Systematic reallocation of aqueous resources using mass integration in a typical pulp mill

This work deals with the application of mass integration to the Kraft process in an effort to minimize the fresh water usage. Due to the recycle and reuse of various aqueous streams present in the given process, there is a build-up of non-process elements (or NPEs) which has to be addressed. The approach consists of gaining process insights from the flow sheet via a graphical solution strategy followed by mathematical optimization. A targeting approach is described. The source sink diagram and path diagram are included in the analysis. A rule based on the lever arm and material balance is used to determine the sequence of steps at fresh water minimization. The graphical approach is easy to apply and allows the user to determine initial solutions to the problem. This is followed by a detailed mathematical optimization formulation for the problem and the solution strategy to be used to converge on the final solution. A case study dealing with the Kraft process, and chloride being the targeted NPE, is considered to demonstrate the potential benefits of the approach. Significant reductions in fresh water demands and wastewater discharges are observed for the Kraft process along with the allocation of NPEs. Any build-up of NPEs due to the recycle and reuse of various aqueous effluent streams to replace fresh water is accounted for via the inclusion of path diagram equations in the mathematical optimization. The principles developed are generic in nature and can easily be extended to other pulp processes as well.