UPM-Biofore-Magazine-1-2017-ENG

The UPM Kaukas mill integrate produces pulp, magazine paper, sawn timber and biofuels. UPM Kaukas is also home to UPM's largest research and development centre.

BSAG The Baltic Sea Action Group (Foundation for a Living Baltic Sea) works to restore the ecological balance of the badly polluted Baltic Sea. The foundation works closely together with both companies and farmers to achieve their goal. As one of BSAG’s partner companies, UPM has made three commitments to the organisation, two of which have been fulfilled earlier. The third commitment is discussed in this article: that of replacing all nutrients in UPM’s wastewater processing with recycled nutrients.

The Baltic Sea is the youngest sea on our planet and the second largest body of brackish water, a mixture of seawater and fresh water. Few species flourish in brackish water. The average depth of the Baltic Sea is 55 metres.

the city of Rauma began the co-treatment of industrial andmunicipal wastewaters. “A tanker delivers recycled nutrient solution to the UPMRauma mill twice a week. This gives you an idea of how massive the required nutrient volumes are. The recycled nutrient, be it solid matter or a solution, should be sourced fromnear the site. Long-distance transport is not sensible from a financial point of view, or in terms of carbon dioxide emissions," Ahvenainen says. In future, some of the recycled nutrients may come fromUPM’s own side streams, but total self-sufficiency is not a feasible option. “There are nutrients being cycled in production, but recovering nutrients fromwastewater is a more viable option. However, there is still a long way to go before this can be implemented,” Ahvenainen points out. Ahvenainen dreamt of studying medicine. However, when she began her studies at Lappeenranta University of Technology in 2013, she immediately knew that Environmental Technology was the right choice. After her first year at university, she landed a summer job at the laboratory Theory meets practice While still at upper secondary school,

the Baltic Sea. The second project involved updating UPM’s list of chemical substances harmful to aquatic life. The third commitment is currently in progress, seeking new ways of using only recycled nutrients at UPM’s biological wastewater treatment plants by 2030. How can we do this? The market for recycled nutrients is evolving but, for the time being, it is very scattered. How can a sufficient amount of nutrients be sourced? How will mill infrastructure and logistics adapt to the change? Sonja Ahvenainen has been seeking answers to these questions during her previous stints working for UPM, and this summer her background work will culminate in practical field tests. The purpose of these tests is to examine how selected recycled nutrients behave in effluent treatment. The tests will be performed at the UPMKaukas site, but Ahvenainen will also explore whether the process could later be applied at other UPMmills in Finland and abroad. The research forms part of her Master’s thesis. “Last summer, I worked on deter­

The market for recycled nutrients is evolving but, for the time being, it is very scattered.

of the UPMKaukas paper mill in Lappeenranta. The following summer, she worked as a summer trainee for the environmental manager of the same mill. In the summer of 2016, she was hired to write a preliminary report on the use of recycled nutrients in effluent treatment. This time, her workplace was at UPM Biofore House in Helsinki. This spring is a milestone in her work, marking the launch of the actual testing phase of her study. “When the project began last summer, I was very excited to be involved in work that will have a real impact. Nothing is more important than working towards a cleaner planet. Working at UPMhas been a great experience. All the environmental specialists have their own area of expertise and they are unbelievably knowledgeable,” she describes. UPMand Ahvenainen have an interesting spring and summer ahead of them, together seeking solutions for a cleaner future – and the early chapters promise exciting results. Good luck to all involved! 

mining where recycled nutrients are available, how large the required volumes are, and whether their use is at all feasible. I contacted potential nutrient providers directly. These included agricultural and industrial biogas plant operators andmunicipal wastewater treatment plants. Based onmy research, the global utilisation of recycled nutrients should be possible by 2030,” Ahvenainen says. UPM Rauma: a model mill Recycled nutrients are already being used at the UPMRauma paper mill, where one of the nutrient sources is reject water from a biogas plant. Biological treatment has been used to process all forest industry wastewaters in Rauma since 1991. In 2002, UPMand

THE RAKI ECOSYSTEM

The RaKi Ecosystem is a collaborative network that aids its partners in creating sustainable and competitive business models focused on nutrient cycling. Dozens of companies in Finland belong to the network. The programme was started by BSAG around a year ago as a means of promoting BSAG’s decision to focus on nutrient cycling four years ago. BSAG coordinates these activities and is able to provide support in piloting and productisation. “We have been very happy to see the programme make such pleasing progress. When nutrient recycling becomes an economically feasible business, nobody will want to dispose of nutrients in natural bodies of water,” says Marja Koljonen, Programme Director from BSAG.

24 | BIOFORE

1/2017  | 25