Chemical properties and biodegradability of waste paper mill sludges to be used for landfill covering.

Waste paper mill sludges originating from different effluent treatment and de-inking installations are complex mixtures of inorganic and organic particles. Due to their favourable physico-chemical, and microbiological characteristics, they may be conveniently reused for different purposes as such or after appropriate pretreatment. Sludges from the Slovenian paper industry were extensively tested for their chemical, stability and sealing properties. During the biodegradability tests, evolutions of greenhouse gases CO2, CH4 and H2S as well as the concentrations of released volatile organic acids, such as acetic, propionic, butyric, lactic and glycollic acids as the typical degradation products of organic materials, were measured. Some other important parameters of water leachates such as pH, redox potential, content of starch and leachable ions were also evaluated. The results indicate that most of them can be efficiently applied as alternative hydraulic barrier layers for landfill construction and covering instead of the more expensive clay due to their good geomechanical properties, chemical inertness and microbiological stability. Such replacement brings about considerable economical and ecological benefits as the waste is reprocessed as secondary raw material.