual (F6). Different contamination factors and pollution indices were evaluated to comprehend Fe contamination extent across the study area. Results indicated the preference for less mobile forms in the paper mill and landfill, with 26.66% and 43.46% of Fe associated with the Fe–Mn oxide bound fraction (F4), and 57.22% and 24.78% in the residual fraction (F6). Maximum mobility factor (MF) of 30.65% was observed in the paper mill, and 80.37% in the landfill. The enrichment factor (EF) varied within the range of 20 < EF < 40, signifying a high level of enrichment in the soil. The individual contamination factor (ICF) ranged from 0 to >6, highlighting low to high contamination. Adults were found to be more vulnerable towards Fe associated health risks compared to children. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) index showed the highest risk potential pathways as dermal contact > ingestion > inhalation. The study offers insights into potential Fe contamination risks in comparable environments, underscoring the crucial role of thorough soil assessments in shaping land use and waste management policies. [Display omitted] • Geochemical fractionation unveils less bioavailable Fe in contaminated soil. • EF, ICF, and I geo indicate high Fe contamination. • Adults are more susceptible to potential health risks from surplus Fe exposure. • HQ analysis pinpoints dermal contact as the primary pathway for Fe exposure risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Kaunas History Chronicle is the property of Vytautas Magnus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

As a great amount of chemicals are employed to carry out the coating process of paper, the wastewater from paper mill making coated products is characterized by high levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour, and total suspended solids (TSS). In this study, wastewater from a paper mill making coated products was treated by a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) after a lab-scale coagulation, resulting in COD, colour, and TSS removal efficiencies of 87.7 ± 1.0%, 33.5 ± 5.2%, and 41.4 ± 3.7%, respectively, which exceeded the biological treatment performance in the paper mill. The removal of COD and colour was attributed to the removal of recalcitrant organic matter, and the removal of TSS was attributed to the biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Paper mills consume a large amount of energy, which is an important factor restricting their sustainable development. Benchmarking is a critical method for discovering the energy-savings potential of mills. To address problems such as the absence of indicators for energy efficiency benchmarking, the influence of different basis weights on energy efficiency levels and on the estimation of energy-saving potential, this paper makes use of production line-based and process-based benchmarking in coated paperboard production. The indicator system is constructed to collect data and quantify the energy efficiency. K-means clustering is used to classify the basis weight and energy efficiency data for seven months and obtain the benchmark values. The results showed that the specific energy consumption (SEC) decreased with the increase in basis weight. An analysis of production line-based benchmarking for a paper mill in China indicated that energy efficiency reached the level of 5.92 to 6.94 GJ/t, which was 10.8 to 23.91% lower compared with the European Union best available energy level (7.78 GJ/t) and 6.28 to 24.6% higher compared with the energy consumption of American paper products integrated production units (5.57 GJ/t). These energy-saving measures should be taken into account in order to raise the energy efficiency in paper mills. more...