Production of Synthetic Calcium Carbonate (SCC) for Paper Coating and Other Applications from Recycled Paper Sludge Ash, 2010 TAPPI PEERS Conference

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CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Ltd., a development company based in Geneva, Switzerland, has developed a unique, patented process for producing high purity synthetic calcium carbonate (SCC) from impure, by-product raw materials. One such raw material is carbide lime, a by-product of acetylene and PVC polymer production. SCC has been shown to be an outstanding pigment for use in paper coating formulations as well as in other applications such as polymer filling, paints, sealants and adhesives, food and pharmaceutical uses.

More recent research has shown that another potential SCC raw material is paper sludge ash (PSA), a mineral by-product of paper recycling. With the rapid growth of paper recycling, millions of tons per year of PSA are now being produced on a worldwide basis, and the costs and environmental concerns around its disposal are rapidly increasing. The SCC process extracts the calcium oxide component from PSA and converts it into high brightness, high purity SCC. This SCC actually has superior performance in paper compared with existing calcium carbonate pigments. SCC properties are shown to be largely independent of the PSA composition. The remaining portion of the PSA consists primarily of metakaolin, a valuable by-product material that can be used in cement and concrete applications.