After drawing international acclaim, Indonesia's moratorium on forest clearing has proved hard to implement, as special interests whittle down the area protected under the agreement, environmental groups say.

Patiala: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has sealed a paper mill for violating pollution control norms. The power connection of the mill has also been disconnected. Highly placed sources said on specific information a PPCB team conducted a raid at the DSG Paper Mills Private Limited, located on the Main Road, Patiala, some 10 days ago. “In view of the violations, the mill was sealed a couple of days back,” said the board authorities.

Orient Paper Mills, Amlai is an old integrated pulp and paper mill. There is a continuous effort to reduce water consumption per ton of paper produced. The plant is a pioneer in effectively using the treated effluent for its own plantation through HRTS and do not discharge any coloured effluent in the river.

Total water and environment management in a paper mill is the need of the hour to ensure that the dual needs of lower water consumption as well as eliminating waste discharge are met. This is made possible by having an holistic approach to the problem rather than looking at end of pipe solutions like recycling the total waste water produced etc.

Black liquor management for small and medium mills based on agri-residues is still a problem, though several technologies are developed. One of the non conventional technologies being practiced by many of the mills is Modified Copeland Process.

The pulp and paper industry is an energy-intensive process industry where energy contributes 18-25% of the manufacturing cost. Due to shortages in energy availability and increase in energy cost, energy conservation has become a necessity in the paper industry.

To achieve the sustainability, many paper mills are shifting from pollution control to pollution prevention through cleaner technology-recycling/reuse water and solid waste and thus reducing pollutants and also to save the energy. Cleaner technology concept starts from pulp mill/deinking plant by controlling pitch/stickies, paper machine to control colloidal, dissolved materials and TOC (Total organic compounds) and finally the effluent treatment.

Biofuels produced from various lignocellulosic biomass such as agro forest residues have been recognized to have potential, to be available substitute for or compliment to gasolines. These biofuels derived from plant materials have the potential to address the two main issues - carbon neutral and renewable. In addition they are an integral part of the emerging 'bio-economy' where plant material is used to produce specific chemicals and bulk industrial products.

Paper industry generates green house gases in many stage of its operations; there is scope for implementation of CDM project preferably in forestry sector. JKPL's A/R CDM project under LULUCF category aims to GHG mitigation and sell emission reductions earned through carbon sequestration in the established agro-forestry plantations.

The Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills has envisaged an integrated pulpwood based farm forestry project for more than two decades. Targeting marginal and wastelands, the mill has now introduced low cost planting technique, particularly development of high quality seedlings and clonal Casuarina at the minimum affordable cost.

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