2.1.1 Current situation with respect to non wood fibre utilization
India is endowed with rich non wood fibre resources, in respect of diversity as well as abundance. They vary from essentially forest based sources like bamboo to agricultural residues viz., bagasse and cereal straw. India is world's largest producer of bagasse and second largest producer of bamboo, next only to China. But the situation is not as impressive with regard to their utilization. While the pulp and paper industry has been slow to take advantage of these vast resources that are different from the traditional material, the panel industry has been conspicuously reluctant, if not, indifferent. As supplies of preferred raw materials have diminished on the one hand and consumption of products has increased on the other hand, changes in raw material utilization have occurred in recent times. This trend will continue for the same reasons which has brought about the change (Phillips, 1984).
In India, the utilization of non wood fibres for manufacturing paper started in 1880 when 5 small mills were established with grass and jute sticks as major raw material. Although hundreds of non wood raw materials can theoretically be considered to be suitable for production of paper and pulp, there are several factors, which limit their large scale utilization. The important criteria for selection are:
· Supplies should be plentiful and availability sustainable and uninterrupted;
· The fibre should conform to certain size requirements and pulp yield should be high;
· Collection, transport and storage should be economical;
· Fibre isolation should be technically and economically feasible;
· Fibre should not deteriorate and lose strength quickly during storage;
· Competitive uses should be few, if not none.
The non wood fibre materials used in India for paper making are assessed in terms of these criteria and details furnished in Annex 1. The properties of these materials important for paper making are summarized in Annex 2.
The non wood raw materials suitable for paper making are acceptable for manufacturing panels also and the criteria listed above are equally applicable, except that fibre dimension is not critical. A few other non wood raw materials which are not suitable for paper making are used for panels like rice husk and groundnut husk, which are abundantly available in India. The properties of panels manufactured out of such sources are summarized in Annex 3.
The fibre sources will be analysed in respect of availability, especially in the context of competitive uses, problems in their collection, transport and storage examined with regard to accessing supplies to efficiently and competitively process the raw material. The raw materials which will play a major role, like bamboo, bagasse and straw will be treated first.
Bamboo
India is second only to China, both in diversity and distribution of bamboo; 125 species in 23 genera have been recorded, which are distributed over 10.03 million ha from sea level to 3,700 meters above sea level. It accounts for 12.8% of country's forest area. The distribution is, however, not uniform, the rich areas being confined to north east, Siwalik hills of Uttar Pradesh, Bastar, region of Madhya Pradesh, Western Ghats in South India and Andaman Islands. The north-east is the richest source accounting for about 50% of extant growing stock (Tewari, 1992); 12 species have been investigated for pulp and paper production and 2 for panels (mat board). Dendrocalamus strictus is the most widely used species for pulp and paper, and followed by Bambusa bambos and Melocanna baccifera accounts for 83% of all bamboos used for pulping. Ochlandra travancorica and Bambusa bambos are used for mat board.
Being essentially a forest based material, bamboo, although a non wood fibre source, is included with wood, in all Indian studies relating to raw material for pulp and paper. In the national statistics, it is often difficult to separate the contribution and role of wood and bamboo fibres.
Bamboo yield in the natural forests is as low as 0.40 tonnes per ha per annum. It is, however, known that yield in rain fed areas can be increased 4 to 5 times in five years if protection from grazing is ensured and proper management practices (soil working, fertilization and thinning) are adopted (Adkoli, 1994; Lakshmana, 1994). The estimated current growing stock is 150 million tonnes, of which Dendrocalamus strictus accounts for 53%. The annual harvest is estimated to be about 4 million tonnes, out of which about 50% is used in rural construction, scaffolding, handicrafts, etc.
When it was established in 1922-24 that bamboo was an eminently suitable material for pulp and paper production, a new dimension was added to its utilization. Bamboo soon became the dominant fibre source and accounted for about 75% of fibre sources for pulp and paper in the fifties. As supplies remained stagnant at about 1.5 million tonnes (green weight) per annum and capacity enlarged to meet increasing demand, search for alternate sources were intensified, which resulted in the utilization of hardwoods in early seventies. The trend may be seen in Table 25 (Adkoli, 1994; FAO 1984; Singhania, 1996).
Table 25 - Utilization of bamboo in total paper production
|
Year |
% of bamboo by air dry weight in total fibre weight |
|
1936 |
49 |
|
52 |
74 |
|
58 |
74 |
|
70 |
56 |
|
75 |
54 |
|
79 |
53 |
|
80 |
29 |
|
88 |
28 |
|
90 |
27 |
|
95 |
22 |
From the eighties onwards, the dominance of bamboo declined although there was some increase in supplies, i.e., to about 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes per annum (green wt), as the quantity available was inadequate to cater to the much enlarged capacity.
The shortcomings in the utilization of non wood fibre sources do not apply to bamboo in that magnitude. Because, the supplies are almost throughout the year, and occurrence is not very much dispersed in their natural habitat. Although quickly perishable, the problem can be overcome by simple prophylactic treatments. In other words, this source is almost similar to the traditional raw material wood and in pulping characteristics, it is even better than hardwood. Only constraint is bulk and resultant higher cost of transport. In view of emphasis given to raising bamboo plantation and success achieved in mass propagation techniques, it is expected that availability of bamboo will increase in future. But there is little hope of supplies to pulp paper and panels industries increasing correspondingly, in view of following reasons:
· Being essentially a forest based material, supplies are subject to Govt. regulations as in the case of wood;· Competition is severe. Cottage industries (like incense sticks) and handicrafts are already facing problems due to inadequate supplies;
· On account of widening gap between demand and supply, there has been a sharp increase in price. Paper, pulp and panels industries can ill afford the much increased price;
· It is characterised by a wide range of production, processing and marketing systems (Belcher, 1995). A thorough understanding of the production to consumption systems is necessary to initiate development interventions to optimise its role in industrial uses;
· Bamboo has not been favoured by farmers in the bipartite or tripartite tie up arrangements the industries have been forging with them although it is fast growing, because of the difficulties encountered in protection from cattle and the fear of long term commitment of land.
In view of these problems, bamboo has received low priority in the planned capacity expansion, despite being the most suitable material. Out of the planned capacity expansion of 2.45 million tonnes during 1996-2000, the share of bamboo is a mere 7.8%, i.e., about 192,000 TPA. For this, about 0.6 million tonnes more (green weight) bamboo will be required annually. Anticipating the revival of bamboo mat board production and consequent substitution of wood in plywood, about 0.2 million tonnes (green weight) will be the additional annual requirement for next 5 years. By 2010, additional annual requirement will be 0.6 million tonnes. In the context of constraints stated above, it will be risky to expect anything more, although the yield from forests is expected to increase to some extent.
Bagasse
In a study of the pulping prospects in India undertaken by FAO (1984), it was stated that by 1990, a substantial increase would occur in the capacity for pulping of bagasse. Although it was not achieved and only some beginning was made in the early nineties, it is clearly foreseen that bagasse will play a major role in the next millennium. The technology for production of paper and newsprint out of bagasse is very much in place and various steps taken to "release" bagasse from sugar mills have begun to yield results. Hence, decks have been cleared for utilizing this abundant source (Anon. 1997).
Bagasse is the fibrous residue left after extraction of juice from sugarcane. The fibre content varies between 26-30 to 33-36%. On an average, it constitutes about one third of sugarcane crushed. India is the largest producer of sugar in the world, but in terms of utilization of bagasse for paper making, it ranks 14th, as most of this valuable material is burnt as fuel in sugar mills and only the "saved or substitute bagasse" is available for pulping.
It is against this background that FAO (1984) and Development Council (1990) projected a modest role for it, despite known abundance. It was estimated that, after meeting the requirement of sugar industry, about 7.2 million tonnes of bagasse only would be available to paper industry. Because of the scattered nature of sugar industry and total captive consumption of bagasse as fuel in sugar mills of capacity 1,200 tonnes per day (TPD) and also high cost involved in collection, transportation and storage, it was opined that it would not be possible to utilize the entire quantity of potentially available bagasse in the paper industry. Under these circumstances, the Development Council concluded that total availability would continue to be 7.2 million tonnes per annum, surplus quantity that could be released to paper industry would progressively increase from 15% in 1990 to 50% in year 2000 and 70% in 2015. The bagasse based paper production estimated by the Development Council (average recovery of 1 tonne of paper from 6 tonnes bagasse) is given in Table 26.
Table 26 - Estimated bagasse based paper production: Development Council 1990
|
Year |
Total bagasse available (in million tonnes) |
Surplus bagasse % |
Quantity available for paper production (million tonnes per annum) |
Quantity of paper production (million tonnes per annum) |
|
1990 |
7.2 |
15 |
1.08 |
0.18 |
|
2000 |
7.2 |
50 |
3.60 |
0.60 |
|
2015 |
7.2 |
70 |
5.04 |
0.84 |
The scenario has changed in recent years, on account of following developments (Anon. 1995; Rao, 1996):
· Initial teething troubles of utilizing this non wood fibre, have largely been resolved;· Adaptive research undertaken at the Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI) on aspects like storage, wet depithing, vapour phase pulping has yielded satisfactory results;
· Modernization and expansion of small mills to meet Govt. stipulation of minimum economic capacity (MEC) of 33,000 tonnes per annum. In this process, the outdated second hand machinery in small mills are getting replaced (It is estimated that cost of such modernization at Rs.7,000-8,000 per annual tonne is substantially lower than setting up large integrated mills which cost about Rs.40,000 per annual tonne);
· Breakthrough in the process of establishing economical chemical recovery plants as well as effluent treatment systems to achieve MINAS standards;
· Forging ahead to achieve economies of scale by large capacity utilization (successful operation of 180,000 TPA bagasse based newsprint cum paper mill has been the trend setter. In addition, 3 units of over 50,000 TPA has become operational);
· Replacement of bagasse by other fuels in sugar mills at the initiative of paper mills. The experiment of a bagasse based newsprint cum paper mill which entered into MOU with 8 sugar mills within a radius of 100 km to obtain bagasse in return to coal fired boilers (to generate steam required by the sugar mills) established and operated by the paper mill at its cost has become an example in co-operation to save the valuable raw material from being burnt.
As a result of these developments, there is an upward trend in the utilization of bagasse. Several projections have been made viz., Expert Group set up by the Industry, CPPRI, National Productivity Council (NPC), Indian Agropaper Mills Association (IAPMA), etc. The projections made by all these organizations, broadly conform to same trends. Following assumptions have been made while working out these projections:
· The area under sugarcane will increase marginally, but production significantly on account of continuously improving planting stock, inputs and harvesting methods;· About 89% of total annual production of cane will be crushed for sugar and the balance 11% used for seed, cattle feed, chewing, etc.;
· On account of technological improvements, the recovery will increase from 1 tonne of paper from 6 tonnes of mill wet bagasse to 1 tonne from 5.5 tonnes;
· To obtain 1 tonne sugar, 10 tonnes cane will be required and bagasse yield will be 30% of cane crushed.
The bagasse based paper production estimated by IAPMA is given in Table 27.
Table 27 - Estimated bagasse based paper production: IAPMA 1996 (million tonnes per annum)
|
Particulars |
1994-95 |
2000-01 |
2005-06 |
2010-11 |
|
Sugar production |
14.6 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
|
Cane crushed |
146 |
200 |
250 |
300 |
|
Bagasse yield |
43.8 |
60.0 |
75.0 |
90.0 |
|
(% availability for paper making) |
(7) |
(10) |
(12) |
(13) |
|
Quantity -do- |
3.1 |
6.0 |
9.0 |
12.0 |
|
Paper production |
0.6 |
1.1 |
1.6 |
2.2 |
As may be seen from Table 12, about 830,000 TPA capacity based on bagasse is already planned to be implemented in the next 3-4 years, which is a clear indication that a major breakthrough in utilizing this important non wood fibre source is being achieved. In the next few years, it is therefore expected that about 4.5 million tonnes of bagasse will be utilized for paper production.
The panel industry has also planned capacity expansion. As may be seen in Tables 15 and 18, particleboard to the extent of 260,935 TPA and fibreboard of about 26,250 TPA is proposed to be bagasse based. If 10% of this capacity is established by 2000 and the trend continues, the requirement of bagasse for these panels will be 1.2, 2.4 and 3.7 million tonnes per year by 2000, 2005 and 2010 respectively (at the rate of 4.3 tonnes per tonne of particle/fibreboard). However, as the mills have not equipped themselves to procure, store and process bagasse, it is doubtful, whether in the course of next few years, the industry will implement the capacity expansion, based on bagasse. As has been the case with existing units, they may convert themselves to wood based units. In any case, availability of bagasse will not be a problem.
Rice straw
The residue: paddy grain ratio estimated by the crop research stations is 1 : 1.53 (NPC, 1990). On the basis of 1994-95 recorded production of rice, the estimated quantity of straw is about 2.2 million tonnes. With increased crop production (after allowing for the possible fall in residue grain ratio, on account of emphasis on high grain yielding dwarf varieties), the availability of straw is bound to increase.
The competitive uses for straw are varied and intense. The utilization pattern has shown that about 72% is used by the households themselves as fodder, fuel, roof thatching, etc. About 26% is sold to other landless households or intermediaries who in turn sell them to industrial units. The rest is just wasted or burnt in the fields themselves. In States like Punjab and Haryana, where it is not utilized as cattle feed, quantity disposed as waste or burnt is as high as 24.5% and 14% respectively. It is estimated that in 1994-95, about 1.1 and 0.3 million tonnes of rice straw was wasted or burnt in these two states.
The Development Council (1990) was of the view that the total quantity of straw (rice and wheat) available for paper making in 1990 was 0.6 million tonnes only after catering to the household sector and that future availability would not be significantly more as the cattle population was increasing and green fodder availability was decreasing. Another reason advanced was that on account of introduction of dwarf varieties of rice and wheat, the yield of straw would not increase significantly. It was reckoned that 3 tonnes straw would be required to produce a tonne of paper. The estimate worked out by the Development Council is summarized in Table 28.
Table 28 - Estimated straw (rice and wheat) based paper production: Development Council 1990
|
Year |
Availability of straw for paper production |
Paper production |
|
1990 |
0.6 |
0.20 |
|
1995 |
0.7 |
0.23 |
|
2000 |
0.75 |
0.25 |
|
2005 |
0.75 |
0.25 |
|
2010 |
0.75 |
0.25 |
|
2015 |
0.75 |
0.25 |
The statistics of grain production, straw yield and household consumption during the years 1990-95, however, showed that a substantially higher quantity was available. The scenario according to IAPMA (Anon. 1995; Jain 1996) is shown in Table 29. The estimate is based on following assumptions:
· The availability of rice straw, after catering to the household sector varies from nil to 68% in different States. The average for the country is 20%;· Additional requirement for cattle feed, etc., will be offset by increased production;
· 3.5 tonnes straw will be required to produce a tonne of paper.
Table 29 - Estimated rice straw based paper production: IAPMA (in million tonnes per annum)
|
Particulars |
1995-96 |
2000-01 |
2005-06 |
2010-11 |
|
Straw production |
16 |
18 |
21 |
24 |
|
Availability for paper making |
3.2 |
3.6 |
4.2 |
4.8 |
|
Paper production |
0.9 |
1.0 |
1.2 |
1.4 |
Though potentially available, present production of paper from rice straw is about 0.12 million TPA only. The problems encountered are: highly scattered distribution; high transport cost; highly heterogeneous pulp; and uneconomical desilication. The prospects of spectacular growth in rice straw based paper production are not very bright, unless mechanization of harvesting operations, including baling is introduced in a big way.
Wheat straw
Wheat is a major cereal and extensively grown in northern India. The estimated production in 1995-96 was 70 million tonnes. According to IAPMA estimates (Jain, 1996), availability of surplus straw, after meeting household requirements, is enormous. The estimate is based on following assumptions:
· About 50% of surplus will be disposed to households without farm holdings for use as roof thatching, fodder and fuel;· Although anticipated rate of growth of wheat production is 15%, increase in straw will only be 5% in view of anticipated increase in the share of high grain yielding dwarf varieties;
· 3.5 tonnes straw will be required to produce 1 tonne of paper.
Table 30 - Estimated wheat straw based paper production: IAPMA 1996 (million tonnes/annum)
|
|
1995-96 |
2000-01 |
2005-06 |
2010-11 |
|
Surplus straw available |
7.9 |
8.3 |
8.7 |
9.1 |
|
Possible paper production |
2.2 |
2.4 |
2.5 |
2.6 |
Although the potential is very high, possibility of utilizing this quantity is not very bright, because of scattered distribution and exorbitant transport cost. Although modest scale mechanisation has been introduced in harvesting operations in States like Punjab, the harvest combines are without baling attachments. As a result, a large quantity of surplus straw (after meeting household needs and disposing to other users) is left behind and burnt.
In respect of both rice and wheat straw, no significant increase in utilization is foreseen because of the high cost involved in collection, storage and transport. The introduction of mechanical baling is a possible solution and IAPMA has repeatedly urged the Government to initiate measures to introduce mechanical baling via cooperatives. Local agricultural machinery manufacturers were encouraged to manufacture baling equipment and one manufacturer obtained licence also. But it did not manufacture the machines because of limited demand. The IAPMA is therefore planning to facilitate paper manufacturers in the wheat zone to import one or two baling machines and undertake baling themselves to demonstrate the economics of baling to farmers and enthuse them. This initiative is similar to the pro active action taken by paper manufacturers to provide alternative fuels to sugar factories to replace bagasse.
Only 40,000 tonnes capacity expansion based on straw is planned in the next 3-4 years which is about 1.6% of the total planned expansion (Table 12). If implemented, it will utilize about 140,000 tonnes of straw (possibly rice straw) in addition to the small quantity being presently utilized. As far as panels are concerned, 56,250 TPA particleboard and 50,600 tonnes TPA fibreboard based on straw are being planned (Tables 15 and 18). If 10% is implemented in the next 3-4 years and the trend continues, the quantity of straw required for panels industries by years 2000, 2005, 2010 will be 44,000, 88,000 and 132,000 TPA respectively.
Cotton stalks
India has the largest area under cotton, accounting for about one fourth of world's area of cultivated cotton. Extending over about 8 million ha, the production of cotton is 8.4% of world total. The species cultivated are: Gossypium arboreum; G. Barbadense; G. Herbaceum; and G. hirsutum.
Cotton stalk (stem and branches) and cotton liners (short fibres remaining on the seed after the staple fibres are removed by ginning) are important by-products of cotton cultivation. The annual production of cotton stalk has been estimated as 4.4 million tonnes based on crop residue ratio of 1 : 3 (NPC 1990). About 1.1 million TPA is estimated to be surplus. A few small paper mills in the cotton belt have been utilizing this seasonal residue (harvested mostly in January-March and October-December), which is otherwise used as domestic fuel. According to NPC (1990) study, at least 1.1 million tonnes of cotton stalk is available for industrial exploitation.
Presently, very little quantity is, however, used. Its potential received much attention when the first MDF plant in the world based on this non wood source was established with an installed capacity of 39,000 TPA. The success of this venture would have ensured emergence of proven technology for utilizing this material. On account of difficulties faced in technology adaptation and material handling, utilization of this material has received a setback.
No new capacity in paper production is planned to utilize this material. Prompted, perhaps, on the innovative step taken to establish a MDF plant, new capacities have been planned for implementation in the panels sector as follows: Particleboard: 12,500 TPA and Fibreboard: 93,000 TPA. It is, however, not clear at this stage, whether these proposed enterprises will take off in the next few years. Even if they do, raw material availability will pose no problem.
Other non wood fibre sources based on agriculture residues
A number of other agricultural residues have been found to be suitable for producing different grades of paper. No new mills have been planned based on these materials and, according to present indications, they are unlikely to contribute significantly in the near future. Based on NPC (1990) study, the details of their availability is furnished below (Table 31).
Table 31 - Availability of non wood fibre based on agriculture residues
|
Residue |
Crop residue ratio |
Availability (million TPA) |
Competing uses |
|
Cereal straw (other than rice and wheat) |
1 : 1.27 to 2.0 |
6.7 |
Fuel; temporary shelters |
|
Pulses straw |
|
6.3 |
-do- |
|
Jute* stick |
|
4.2 |
Fuel |
|
Maize stalk |
|
1.6 |
Fuel |
|
Castor** stick |
|
4.5 |
Fuel |
*Corchorus capsularis
**Ricinus communis (an oil seed plant)
A substantial quantity of these residues is available as surplus. But on account of scattered distribution, seasonality and problems in storage transport, etc., their utilization is limited. A few paper mills have been using one or more of them together with other materials. Jute is the most important among them and used in jute growing states, particularly West Bengal.
No new capacities have been planned for paper production, utilizing these sources. The small paper mills will continue to use them, perhaps in increased quantities. But no significant contribution is expected in next few years. As far as panel production is concerned, a small additional capacity, i.e., 6,000 TPA, is planned to be implemented. It is doubtful, whether even this will materialize in the next few years.
Other non wood sources based on agricultural residues for panels production
There are some agriculture residues abundantly available which have been or has the potential of being used for production of panels. They are not suitable for paper production.
Rice husk
Rice husk is one such material. It is perhaps the most abundantly available agricultural residue in India without many competitive uses. It is the by-product of paddy. It is estimated that about 20 million tonnes of rice husk is available per annum. Its effective utilization has remained a problem. Being difficult to burn, its value as fuel is low. When used as a raw material for chemicals like furfural, yield is very low compared to other sources like corn cob (Zoolagud and Rangaraju, 1994). Hence, its availability in large quantities is assured. Although the technical feasibility of particleboard manufacture out of this material has been established, advantages, as listed below recognized, its utilization has remained very low:
· Unlike many agriculture residues, its supplies are available almost throughout the year;
· Chipping and drying are not necessary;
· It has resistance to termites and decay;
· It has resistance to fire.
The technical reasons for its low utilization are:
· production cost is high compared to wood based particleboard on account of long hot press cycle and requirement of only PF resin adhesives;· high cost of releasing agents presently used in pressing operations;
· poor surface quality which renders finishing difficult;
· rough and uneven edges;
· poor dimensional stability;
· scattered distribution and high transport cost.
If the technical problems are overcome by further research and economical pelletisation evolved to reduce transport cost, this material is likely to play a key role in future particleboard production.
About 12,000 TPA capacity is planned. This is in spite of incentives extended by the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) of India to commercialize the technology.
Groundnut husk
India is the largest producer of groundnut, the area under this crop being about 8.5 million ha and annual production about 6.6 million tonnes. Assuming that on an average, 4 tonnes of nut yield a tonne of husk, the annual availability of this residue is almost 1.7 million tonnes. At present, this valuable resource is burnt as fuel in brick kilns and lime kilns and nut decorticating factories. It is also used as domestic fuel for parboiling rice, heating water and as separators in packaging. Although technoeconomic feasibility of producing particleboards from this material was established in India as far back as 1970, the technology has not been commercialized. In view of its abundance, it is a promising material (Mars, 1970).
Coconut husk and by-products
In India, the area under coconut cultivation is about 1.6 million ha and some 12,400 million nuts are produced annually (Anon. 1996). The dry weight of husk in each nut is 0.3 kg (George, J. 1970). Thus, about 3.7 million tonnes of husk is produced annually. Almost 1.2 million tonnes is utilized for making coir. Nearly, a million tonne burnt as fuel. To this, if the by-products of coir industry viz., pith from the husk used for coir, shearing waste and coir dust are added, an enormous quantity of this residue is potentially available. The feasibility of manufacturing particleboard out of dry husk by chipping and hardboard by defibration, has been established. Similarly, the feasibility of producing particleboard from retted green husk and fibreboard from shearing waste and coir dust has also been established. If its economical replacement as domestic fuel is made feasible, the surplus, after meeting the demand of coir industry would be available to the panels industry. Since economical alternative fuel is unlikely to be available in the next few years, its utilization for production of panels in the near future is not foreseen. Another by-product of similar value is arecanut husk. This is, at present, burnt as fuel.
Non wood fibre sources other than agricultural residues
There are several non wood fibre sources other than those of agricultural residue origin. While some of them are of forest origin, others are cultivated in view of their suitability for paper production.
Grasses in forests form an important potential non wood fibre source. Following are among available grasses investigated for paper production (Guha and Pant, 1972; Singh et al, 1992): Cymbopogan citratus, Eulaliopsis binatam, Heteropogon controtus, Sacharum munja, Sacharum procerum, Themeda arundinacea, Tripaseum laxum, Vetiveria zizinoides.
It is estimated that 593 million tonnes of green grass is produced 30% of which is from forests (Rai and Chakrabarti, 1996). As this resource has severe competitive uses, chiefly as fodder, its diversion for paper making is unlikely, although the availability is projected to increase to 699 million tonnes in 2001, 817 million tonnes in 2006 and 835 million tonnes in 2010.
Some shrub species which have held great promise as sources of non wood fibres are Mestha or Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus; H. subdariffa) and diancha (Sesbania spp.). It was perceived that their cultivation would help to resolve the problem of raw material for pulp and paper industry. Some paper mills facilitated their cultivation by farmers and attractive buy back arrangements were worked out. Their cultivation did not pick up as:
· their growth was satisfactory in rain fed areas only;
· seasonal availability;
· requirement of very large area commitment for cultivation.
The potential of non wood fibre sources, particularly agricultural residues, is vast and its utilization in pulp and paper industry has shown great promise. In order to make a reassessment of their availability for the pulp and paper industry and to suggest further measures to encourage their use, the Government of India has recently constituted a committee with wide ranging representation (bureaucracy, industry and technology) consisting of 17 members with following terms of reference (Anon. 1996):
· study current status of paper mills based on agriculture residues;· study availability vis a vis in the light of present and future competing demands;
· study available technologies and suggest measures to improve the same;
· quantify the actual paper, paperboard and newsprint produced in last 6 years using bagasse and estimated production in next 10 years;
· identify problems in availability, movement and utilization of bagasse due to infrastructural, technical and other constraints;
· examine the feasibility of setting up integrated sugar-cum-paper production complexes (regionwise);
· suggest financial incentives to encourage maximum use of bagasse for paper production;
· suggest policy framework/encouragements needed by the agro based paper mills.
This Committee, which has started its deliberations, is expected to present its report shortly. Their recommendations will contribute to fuller utilization of this resource.
The use of waste paper as an input for pulp and paper is an environmental friendly initiative and has been gaining acceptance world-wide. Even legislative intervention has been initiated for utilization of recycled fibre, in some countries. In USA, for example, it is stipulated that 40% of paper should be produced from recycled fibre. In India, about 1.25 million tonnes annual capacity is based on waste paper. About 240 mills (mostly small) use recycled fibre as raw material a few exclusively.
The estimated availability of waste paper per annum is 0.8 million tonnes of which about 67%, i.e., 0.53 million tonnes is utilized in pulp and paper industry. While some of this quantity is received directly without reuse, the balance is received after one or more uses mainly for packing. In such cases, the quality is very poor the fibre having lost much of its strength. The receipt of waste paper by pulp and paper industries is from following primary sources (Singhania, 1996).
|
Primary source |
Percentage of total |
|
Office records |
44 |
|
Duplex and mixed cuttings |
25 |
|
Kraft |
19 |
|
White cuttings |
6 |
|
Newspaper |
6 |
|
Total |
100 |
During 1994-95, a total estimated quantity of 0.8 million tonnes of waste paper was utilized in the paper industry. While 0.53 million tonnes was from domestic sources, 0.27 million tonnes was imported. The domestic recovered fibre is of low strength, primarily because of high percentage of short fibre in the pulp from which paper was originally produced and fibre strength deterioration on account of reuse of waste paper before receipt in paper mills. Hence it needs to be supplemented with imported high strength recycled fibre or pulp. With a view to encourage import of waste paper, imports are allowed without licence and duty is reduced to 5% Customs Duty +2% countervailing Duty. As the utilization of waste paper is receiving high priority in several countries and becoming mandatory in some and ocean freight is increasing, imports cannot be a long term option. Hence, domestic recovery requires to be stepped up. Presently, recovery is estimated to be about 20% (world average 35%). This low rate is attributed to:
· waste paper collection is unorganized and confined to major towns only;
· segregation is not carried out at the time of selection, resulting in contamination;
· absence of facilities for collection, sorting and baling.
The role of recycled fibre, i.e., waste paper in meeting future raw material requirement was projected as follows by the Development Council (1990). The projection was based on following assumptions:
· There will be progressive increase in availability of waste paper on account of enhanced production and improved recovery, as a result of possible legislative pressure;· 1 tonne of waste paper will yield 0.75 tonnes of paper. In other words, 1.33 tonnes waste paper will be required to produce 1 tonne of paper.
Table 32 - Production of paper from recycled fibre: Development Council 1990
|
Year |
Estimated production of paper and board |
Availability of waste paper |
Production of paper from waste paper |
|
2000 |
3.2 |
0.6 |
0.48 |
|
2010 |
4.6 |
1.1 |
0.83 |
|
2015 |
5.3 |
1.3 |
1.00 |
It is now known that these projections were gross under estimates as domestic availability of waste paper during 1994-95 itself rose to 800,000 tonnes, of which pulp and paper industry utilized 530,000 tonnes. Moreover, above estimate did not take into account the role of imported paper. Despite depression in exportable surpluses and increase in ocean freight, the possibilities of exports to fibre deficient countries cannot be ruled out. It is therefore anticipated that there will not be any marked change in availability of imported waste paper by 2010.
About 27% planned capacity expansion during 1996-2000 is based on waste paper (Table 12), i.e., 655,000 TPA. This will require about 872,000 tonnes of waste paper. As indigenous availability may not be more than 480,000 tonnes per annum, the balance quantity will require to be imported.
