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Table L7:
270
Some South African industrial water consumption data including wastawater quality Information (continued).
Industry Details
Pulp and papar Industry Twenty-one mill sites are found in South Africa, ranging from small household-tissue mills to advanced integrated
pulp and paper mills. The industr:r collectively produces some 3,0 x 10 6 t of pulp and paper products each year.
The SWI varied from 33 • 136 m per tonne for integrated pulp and paper mills, and between 1 - 49 m 3 per
tonne for pulp and paper products plants. The SPL varied between 9 • 80 kg COD per tonne and 23 - 183 kg
total dissolved solids per tonne for integrated pulp and paper mills, and between 4 - 10 kg COD per tonne and
2 - 110 kg total dissolved solids per tonne for non-integrated plants. The tree species or pulp material used, as
well as the efficiency of the mill (in terms of process control and operation), the paper produced, and the degree
of chemical recovery on wastewater treatment prior to discharge, all influence the water intake and wastewater
quality. Several well-reported effluent spills (sometimes with significant fish deaths), as well as environmental
pressure generally, have resulted in a reduction of water intake volumes and the pollution potential of pulp and
paper mills. (For an older perspective see Myburgh, C.J., 1970. South African Pulp and Paper Industries
Limited's approach to the water shortage and effluent disposal problem, Water Year 1970, Convention on Water
for the Future, [Department Of Water Affairs), 16 - 20 November 1970, Pretoria, 6 p.l
Textile industry The textile industry consists of a group of related industrial operations which use natural and synthetic fibres to
produce a wide variety of end products, ranging from processed fibres to finished garments. The data below
refer to the industrial category which uses considerable volumes of water. The SWI varied from 94 - 400 f per
kg of material processed, reflecting the diverse nature of the industry, as well as the wastage of water at some
plants. SPL values likewise, varied to a considerable extent depending on the process involved, which in turn is
influenced by the material handled and the available equipment. In essence, textile industry wastewaters have a
high salinity with a very variable pH. In some cases, a high (relatively non-biodegradablel organic content, as
well as marked heavy metal concentrations and strong colour, are characteristic of the wastewater