Water management in paper and board industry

Water management in paper mills is of paramount importance; indeed, water is an essential element in the papermaking process, fulfilling a number of functions during production: it supports the raw materials and carries them throughout the production chain, it transports energy in the form of steam, it ensures the cooling and lubrication of the many rotating elements, it keeps the paper machine clean and finally it enables the fibers to organize themselves in the form of a homogeneous mat to form a sheet of paper.

Historically, the paper industry has been considered a major consumer of water and a significant contributor to environmental pollution. However, over the last 40 years, thanks to a number of internal and external environmental measures, emissions into the receiving environment have been reduced by 90% or more.

Specific water consumption (m ³ /tonne of paper produced) at French paper and cardboard production sites has fallen considerably: taking all types of paper and cardboard together, it was around 80 m ³ /t in 1974, and is now less than 16 m ³ /t today. To achieve this situation, the paper industry has had to develop solutions to recycle process water laden with suspended solids, soluble and colloidal matter, both organic and inorganic. This has been made possible by research and the development of new, ever more efficient equipment. It's also the fruit of the industry's colossal investments in process optimization and environmental protection.