Paper Mill Sludge: The Ultimate Recycling Challenge, 1999 Environmental Conference Proceedings

Terrence W. Carroll

Minergy Corporation

William L. Reeves

ESI, Inc. of Tennessee

Minergy Corporation with the assistance of ESI, Inc. of Tennessee has developed the world’s first facility, in Neenah, Wisconsin, to recycle sludge into an environmentally benign glass aggregate product. Eight paper mills owned by Wisconsin Tissue Mills, Kimberly-Clark, P. H. Glatfelter, Ponderosa Fibers and Gilbert Paper supply the plant with paper sludge.

The Fox Valley Glass Aggregate Plant receives and processes over 907 metric tonnes per day (1,000 tons per day) which is 317,517 metric tonnes per year (350,000 tons per year) on an as-received basis of paper mill sludge, producing steam for P. H. Glatfelter and a marketable glass aggregate product. The markets for this glass aggregate include sand blasting grit, abrasives, roofing shingle granules, asphalt aggregate, chip seal aggregate, and decorative landscaping.

The glass aggregate process offers many environmental and economic benefits to municipal wastewater treatment systems, paper mills, and surrounding communities. These benefits include reducing long-term dependence on landfill disposal, providing residents and local industries with a cost-effective alternative for managing sludge, and providing public agencies with a more comprehensive and integrated approach to solid waste management.