MA RAHMAN NIAZI THE word paper takes its name from 'papyrus which is a reed growing in swampy localities. This plant grows abundantly along river Nile in Egypt. In remote past, paper was used to be made in a crude form from the stem of papyrus plant in Egypt around 2500 B.C. Paper making in true form is traced back to 105 AD in China, when a courtier named Tria lun attached to the court of Han kings, prepared a sheet of paper from mulberry twigs, rags and hemp waste. In 8th century, technique of paper making spread in Islamic world. The earliest paper mills were established in medieval times in Baghdad and Damascus. As per history record, paper manufacturing began in Italy and Greece around 1400 AD. Modem paper-making began in 19th century in Europe. Pakistan is miserably lagging behind in paper manufacture. Present paper mills installed in our country are preparing paper for less than consumption demands and therefore, different types of paper products are being imported costing billions of rupees. Different types of techniques have been involved for pulp and paper making. Main types are mechanical, thermal and chemical. Chemical pulping may be Sulphate (Kraft) and Sulphide depending upon the type of chemical used. Mechanical pulping involves grinding of debased wooden chips. In thermal pulping, the wooden chips are steamed for softening. Sulphate chemical pulping (Kraft) involves boiling wood chips in the solution of Sodium Hydroxide and Sodium Sulphate. In other form of chemical pulping, Sodium Sulphide is used. More different technique has been evolved by combining these methods and thus pulping process may be thermo-mechanical or Chemo-Thermo-mechanical. Nowadays, Kraft is dominant method of pulp-production in the world as this technique results in the production of higher strength of fibers and low quantity of lignin. The primary raw material for pulp and paper manufacture is wood (soft or hard). The wood averagely contains 50pc cellulose, 30pc lignin and 20pc carbohydrates, hydrocarbons and hemicellolose. Higher the cellulose content of pulp, the better quality of the paper. Pakistan hasnt got any Kraft mills previously. However, such a mill called 'Faruki Pulp mill (FPM) has been installed near Gujrat (Punjab) which, if all things go all right, is expected to start production within next few months. Initially this mill was installed during mid nineties (1995-96) but could not run commercially apparently due to lack of proper skill and technical know-how. The mill was expected to be fed with Eucalyptus wood on sustained basis as raw-material which is obviously a forestry concern but no forestry professionals were inducted. This factor also contributed to the failure of mill as the non-professionals failed to arrange good quality Euc-wood at reasonable rates. The mill remained idle for a large span of ten years. However, the management of the mill has planned during 2005-06 to re-run the mill by installing new machinery along with recovery boiler. Some big names in the industry have also joined hands with the old ownership. Big investment has been inducted in the enterprise besides huge bank loaning. It is worth mentioning that loans previously utilised could not be returned due to non-commissioning of the mill. Mill, if run successfully, has significant industrial and financial importance for the country. As per estimates 200 MT of dry pulp would be produced by the mill with consuming 1000 M-tons of Euc wood daily. In this way the mill will require 3, 45,000 M-tons of wood on the basis of 345 working days in a year. Thus huge quantity of wood will be required on sustained basis for un-interrupted running of mill. I have a chance to work as Forest Manager / Consultant in FPM for a period of 2-1/2 years. I had prepared a comprehensive plan encompassing short and long term projects for sustainable chain of supply of raw material (Euc) for the mill, emphasising for raising Eucalyptus plantations by mill itself which would serve as confirmed source of supply. But unfortunately such projects have not been materialised so far which may create problems for the mill in future. Moreover, some other very important factors have also not been given due consideration. I hold the view that all these factors need to be sorted out at priority before commissioning of the mill. I avail the opportunity to mention these factors as under: 1. As already mentioned, huge quantity of Eucalyptus wood will be required for running the mill. Present available source of Euc stock standing over Govt and private lands in Punjab have been roughly quantified as 4.50 million metric tons out of which 80pc are available with Punjab Forest Department. In view of the present policy of disposal of Forest produce by the Forest Department, the FPM can fetch 1/4th of the stock (1.00 MMT). This supply may suffice for a small period of three years for the consumption of mill. Keeping this hard fact in view, I, in the capacity of Forest Manager, had proposed for raising of Euc plantation by FPM itself over an area ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 acres. Unfortunately, a lethargic attitude was shown towards this proposal and this is the reason that plantations over a meager area of only 100 acres have been raised in a period of two years. 2. Connected to the above factor is the fact that FPM has not bothered to induct proper forest professionalism after my leaving this organisation. Forest branch does exist in FPM, but is manned and headed by non-professionals. I can safely say that failure of FPM during its initial installment can be attributed to lack of services of forest professionals beside other technical matters. Some time back FPM engaged some serving forest employees of Khushab Forest Division for their forestry projects but this arrangement had to be abandoned due to its being un-practicable and illegal. 3. Another most important factor which according to my knowledge has not given due consideration is the solid and state-of-the-art mechanism for neutralising the adverse effects of air emission and effluents oozing from the mill. Air emission from chemical pulping may contain toxic matters like hydrogen sulphide, oxides of sulpher and nitrogen. Liquid discharge contains organic matters like carbohydrates, traces of cellulose, starch and hemicellolose. Discharged toxic suspended material is liable to contaminate drinking water in the vicinity of mill. Obviously an efficient and fool-proof mechanism is required to be installed for treatment of effluents to reduce their toxicity. It is worth mentioning that pulp and paper industry in Canada has evolved an efficient system of pollution abatement with the cooperation of Canadian Forest Research Institute resulting in the reduction of toxicity of effluents up to 90pc. Such a mechanism has also been reported to be working in Winconsin state of USA. It is also to be kept in view that Pakistan Environmental Act 1997 makes incumbent upon industrial units to restrict their emissions to the limits specified in the National Environmental Quality Standards. 4. Pros and Cons of highly costly enterprise like Kraft Pulp mill have not been analysed and evaluated at govt level so far. Some of the pulp and paper technologists observe that installation of such mill is questionable due to financial constraints and highly adverse environment effect. Such observation needs to be thoroughly studied by high profiled experts. On the basis of the study, the govt should formulate a scientific policy for pulp and paper mill. 5. Re-cycling mechanism is an integral part of pulping. Therefore, this mechanism needs to be installed in all pulp and paper mill. In UK 55pc of paper products come from recycling. This mechanism has its own benefits as emission of toxic gases is less than preparing virgin pulp, less energy is required and the effluents discharged are also less environmentally adverse.