Interview with Mr.Alagesan Ramakrishnan, Chief General Manager, NEPA Mills
Nepa Limited, a key player in india’s newsprint industry is in Nepanagar, Madhya Pradesh. Established in 1947, it started production in 1956 and remains important in the paper sector as a CPSE under the Government of India.
Paper Desk : How much water is typically used in your paper mill’s production process, and how do you measure and monitor water usage across different stages of production?
Alagesan R : Currently we are achieving about 15 to 20 cu.m./ton. We have installed flow meters at inlet to all the sections and connected with our DCS for monitoring.
PD : What technologies and strategies has your mill implemented to reduce water consumption effectively?
AR : We have Disc Filter in Paper Machine and a Effluent Treatment Plant with state of art technology from which we use the treated water in entire process. Fresh water is only used for chemical preparation and online cleaning of Paper Machine Clothing.
PD : How does your mill approach water recycling, and what percentage of water is generally reused within your production process?
AR : We believe in the concept to reduce, recycle, and reuse. About 85% of recycled water is being used in the process.
PD : What types of final water treatment processes does your mill use, and how do you ensure compliance with environmental standards?
AR : We have an ETP treatment with DAF as primary and Aeration tank as secondary followed by ACF, MGF and chlorination process. Our treated water meets the standards specified by PCB.
PD : How does your team maintain water quality throughout the production process, and what challenges do you face in doing so?
AR : Frequent testing of a)clarified water from river, b)back water from paper machine and c) treated water from ETP helps to maintain the quality of the water in the production process.
PD : What are the primary sources of water pollution in your mill’s papermaking process, and what measures are in place to mitigate these effects?
AR : We are using waste paper as our raw material and use ecofriendly technology for our paper making. The solid build-up in the closed loop is taken care by addition of polymers to improve the solid liquid separation at various unit operations.
PD : How do fluctuations in water availability, such as during droughts, impact your production process, and what contingency plans does your mill have in place?
AR : Since we have an efficient system we don’t encounter such issues.
PD : How does your mill handle wastewater, and what methods do you use to minimize its impact on local ecosystems?
AR : The waste water is treated in the ETP and the treated water after meeting the norms used in the process. Any minor quantity of excess water generation is being used for cultivation.
PD : What role does regulation play in water management at your mill, and how do you adapt to changing regulations on water usage and discharge?
AR : Ours being a government owned entity we bound to follow the regulations very strictly. Also, apart from the plant we also supply drinking water to the town ship for the last sixty years as part of our social responsibility.
PD : Could you share any recent innovations your mill has implemented in water management, and how have they affected sustainability and operational costs?
AR : We have installed Nano Catalytic converter in the inlet of the raw water to our water treatment plant. This has helped to reduce the chemical usage and algae formation in the clarifiers.