Efficient water use in industries: Cases from the Indian agro-based pulp and paper mills P.K. Tewari, V.S. Batra, M. Balakrishnan * The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India Received 20 March 2007; received in revised form 18 August 2007; accepted 15 September 2007 Available online 20 February 2008 Abstract Agro-based pulp and paper mills in India are one of the most polluting industries; in addition, they are high consumers of raw water. Growing scarcity of high quality freshwater as well as stringent regulatory standards is compelling these units to explore appropriate water management options. Based on data obtained through a questionnaire survey and plant visits, this work provides an overview of the water use and effluent treatment status in Indian agro-residue and recycled pulp and paper mills. The challenges faced by this sector are reviewed and practices adopted by progressive units to minimize freshwater use are illustrated through case studies. Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Agro-residue; Recycled paper; Pulp and paper mills; Water management; Wastewater reuse; Effluent treatment 1. Introduction The pulp and paper industry is one of the core industrial sectors in India generating more than 0.3 million direct and around 1 million indirect employment through agricultural activities (Roy, 2007). The production in 2005e2006 was 5.9 million tons paper and paperboard, against an installed ca- pacity of 7.6 million tons (MoCI, 2007). The present paper consumption is low at 6 kg/capita. However, with rise in liter- acy, education and income level, and overall economic growth, it is estimated that the demand would be over 14 million tons in 2020 (Jaakko Poyry Management Consulting, 2002). At present, there are 666 pulp and paper mills in India, of which 632 units are agro-residue and recycled fiber based units (CPPRI, 2005). Being a fiber deficient country, two- third of the raw material comes from non-wood sources. These include agro-residues like rice straw, wheat straw, sar- kanda grass (Saccharum spontaneous), bagasse, jute rags as well as wastepaper. A popular raw material combination used by the industry is wheat straw, bagasse and waste paper. The Indian pulp and paper industry is highly water inten- sive, consuming 100e250 m 3 freshwater/ton paper (Singh, 2004). The corresponding wastewater generation is also high (75e225 m 3 wastewater/ton paper) (Ansari, 2004). As per the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, the pulp and paper sector is in the ‘‘Red Category’’ list of 17 industries having a high polluting potential. Owing to its serious pollution threat, it is mandatory for pulp and paper mills to take appropriate measures to comply with the dis- charge standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which is the national agency responsible for environ- mental compliance. The environmental impact of agro-residue based mills is of particular concern since these units generate 150e200 m 3 effluent/ton paper with a high pollution loading of 90e240 kg suspended solids/ton paper, 85e370 kg bio- chemical oxygen demand (BOD)/ton paper and 500e1100 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/ton paper (Mathur et al., 2004). Apart from the pollution, there is a growing water scar- city and deterioration in water quality in many parts of India (TERI, 2006). Thus, in the context of reduced freshwater avail- ability, declining water quality and environmental pollution * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ91 11 2468 2100/11; fax: þ91 11 2468 2144/45. E-mail address: malinib@teri.res.in (M. Balakrishnan). 0301-4797/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.09.001 Journal of Environmental Management 90 (2009) 265e273 www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman