Explosions Due to Hydrogen and Hydrogen Sulfide Build-up
As paper mills have begun to close up their water systems and move toward zero effluent discharge, they are finding that closing a mill’s water system can lead to changes in a mill’s water chemistry. These can include a build-up of nutrients which can increase the amount of microbes in a mill’s system. In the absence of oxygen that might be found in tanks, chests, and pipes, anaerobic bacteria can thrive.
When certain types of anaerobic bacteria break down the organic material found in a mill, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen gases can be formed and released. One group of anaerobic bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria or SRB, produce hydrogen sulfide gas as a byproduct of their metabolic process. Other anaerobic bacteria, including clostridia, produce hydrogen gas as a byproduct of their metabolic processes.
Both these gases, if present in sufficient amounts, can be a safety concern — particularly for explosions — in a paper mill. Monitoring for these gases can help detect harmful levels of the gases before incident occurs.
RPTA issued Technical Bulletin 16, Hydrogen and Hydrogen Sulfide Gases, which provides guidance on monitoring for these gases.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board issued a Bulletin that provides guidance on hot work in such areas.
LATEST NEWS
RPTA Announces 2021 Scholarship Recipients
Click here for details.
Recent RPTA 2021 Production-Technical (P-T) Seminar
Seminar was held virtually on May 4 and 5 as an integral part of TappiCon 2021 Virtual.
RPTA supported registration at TappiCon with $100 Scholarships for up to 20 attendees per member company, which is administered like a rebate.
Program content is available at this member-only site.
Please be advised that RPTA will not participate in TappiCon 2021 Live next Fall (October 3 to 6). The Operating Board decided to instead focus on the RPTA’s annual Fall 2021 Roundtable and the 2022 P-T Seminar
2021 Industry Profile Study
Sampling is complete. Samples were coded for anonymity and sent to contract labs for testing. Included are 204 samples, off 62 machines at 47 mills. The 2021 Profile Study report will be published in September.
Members can access the Profile Study reports from prior years by clicking here.
RPTA Certification of Member Mills
RPTA continues the certification program first implemented in 2018 for RPTA member mills. RPTA uses a rigorous auditing process conducted by NSF to assure members and brand owners that products produced by certified mills are suited for direct food contact packaging applications. For more information, click here.
For a complete list of certified mills, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2021 Summer Webinar
The Operating Board will host a webinar on Brown Fiber Re-Pulping and Reject Handling Best Practices on July 21, 2021, presented by Steven Johnson from Kadant Black Clawson.
As in the past, RPTA members will receive multiple emails regarding webinar details and registration links, starting several weeks ahead of the webinar.
2021 Fall Roundtable
Our annual Roundtable is planned for October 6 & 7, 2021 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center, followed by a mill tour of Greif’s Sweetwater mill in Austell, Georgia..
Topic: Water Reuse in Recycle Boxboard and Containerboard Mills – Challenges and Solutions
RPTA will update this page as details are finalized and RPTA members will be updated by email as the dates approach.
2022 Winter Webinar
The Operating Board is tentatively planning a webinar on Building a Training Program from Within for sometime in January. Details TBD.