e>

Pergamon

WQI. Sci. Tech Vol. 40, No. 11-12, pp. 195-200, 1999
C 1999

Published by Elsevier Science Ud on behalf ofthelAWQ

Pnnted in Guat Onrain. All rights userved
0273-1223199 $20.00 + 0.00

Pll: S0273-1223(99)00718-0

BIOSLUDGE INeINERATION IN A
RECOVERY BOILER
P. Rarila and V.-A. Kivilinna
Oy Metsa-Botnia Ab, Kemi Pulp Mill, 94200 Kemi, Finland

ABSTRACT
An activated sludge process is an effective tool against effluent emissIons in a pulp mill. It has only a few
features which can be regarded deficiences. One of them is that effluent treatment of a modem pulp mill
creates some 10-20 tonnes dry solids of biosludge per day. This sludge IS difficult to bum due to its high
moisture content. The most cornmon way is to mix brosludge WIth p'rimary sludge, to dewater the mixture In
presses and fmally to bum it in a solid fuel boiler. This type of sludge treatment incurs rather high costs and
does not produce any net energy. Also combustion emissions vary depending on the boiler type.
The Mets3-Botnia Kemi Pulp Mill was the first mill in the world to bum biosludge in recovery boiler. The
system start-up was in 1993 and it has been in operation ever since.
Mechanically dewatered biosludge is mixed With weak black liquor and concentrated in a conventional
evaporalJon plant equipped WIth a pressurized superconcentrator unit. In a modem recovery boiler, frring
conditions are well controlled and monitored. Better emission control than in most baric ftred boilers is
achieved.
Accumulation of nonprocess elements, corrosion, plugging, scalmg and some other operational problems
were expected. A lot of experience has been gathered during the years of operation and reviewed in this
presentation. The achieved benefits of the system are discussed.
Disposal of biosludge in a recovery boiler offers an economically and environmentally attractive allemative.
Probably the best evidence from this is the fact that MetsA-Botma has applied the same process solution in
the recent reconstruction of the recovery departments at the Jouteno Mill. C 1999 Published by Elsevier
Science Ltd on behalf of the fA WQ. All rights reserved

KEYWORDS
Biosludge; recovery boiler; wastewater treatment.

INTRODUCTION
Mill description
Oy Metsli-Botnia Ab's Kemi mills are located on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia in southern Lapland. In
1998, the pulp mill produced around 515,000 tonnes, of which some 350,000 tonnes was ECF bleached
pulp. The mill has been almost completely rebuilt over the past ten years, and meets most of the
requirements for BAT.

195

196

P. HARILA and V.-A. KIVILINNA

Over half of \he pulp produced is used by the integrated board mill, which manufactures annual1y 300,000
tonnes of coated and uncoated white top linerboards, marketed under the name Kemiart Liners. The rest of
\he pulp is sold on the market, mainly in Europe.
Waste water treatment
The mill has a multiple sewer system and \he different waste water fractions are continuously monitored as
part of process measurements. Waste waters containing suspended solids are allowed to settle in vertical
clarifiers at the debarking plant (0 23 m, h 6 m) and pulp mil1 (0 60 m, h 5 m). Fibre and bark sludges
(around 15 tid) are compressed in a filter belt press to a dry solids content of about 40%, mixed wi\h bark
and then burned in ailS MW fluidized bed boiler.
The biological treatment plant is designed for a waste water load of 0.6-1.1 mJ/s, a COD load of 50-110 tid
and a BOD load of 15-33 tid. The aeration section has a volume of 80,000 mJ and a depth of8 metres.
The reductions achieved are over 95% for BOD and around 65% for COD.

BIOSLUDGE HANDLING
Overal1 process for biosludge
The activated sludge plant for the combined mill wastewater is operated with the sludge age of 10 days and
with the circulation factor of 20. Excess sludge is thickened (0 22 m, h 4 m) and pumped at about 2.5%
consistency a distance of about a kilometre to a 50 mJ storage tank. From there it is taken for further
thickening in two decanter centrifuges, which raise the dry solids content to 10-11%. The recovery rate is
80%.
From the centrifuges the sludge is led to a mixing tank, where it is mixed with caustic soda. Then it is
pumped via another tank, where it is heated and mixed with weak black liquor, to the evaporation plant and
on to the super-concentrator. The final dry solids content is over 80%.
Feed liquor

Sup.
couclntratof

Figure I. Biosludge concentration and treatment.

Pr.heet...

Biosludge incineration in a recovery boiler

197

Black liquor is burned in a 3,000 tds/d recovery boiler, which was started up in 1990. The recovery boiler is
used to burn biosludge and all the mill's malodorous gases, both dilute and concentrated, as well as liquefied
methanol from the dirty condensates plant. Flue gases from the recovery boiler are passed through three 2stage electrostatic precipitators arranged in parallel to an alkali scrubber and are finally scrubbed with water
in a heat exchange unit. Gases from dissolution of the recovery boiler smelt are also taken to the alkali
scrubber.
Pre-treatment ofbiosludge
As much water as possible has to be removed mechanically from the biosoludge. Anions and cations, which
are in solution, are removed along with the filtrates (Table I).
Table 1. Biosludge quality after centrifuges (Nov.11,1998, conc. HNOJ-treatment, dry solids 10%).

g/kg d.s

Element
tot.N
tot.p
tot.K
tot.Ca
tot.Mg

43
4.6
1.7
17

2.1

mg/kg d.s
Cd
Co
Cr
Cu
Hg
Mn
Ni
Pb
Zn

6
21
29
37
0.6
1070
13
13
630

4.3
0.46
0.17
1.7
0.21
Limit in
acriculture

1.5

300
600
1.0
100
100
1500

Kemi employs two decanter centrifuges, which raise the biosludge dry solids from 2.5% to 10-12%.
Incineration
The amount of biosludge produced at Kemi is 0.6 x the amount of BOOfed. The biological treatment plant
also efficiently removes solids, and thus the total amount of biosludge is 10-20 tid. This represents only
about 0.5% of the total black liquor flow (2,600 tid). In tenus of incineration in the recovery boiler, the main
factors are:

biosludge pre-treatment, dewatering

behaviour ofbiosludge during evaporation
changes in combustion properties
non-process elements in the biosludge and their behaviour and accumulation in equipment and in the
recovery cycle
corrosion and other risks
effects of emissions to the environment
economy

t98

P HARILA and

V.~A.

KIVILlNN,\

These questions were investigated over a period of several years by means of laboratory and pilot studies, as
well as full~seale trials with biosludge from neighbouring pulp mills. These studies led to construction of a
full-scale demonstration plant, which has been in continuous operation smcc I <)<)4. The plant with the
sampling locations is presented in Figure 2.

1 1 I:' [

Flue Cas

f
Warm .... lIler
Raw ...ater

Scrubber ....ater

Flue gas

Blac:!k U910r and blD.Judle

Fly ash
GreenUquer

Dry lIOBd_ capacity. 2600 t/24 h

Steam:
108 kll-

85 bar

480C

Figure 2. Samphng !oCJtiolls of hlosludgl." hurlllIlg

5.750.000 lb/day
860.000 lb/h
1230 r,sig
896 F
tl':-'ts

ill tht: rl'CO\Try holier

EFFECTS OF BIOSLU[)(JE ON RECOVERY PROCI'SS

The heat value of the concentrated liquor has been improved slightly by the addition of biosludge. The
viscosity varies slightly if the biosludge content is changed. The combustion properties of black Itquor
(drying time, pyrolysis time, char burning time, and swelling) change very little. Biosludge has uot bCL'n
found to cause fouling in the evaporation plant. The need Illr soot removal has not incrcased, nor has boiler
blockage.

As the mill employs ECF bleaching and the bleaching elnuents arc not led to the chemicals rl'CO\Try syslL'm,
the chloride content of black Itquor coming from thc digcster is under 1).1"" of dry solids. In 1;ICI mOrL'
chloride comes from the crude tall oil cooking plant, where spcnt Mathieson acid is uscd. than from pulp
cooking.

Biosludge incineration in a recovery boiler

199

Table 2. Development of chloride and potassium content of black liquor in 1990s

Year

CI %d.bl

K%d.bl

1991
1993
1994
1999

0.6
0.2
0.2
0.1

1.2
1.2
1.2

The chloride content of the black liquor burned at Kemi is 0.2-0.3% of dry solids, and has not increased as a
result ofbiosludge incineration (Table 2). Chloride in Na2S04-ash, which is given in Table 3, does not have
any firm trend.
Table 3. Chloride content in Na2S04 -ash during late 1990s
Year

1994
1995
1996
1997
1998

0.33
0.52
0.47
0.60
0.53

Other non-process elements

The accumulation of other non-process elements in the chemicals recovery system has been monitored since
1993 (II elements from almost 20 sampling points). No accumulation points have been found.
Flue gases
Biosludge does not increase emissions to air and has no effect on dioxin emissions. Dioxine and furan
:ontents in flue gases of boilers are given in Table 4.
Table 4. Content of polychlorinated dibentso-p-dioxines (PCDD) and dibentsofuranes (PCDF) in flue gases
RECOVERY BOILER
DIOXINES

AFTER ESP

AFTER FLUE GAS

SCRUBBER

(as TCDD eqvlvalents

picogramslm'(n).dry gas)
I-TEF
I-TEF

550
2-14

<10 WITH BIOSLUDGE

<10 ONLY BLACK L1aUOR

EADON
EADON

20
4-18

<1 WITH BIOSLUDGE

<1 ONLY BLACK L1aUOR

GRATE BED

FLYING BED

PRIMARY BOILERS
DIOXINES
plcogramslm'(n)
I-TEF
EADON

610
1090

350
710

200

P. HARILA and V.-A. KlVILINNA

CONCLUDING REMARKS
Including biosludge in the fuel for the recovery boiler was initially considered to be very risky operation.
However, all the research work was worthwhile. Biosludge can be handled easily and in an environmentfriendly way. If fibre and bark sludge are kept separate from biosludge, also biosludge can easily be used as
fuel without the addition of chemicals.
In Kemi we do not talk about sludge handling costs. In fact, sludge handling can even make a profit.
PUBLICATIONSIREFERENCES
Harila, P., Kivilinna, V.-A., Klami, A., Ekholm, J., Imclainen, K. and Hupa, M. (1993). Biosludge burning in a recovery boiler.
Proceedings o/Combustion and Flame Research Programme Seminar, TEKES, 1993. (In Finnish)
Miettunen, J., (1992). The measuring report, September 9,1992, Tampella Power INC. R&D Center. Unpublished. (In Finnish)
Sknfvars, B.-J., (1992). Combustion of waste water sludge m a recovery boiler. Report by Prosessikemia Ky. Unpublished. (In
Fmnish)
Forssen, M. and Hup&, M., (1992). Combustion propertIes of biosludge containing black hquor. Repon, December 10, 1992 by
Abo Akademi, Combustion Chemistry Research Croup. Unpublished. (In Finmsh)
Mantyniemi. J., Isonierm, M. and Hanla, P., (1995). BlOsludge and NCG incineration in a recovery boiler. Recovery Conference,
1995.