Paper Mill Sludge Final

Problem : The Paper Mill in town generates waste and an objectionable odor, come up with an idea to  make use of the waste.

Introduction:
Purpose: Come up with and idea to determine the properties and composition of the by-product within your understanding, and then:
1.) Devise and environmentally friendly way to dispose of the waste, or
2.) Explore a way to make use of the waste, or
3.) Neutralize the odor, or
4.) Mitigate fire danger, or
5.) Make, create, or improve upon current uses.
  I will be doing number 2, exploring a way to make use of the waste. I will be creating kitty litter out of this substance.

Background:
    The chemical pollutant causing odor is dimethyl sulfide. It is waste product of the pulp from paper. It has other sulfur compounds, which are called total reduced sulfur compounds (TRS), and volatile organic compounds (VOC's) like methanol gas.
(http:/www.epa.gov/sciencematters/june2011/papermill.htm)

The odor associated with TRS gases is typically described as the scent of  "rotten eggs" or "rotten cabbage".
(http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/air/fs/pulp odors.htm)

Add baking soda to the sludge to neutralize the scent! Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate  acts to neutralize acids to break down proteins. It's neutralizing action on acetic scent molecules makes it a useful deodorizer. Baking soda is cheep and has several uses to it. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-baking-soda.htm)

Procedure:
1.) Weigh a small a 50ml beaker and record in data table.
2.) Gather 50ml of sludge ion the 50ml beaker and weight. Record in data table.
3.) Get another 50ml beaker and get 50ml of water.
4.) In a larger beaker add both 50ml of sludge and 50ml of water. Let sit of a couple seconds to allow the sludge to absorb the water. Test pH. Record in data table.
5.) Weight a piece of filter paper. Record in data table. 
6.) Set up the filtration system while the sludge is absorbing. (Fold a filter paper in fourths and open so it makes a cone. place it in a funnel and place funnel in beaker to allow water to filter into.)
7.) Pour excess water into the filtration set up.
8.) Observe how much water was not absorbed.
9.) Remove the solids left in the filter paper and weight the wet filter paper. Record in data table. 

                   Filtration set up


Data:
Weight of empty 50ml beaker: 30.268g
Beaker and sludge: 42.619g
Sludge alone: 12.321g
Filter paper before: 1.022g
Filter paper after: 3.52g
Water not absorbed: 10ml or 11.655g
50ml water: 38.808g

Calculations:

Data Table Calculations:
42.619g - 30.228 = 12.321g (sludge alone)

3.52g - 1.022g = 2.498g (water absorbed by filter paper)

69.076g - 30.268g = 38.808g (50ml of water alone)

39.425g - 30.268g = 9.157g
9.157g + 2.498 = 11.655g (water not absorbed)

Percent Composition Calculations:
Cellulose: 6(12.01) + 10(1.00) + 5(15.99) = 162.01 g/mol C6H10O5

Calcium Carbonate: 40.078 + 12.01 + 3(15.99) = 100.058 g/mol CaCO3

Aluminum: 26.982 = 26.982 g/mol Al

Silicon: 28.096 + 31.98 = 60.076 g/mol

All together : 162.01 + 100.058 + 26.982 + 60.076 = 349.126 g/mol

Percent composition of Cellulose:    162.01   x 100 = 46.40%
                                                     349.126

Percent composition of Calcium Carbonate:    100.058  x 100 = 28.66%
                                                                      349.126

Percent composition of Aluminum:    26.982   x 100 = 7.73%
                                                      349.126

Percent composition of Silicon:    60.076    x 100 = 17.21%
                                                  349.126
             

Materials:
50ml sludge
50ml of water
Two 50ml beakers
One medium or large beaker
Filter paper
One electric weight
Funnel
pH paper
Data table

Safety:
No horse play
Wear closed-toed shoes
Wear goggles
Be careful with glass containers
Wear aprons
No loose clothing

Observations:

• The sludge is slightly moist unless it was set out in the open air for a few hours. 
• The sludge is grey and clumpy. 
• You can see paper particles and very small wood shavings. 

                      

                                                                          Sludge

Analysis:
Cost: The sludge is free as of now, so the only cost would be baking soda to neutralize the scent before and after the cat uses it. The average cost of a box of baking soda is under a dollar and you don't need very much of it. This is a very cost efficient product.

Realistic: This product is very realistic. It works well and is using waste one more time before it isn't good anymore. Even after a cat uses it, it can be used in a garden or on a farm of  fertilizer.

Safety to other humans and other living things: The only concern with this is there is possibly little tiny pieces of glass in the sludge, the chemicals in the sludge wont hurt a cat for the time that it is using it's litter box, even if it were to be in there for a while it wouldn't harm them. Several students handled this sludge with no gloves and nothing happened. This sludge seems to be save for humans and other living things to be around and handling.

Global impact on people and environment: This is cost effective for people who own cats. It uses a waste that hasn't been able to be used for anything else yet. This will impact the environment by getting rid of the sludge piles at the mill. It could reduce the garbage amount in the land fill if people put the sludge, after the cat uses it in their farms or gardens for fertilizer.

Nutrition content: (MSDS sheet)

• Cellulose: Is a long chain linked sugar molecules that make woods very strong. If you put the sludge into a garden or farm after the cat is done with it then it will have cellulose in it, giving the plants more strength.    (http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/what-is-cellulose.shtml)

•  Calcium Carbonate (lime): If you were to use it in your garden or farm after the cat uses it, it provides plants with calcium and magnesium, improves water filtration in acidic soils, increases the pH of the acidic soil, it improves the uptake on the positive major plant nutrients.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate)

• Silicon (clay): Diatoms are found in silicon to help build plant cell walls. This means is you put it in your garden or farm after the cat has used it then the cell walls of your plants will be stronger.   (http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/silicon.htm)

• Aluminum: it the most trivalent cation found in its ionic form in most kinds of animal and plant tissues and natural waters everywhere. This means if you put the sludge into your garden or farm after the at has used it then the plants will have stronger tissue. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview)

Timeline, how long will it take, time process: This will take you as long as it takes you to go to the paper mill, pick up the sludge and go to the store and buy baking soda.

Environmentally friendly: Yes, this is environmentally friendly, you can use it for cat litter and then put it into your garden or farm soil for nutrition for your plants. 

Chemistry Involved: Find a possible solution to a waste product produced by a local company. Use percent composition to find how much of each product is in the sludge. Then predict what would be the best product out of it. There was 46.40% Cellulose and 28.66% of Calcium Carbonate which are both absorbent materials. So I think kitty litter will be the best use of this material.

Transporting the sludge: Place sludge in a trashcan, storing bin, whatever the cat owner would prefer to keep sludge in. Add the baking soda as you change the amount in the little box that the cat will be using.

Why should we do this? Using the sludge in this way will lessen the waste at the mill and give it at least one more chance to be used, and then if they decide to also use it in their garden or farm then it gives it two more chances to be used.

Final product: Using the sludge for kitty litter will be recycling it, and with putting it in a garden or a farm after then it is biodegradable as well.