X

Water Use and Treatment in the Paper Factory

A paper factory consumes a large quantity of water. The production process—cooking, refining, and forming the paper sheets—requires the pulp to be diluted, concentrated, and diluted again multiple times. In our case, this leads to a daily water usage of up to 2,000 liters for a production of 20 kg of paper per day.

Because we use this paper as the absorbent core of menstrual pads, maintaining high hygiene standards is essential. Good hygiene practices by operators alone are not sufficient if the water used in production is contaminated with bacteria or other pathogens. Therefore, we needed to build a reliable water treatment system that would ensure the cleanliness of the water used, while also meeting our constraints: low-cost, low-tech, and easy to replicate.

Instead of designing a system from scratch, we adapted an existing model developed by Aqueous Solutions. Their open-source system uses layers of stone, gravel, sand, and biochar to treat water, and they provide free documentation for two different installation sizes.

Our Adapted Water Treatment System

Below is a breakdown of the components in our installation:

1. Groundwater Storage Tank (1000L)

• Groundwater is pumped into this tank and flows by gravity into the next stage.
• The pump is controlled by a float switch that turns it on automatically when water levels fall below a certain point.

2. Gravel Filter (750L)

• Water enters from the bottom of the tank and flows through three layers: large stones, coarse gravel, and pea gravel.
• These layers help remove solid particles from the water, as they settle in the bottom of the tank. 
• Every 2–3 months, a 2-inch pipe at the bottom is opened to flush out accumulated sediment.
• A floating valve at the inlet prevents overflow.

3. Slow Sand Filter (750L)

• Water flows into this tank from the top and passes downward through fine sand.
• Physical filtration removes fine particles, while a biofilm that forms in the top 1–2 cm of sand biologically treats pathogens and organic matter.
• Over time, the biofilm can reduce flow. To maintain efficiency, the surface of the sand is stirred every 3 months, and the tank is flushed from the top to remove suspended particles.

4. Biochar Filter (750L)

• Water flows from the top through a bed of biochar.
• The micropores in the biochar absorb dissolved chemical contaminants, while a thin biofilm further degrades some pollutants.
• This combination of adsorption and biodegradation effectively purifies the water.

5. Freshwater Storage Tanks (500L and 2000L)

• After treatment, clean water is first stored in a 500L tank at ground level.
• It is then pumped into a 2000L elevated tank (about 3 meters high).
• From there, water is distributed by gravity to the production process and toilets.

You can find further technical details and diagrams of the different tanks in the attached documents.

Several tests have been made to verify the efficiency of our system. The well water was not safe to drink, as E. coli was present, as well as a high quantity of heavy metal such as iron. Our system made the water safe to drink, according to the Nepali standard for safe drinking water, as well as the European Union standard.  

In this building block, we focus on the machines and equipment used in our process. To support knowledge sharing, each piece of equipment is accompanied by a PDF document that includes:

• 3D models (when the equipment has been designed in-house)
• Safety protocols
• Working principles

The Hollander beater is an exception, as it was purchased rather than built by us. For this machine, the PDF provides guidance to help you either make an informed purchase or, if you're able, use our notes as inspiration to build your own.

The PDFs are numbered according to the sequence in which the equipment is used in the papermaking process.

Please note: in 2025, we will be redesigning and optimizing most of our factory equipment. Until these updates are complete, the PDFs will feature photos instead of 3D models. Once the new designs are finalized and the updated equipment is built, the documents will be revised accordingly.

If you need further information in the meantime, feel free to contact us.

Overview of the Paper-Making Process and Factory Layout

This building block focuses on the paper-making process—from raw banana fibres to finished paper—and the factory layout. For detailed information about the machines and equipment used, please refer to the next building block.

Our process is a simplified, manual version of traditional paper-making, specifically designed to avoid the use of chemical products. For example, during the cooking stage, we use only clean water without additives. This thermo-mechanical treatment reduces environmental impact, simplifies wastewater treatment, and improves logistics. Given that our factory is located in rural Nepal, access to external materials can be challenging. Most of our equipment is designed and built locally to ensure easier maintenance.

Step-by-Step Process:

1. Cutting Banana Fibres: After extraction, banana fibres are as long as the trunks. We cut them into pieces 1–2 cm in length using a commercial chaff cutter.
2. Boiling the Fibres: The cut fibres are placed in a drainer, which is then set in a boiler. Clean water is added, and once boiling begins, the fibres are cooked for 15 minutes. This step serves to clean the fibres.
3. Rinsing: After boiling, the drainer is removed, and the fibres are rinsed in clean water.
4. Refining: The fibres are gradually added to a Hollander beater, along with clean water. This key machine cuts, separates, and fibrillates the fibres, increasing their absorbency and preparing them for sheet formation.
5. Sheet Making: The resulting pulp is mixed with water in a vat. Operators use a mould and deckle to manually form individual sheets of paper.
6. Pressing and Drying: The wet sheets are stacked and pressed using a screw press to remove excess water. Once sufficiently dry, they are hung in a solar dryer (or greenhouse) to finish drying.

A PDF document titled “Process” is included with this building block, summarizing these steps with photos.

Factory Layout

You can find the factory layout in a separate PDF attached to this building block. It’s worth noting that fibre extraction also takes place in the same facility. For more details on that process, please refer to the building block dedicated to extraction.

Currently, we produce about 2 kg of paper per day, with plans to scale up to 20 kg per day within the next year. This increase will come from optimizing equipment and expanding our team of operators.

SCERA’s technical staff and the Value Chain Analysis and Participatory Land Use Planning (PLUP) Feasibility study consultant, Dr Adam Manvell, implemented work on Agricultural value chain analysis around Okomu National Park. The team visited 8 support zone communities, 4 Local markets, 3 Agricultural Service providers and one Tree crop research Institute - Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN). Based on findings from engagements with communities, communities are interested in forest friendly farming practices such as beekeeping and tree crop farming particularly Bitter kola (Garcinia kola), African cherry (Chrysophyllum albidum), bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis), pepper fruit (Dennettia tripetala), black pear (Dacryodes edulis), Avocado pear and importantly Timber species. There is high demand for timber in the area which has led to illegal logging issues in ONP. It has been observed that the environment is conducive for the farming of these crops and most of the trees are indigenous to the area. Local, regional and national markets are available for the sales of these products and the income generating potentials are encouraging. 

SCERA carried out a training on beehives construction from 24th-26th of October 2023, at the Okomu National Park Conference Hall, Okomu National Park Headquarters, Udo, Ovia South-West, Edo State. A total of 14 carpenters from communities were trained. The aim was to equip community carpenters with the skills for constructing beehives within their communities using locally sourced materials. These practices enhance the earning opportunities for carpenters, make beehives easily accessible and relatively cheaper for interested community farmers, and increase their interest in conservation initiatives. 

In collaboration with the park management authority and stakeholders, including the ONP Management Plan Steering Committee and the Okomu Biodiversity Stakeholders Platform (OBSP), and supported by the SCERA National Programme Coordinator to be recruited, the park management plan will be revised. Stakeholders will be involved in objectives setting, identifying and agreeing appropriate guidelines, management priorities and strategies and tools, such as zonation, biodiversity research and monitoring, law enforcement, collaborative management, implementation plans etc. to ensure effective protected area (PA) management. A PA management planning specialist will be engaged to facilitate this process and lead the drafting of the management plan. The Okomu Biodiversity Stakeholders Platform (OBSP) is a coordination platform made up of 12 support zone communities, local and state authorities, non-governmental organisations and private sector members. The ONP Management Plan Steering committee is a technical committee consisting of government ministries, natural resource companies and international and local NGOs set up to update the previous ONP management plan. 

The solution enables full integration of rural women entrepreneurs into the agricultural value chain. Through collaboration with the social enterprise S4S Technologies, the women entrepreneurs did not only receive processing equipment and training, but were linked to sources of raw materials, and were guaranteed buy-back of their produce through business-to-business agreements. The model also facilitateed value addition to lower-grade or surplus produce that would otherwise be wasted, allowing the generation of income from underutilized resources. S4S handles produce collection, quality control, secondary processing, and marketing, offering an ideal “one-stop solution” for business-to-business customers. This reduces market risk and logistical complexity for women entrepreneurs and ensures redistributed benefits across the value chain.

Ownership allows for true economic independence of the women entrepreneurs. To enable this however, affordable access to credit is essential. The model mobilized credit from traditional financial institutions at low interest rates and facilitated convergence with government schemes, which together allowed for women to invest in solar-powered dehydration units and related equipment. With support from GIC, women entrepreneurs accessed the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME) scheme, which offered capital subsidies of up to 40% of the project cost. These financing mechanisms reduced entry barriers enough, to allow for ownership, and helped institutionalize women’s participation in the agricultural value chain. The accessed financing through traditional financial institutions amounted to 4 million Euros and supported the promotion of 2,500 women-led entrepreneurs who saw a significant increase in their income.

Small-scale entrepreneurship in processing of agricultural produce is at the core of the solution. Under the GIC programme, women were supported to establish self-owned solar-powered dehydration units, in collaboration with S4S. S4S is a private social enterprise that developed the units. Each unit includes equipment such as pulverisers, sealers, and packaging tools, enabling decentralized, energy-efficient food processing. 

To support the 2,500 women entrepreneurs in their operations they received training in areas including the use and maintenance of machinery, hygienic food processing, storage, and packaging. A second focus area was financial literacy, covering budgeting, bookkeeping, and accounts management, to enable the women to run their business well informed and responsibly. Furthermore, the women were introduced to the environmental benefits of the solar technology and reductions in food waste they are contributing to. 

The project served as the basis for developing a structured, user-friendly training module which was refined throughout the implementation period. With this module in place, the approach can now be more easily scaled and replicated. The materials were translated into local languages such as Marathi and Telugu to ensure accessibility and are now being used by S4S Technologies in other projects.

Many of the women involved were previously engaged as landless farm labourers. The model offered a pathway to greater income stability and economic participation through ownership and value chain integration.