Weyerhaeuser Company
Executive Summary Briefing Paper
AMERICAN
FOREST &
PAPER
ASSOCIATION
1111 19TH STREET, NW, SUITE 800,
WASHINGTON, DC 20036
PHONE: (202) 463-2700
DEPARTMENT FAX: (202) 463-2423
ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
April 24, 1996
The Honorable Robert Perciasepe
Assistant Administrator for Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
Dear Bob:
In response to your request for additional detail showing
the results of the industry's ongoing environmental research efforts,
we asked NCASI to conduct an industry-wide survey to collect descriptions
of environmental improvement projects undertaken without regulatory
mandate.
To the extent possible, the information collected has been organized
along the same lines as our earlier presentation to EPA - "Sustainable
Environmental Pathways for the Pulp & Paper Industry."
We believe this new information validates the information given to you
and your associates earlier and hope that it will be useful for your
purposes.
Sincerely,
Allen Koleff
Chair, Agenda 2020
Environmental Performance Task Group
Division Vice President, Environment,
Energy and Process Technology
Stone Container Corporation
Enclosures
cc: Mary Nichols
Tudor Davies
Bruce Jordan
PURSUING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE:
Examples of the Forest Products Industry's
Continuing Commitment to Environmental Protection
April 24, 1996
In late 1995, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA)
presented an overview of the forest products industry's environmental
accomplishments and the industry's vision of sustainable environmental
pathways to a number of EPA's top management. The presentation contained
extensive information on the industry's overall progress in reducing
environmental releases and in supporting research to foster further
improvements. Because the presentation was intended to present an overall
view of the industry, it lacked examples of individual company accomplishments.
In order to illustrate the types of individual efforts that have led
to industry-wide progress, The National Council of the Paper Industry
for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) recently requested its members
to describe environmental improvement projects undertaken without regulatory
mandates. The objective of the solicitation was to assemble a series
of short case histories that would provide texture to the general picture
of overall industry progress. The following summary is based on the
responses to that solicitation.
NCASI did not use all of the examples it received, but instead selected
a number of narratives that illustrate the variety of activities underway
in the industry. The examples are organized according to the three pathways
highlighted in the original presentation to EPA, specifically: (1) activities
to better understand potential impacts and reduce those found to be
significant; (2) projects and research to accomplish reductions at the
source (i.e., pollution prevention); and (3) efforts to improve treatment
of waste streams and emissions.
I. UNDERSTANDING AND MINIMIZING POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Those programs which enhance environmental quality through understanding
and minimizing potential environmental impacts include activities in
the area of forestry practices, habitat preservation, wildlife conservation
and stream management, and receiving stream-related studies.
A. Forestry - Habitat Protection, Stream Management and Land Conservation
Participation in the AF&PA Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFITM)
is now a condition of membership in AF&PA. The initiative requires
over 200 forest products companies to reforest every acre harvested,
protect wildlife, lakes and streams, enrich the diversity of plant and
animal life, safeguard forests of special ecological value, and submit
information on these efforts annually for compilation and independent
review. On April 11, AF&PA released the first annual SFI progress
report, prepared with the guidance of an independent panel of experts
from academia, government agencies, non-government organizations (e.g.,
the Izaak Walton League and the Conservation Fund), and elsewhere. This
report can provide the basis for EPA to judge for itself the seriousness
of this industry's commitment to forestry practices that both protect
the environment and ensure the long-term viability of the U.S. forest
products industry.
Great diversity exists in the programs individual companies have implemented
to enhance the forests they manage. this is a reflection of the diversity
in our nation's forests and the need to tailor management practices
to the characteristics of individual sites. Some of the activities cited
by companies responding to NCASI's information request include:
- One mill reported on its program to preserve and protect the traditional
land uses of the largest undeveloped estuary system on the East Coast.
- One company reported plans to identify unique and special sites to
ensure their protection for future use. The company has so far identified
37 such sites.
- Several companies reported watershed research activities to study
the impact of forest management activities on watersheds. Data generated
will assist in managing the watersheds in the future.
- Many mills reported wildlife conservation and habitat protection programs.
The types of programs include: (1) establishing 26,000 acres of timberland
as deer wintering area: (2) establishing an 8400 acre wildlife and ecosystem
research forest; (3) entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with
a state parks and wildlife department to manage 50,000 acres of bottomland
hardwood forest to promote biodiversity and species richness; (4) signing
a cooperative venture with the Secretary of the Interior to develop
a model process to conduct biological inventories at a 6700 acre tract
of land; (5) establishing a 300 acre wildlife management area as a key
component of the state's participation in the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan; (6) developing an environmental assessment and habitat
conservation plan for the red hill salamander; (7) implementing a project
to enhance the habitat of Atlantic salmon along the rivers of southeast
Maine; (8) entering into an agreement covering 2000 acres to aid in
the protection and restoration of red-cockaded woodpecker; (9) developing
a riparian management program designed to optimize the protection of
deer wintering areas and other critical wildlife habitats; (10) participating
in a plan to raise and release into Washington state streams over 200,000
salmon hatchlings; (11) participating in a plan to identify the presence
of Houston Toads on forestland; (12) setting aside 1100 acres as a "pocket
wilderness" for public use; (13) donating or selling on favorable
terms nine unique sites covering 7700 acres in four states to the Nature
Conservancy; (14) working on several stream enhancement projects in
Oregon and California to improve the habitat of coho salmon and steelhead
trout; and (15) inventorying the Mississippi populations of the gopher
tortoise, a threatened species in the region, and developing a statewide
conservation plan.
More detail has been included with the following examples to provide
a better sense of the importance of these type of activities in the
forest products industry:
- One company reported completing a Habitat Conservation
Plan for the northern spotted owl and getting it approved by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service for its farm near Coos Bay, Oregon. This plan
provides for long-term habitat management and enhancement of 209,000
acres of timberlands and was specifically designed to complement the
northern spotted owl recovery effort by providing improved dispersal
habitat between the company and late-successional reserves on adjacent
federal lands.
- A number of companies in the South have reached agreements with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify and protect the habitat and
nesting sites of red-cockaded woodpecker, listed as an endangered species.
One company reported that about 100 active colonies exist on roughly
55,000 acres of its lands in several states. Another company reported
signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Croatan National Forest
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist the recovery of the
red cockaded woodpecker by adjusting its forestry practices to protect
nesting and feeding habitat where the company Coastal Tree Farm lands
border active woodpecker colonies on adjacent Croatan National Forest
lands.
- Two companies reported entering into partnership agreements with the
National Wild Turkey Federation to develop forest management strategies
and projects to maintain and increase wild turkey populations on their
timberlands.
- One company reported that it had completed 10 additional watershed
assessments in Washington and Oregon encompassing approximately 365,000
total acres, including 185,000 company-owned acres, bringing the total
number of watershed assessments completed in these two states since
1993 to 21. Each of these assessments involved other forest landowners
and interested stakeholders who share a common goal of improving water
quality and fisheries and wildlife habitat in forested watersheds.
- One company reported that in Washington and Oregon it participated
with state and federal agencies, non-profit and community groups, and
university research biologists in several cooperative fisheries enhancement
projects designed to improve the long term survival and productivity
of wild anadromous fish stocks.
- Company-owned tracts provide rich habitat for animals such as deer,
moose, turkey and quail. Many companies work with state wildlife agencies,
hunting clubs and other organizations to build wildlife populations
during off-seasons and to provide hiking trails to observe wildlife.
- One company reported working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and graduate students in surveying for the habitat of the Karner blue
butterfly, federally listed as endangered in 1992. The butterfly habitat
is enhanced by harvesting activities which create cleared areas for
its only known food source, wild blue lupine.
- One company reported that, through a partnership with Maine's Department
of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, it maintains a conservation easement
surrounding Maine's Grand Lake streams to protect water quality and
wildlife habitat. This stream is one of the few original habitats of
landlocked salmon in Maine.
- One company reported that it had initiated a program to identify,
designate and protect special areas and habitats that provide unique
biological, historical and physical treasures. The program protects
the characteristics of the most significant of these sites and provides
opportunities for the public to view and experience these lands. Among
the sites selected are Mariner's Tomb in southern Georgia, Palm Hammocks
on the banks of Orange Lake in Florida, Francis Marion Snow's Island
camp in eastern South Carolina, and Meddybemp's Heath in Washington
County, Maine.
B. River Studies
The forest products industry has a long history of research into potential impacts of its discharges on aquatic ecosystems. An important element of this work has been the research conducted by NCASI. For more than 25 years, NCASI's aquatic biology research program has employed laboratory, experimental stream, and field research to improve the understanding of the conditions of compatibility between mill effluents and healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Individual companies, however, also have devoted considerable resources to understanding the health of the water bodies into which they discharge. In 1988, NCASI assembled documentation on the river studies conducted by pulp and paper companies in the vicinity of chemical pulp mills. Over 200 studies were identified encompassing over 45 mills and 40 receiving water sites. Of the 40 sites, minimal or no measurable impacts were found at 26 sites and small but measurable impacts (usually restricted to the mixing zone) were found at 11 sites. In the remaining three sites, the source of the effects, if any, of mill effluent were impossible to isolate due to the presence of several other contributors to the recovery waters. There has been no comprehensive effort to compile the results of industry river studies since 1988. In response to NCASI's recent information solicitation, however, several companies provided brief descriptions of ongoing river studies involving their mills:
- Eight companies reported periodic biological surveys
and studies aimed at assessing the impact of mill discharges on receiving
stream biological diversity and population densities. Fish tissue and
sediment surveys are also conducted periodically at two facilities.
One such study has been conducted at two year intervals since 1964.
- Another mill has been conducting annual studies for 25 years.
- Forest products companies have sponsored extensive water quality studies
on the Willamette, lower Columbia, Penobscot, McKenzie, Clarion, Pee
Dee, Arkansas and Pigeon rivers, Elevenmile Creek, and St. Andrew and
Perdido bays. The costs of these studies ranged from several thousand
to over $2 million.
- One company has conducted a three-year use attainability study at
a cost of $3 million. As a result of this study, the mill plans to begin
in 1997 a project which will implement process changes to reduce effluent
color by 50 percent, install a 15-mile pipeline to relocate the mill
discharge and install an oxygen injection system in the effluent. The
cost of this project is estimated to be $50 million.
II. IN-PROCESS MODIFICATIONS CONSISTENT WITH POLLUTION PREVENTION
In AF&PA's earlier presentation to EPA, the industry documented the substantial reductions in environmental releases that have occurred over time. (See the handout materials in "Sustainable Environmental Pathways for the Pulp & Paper Industry - Development of Agenda 2020"). These reductions are the results of companies employing both source reduction and treatment in combinations tailored to specific mill circumstances. Some of the reductions, however, can be attributed primarily to source reduction. Among these are reductions in TCDD/F, chloroform (CHCl3), raw wastes loads of BOD, TSS, and color, and water use.
One in-process modification of growing important to bleached chemical pulp mills is the complete substitution of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) for chlorine (Cl2) in pulp bleaching (i.e. ECF bleaching). ECF bleaching essentially eliminates the formation of TCDD/F and other highly chlorinated organic matter and sets the stage for recovery of bleach plant filtrates in the Kraft recovery system. Between 1990 and 1995, ECF production grew from two to over 30 percent of the bleached chemical pulp produced in the United States. Where helpful for reducing costs or where needed to reduce waste loads of BOD, COD, and color, ECF bleaching is often combined with additional pulp delignification. It is against this backdrop of rapidly changing production practices for bleached chemical pulp that the following company examples must be viewed:
- One company reported that projects in progress will
be completed by 1997 which will result in total conversion to ECF bleaching
for approximately 3400 tons per day (TPD) of pulp. Four companies will
achieve the same goals by 1996. Eight mills reported significant increases
in ClO2 substitution over the last five years. One company reported
that in 1992 an ozone bleaching plant costing $100 million was installed.
Another will come on-line in 1996.
- Six companies reported producing over 3700 TPD of ECF pulp.
- One mill reported that it had reduced Cl2 usage by 50 percent and
installed capacity to support 100 percent ClO2 in the future. The cost
of this project was $40 million.
- One company reported that, between 1990 and 1995, ClO2 capacity at
its mills had increased by 110,000 ton/year. As a result of additional
ClO2 capacity, the level of ClO2 substitution in the bleach plant had
increased by over 45 percent at bleach plants producing in excess of
3.5 million tons of pulp.
- One company reported that, between 1985 and 1995, modernization and
redesign programs at its eight bleach plants resulted in an 85 percent
reduction in AOX, COD and color reductions of 75 percent, a 25 percent
reduction in total effluent volume and a 45 percent reduction in bleach
plant effluent.
- One company totally eliminated hypochlorite as a bleaching chemical
by 1990 on 1250 TPD of production. Another five companies eliminated
hypo to meet the 33/50 commitment. Reported CHCl3 reductions at three
mills were 374 ton/year.
- Seven mills reported using oxygen and peroxide enhanced extraction
in their bleach plants. One reported using a high temperature peroxide
stage in the bleach plant.
- One mill produces a medium brightness TCF pulp using hydrogen peroxide.
- One mill reported developing a project aimed at recycling bleach plant
filtration from an ECF plant. In this process, bleach plant filtrates
are used for pulp washing and, consequently, the dissolved solids from
bleaching become part of the black liquor. In this way, dissolved organic
matter from bleaching is destroyed in the Kraft recovery furnace. A
mill demonstration of this process began in 1995 allowing recycle of
two MGD of ECF filtrate to the final post oxygen washer, replacing fresh
water. This program also includes a major research component to address
potential impacts on mill processes and product quality.
- Fifteen companies reported installation of oxygen delignification
(OD) systems in at least one bleach line. The total production of OD
pulp of these companies exceeded 12,000 TPD.
- One 1600 TPD Kraft mill reported that an oxygen delignification system
currently being installed would be in operation by the end of 1996.
- Five mills reported using extended delignification, which reduces
the amount of chemicals required to bleach the pulp.
- Four mills reported installing brownstock and bleached pulp diffusion
washers to enhance washing efficiency and decrease emissions. Two mills
installed belt washers to improve pulp washing.
It is not just pulping and bleaching processes that have been adapted
to reduce environmental releases. Companies provided NCASI with examples
documenting the broad range of pollution prevention measures that can
be implemented at mills where they are found to be cost-effective and
environmentally advantageous. For instance:
- One mill increased paper production by 1000 TPD and
pulp production by 400 TPD without increasing effluent mass loadings
of BOD and TSS through a combination of equipment modifications, tighter
best management practices (BMPs) and evaporator capacity increase.
- Another mill reported that improved BMPs resulted in decreasing treated
effluent BOD from 1.65 lb/ton in 1991 to 1.07 lb/ton in 1995. During
the same period, the effluent TSS was reduced from 4.19 lb/ton to 2.68
lb/ton.
- One mill installed a mill-wide sewer conductivity monitoring system
tied to a mill-wide control system at a cost of $500,00 to provide quick
identification and minimization of spills.
Water conservation programs have long been central to the pulp and paper
industry's pollution prevention efforts. Approximately 70 percent less
wastewater is generated in the production of a ton of paper today compared
to 1959. Although the relatively simple water conservation and reuse
opportunities have been largely implemented, companies continue to make
reductions where they make sense at individual mill sites:
- A number of mills have reported implementing water
conservation programs involving equipment modification and process changes.
Four mills reported 26 MGD reduction in water use as a result of process
modification. Water conservation technologies include white water reuse,
use of surface condensers, gland and cooling water segregation, vacuum
pump seal water segregation, and warm water recovery.
- Four mills reported reducing effluent flows by 700 gal/ton, 1500 gal/ton,
8500 gal/ton, and 12,000 gal/ton.
- One mill reported that, as a result of implementing a water reuse
program, it had increased its production by 75 TPD without any increase
in water usage.
- One mill reported conducting a two-year study on methods to reduce
fresh water consumption by 40 percent at an unbleached Kraft mill. Funding
to implement the findings of this study, expected to reduce water consumption
by 2.9 MGD, will be requested in 1997.
- One company reported that at its facilities two major expansion projects
were underway which would increase production by 1200 TPD without increasing
water usage.
- At one Kraft mill, between 1990 and 1995, water usage per ton of production
had been reduced by 25 percent.
- One company reported that between 1970 and 1995, the total effluent
discharges at its seven pulp and paper mills decreased from 60,000 gallons/ton
to 20,000 gallons/ton. During the same period, effluent BOD decreased
from 65 lb/ton to less than 5 lb/ton, and total suspended solids decreased
from 22 lb/ton to 6 lb/ton. Between 1985 and 1995, the effluent flow
from this company's bleach plants has been reduced from 17,000 gallons/ton
to 10,000 gallons/ton.
- A number of mills reported installing steam strippers to remove methanol
and odorous reduced sulfur compounds from process condensates. This
allows the stripped condensates to be used in the process, thus reducing
water consumption a the mill. Currently over 40 steam strippers are
in operation at Kraft pulp mills.
In some instances, companies have chosen to participate in broad-based
and public pollution prevention tracking activities. Not only does the
forest products industry have broad participation in EPA's 33/50 Program,
several state programs have been initiated by the industry itself:
- One company reported that it exceeded the voluntary
reduction goals of 50 percent, not only for listed chemicals under the
33/50 Program, but for all of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemicals
in 1990 and 1993, respectively.
- Another company met and exceeded the 33/50 Program goals by 1992.
One company reported that its TRI emissions were reduced by 55 percent
(500,000 lb) between 1992 and 1994.
- One company achieved greater than 50 percent reduction in 33/50 chemical
emissions one year ahead of the voluntary schedule.
- One company reported that it met its 33/50 commitment by 1994. At
the end of 1995, the company's facilities had reduced their 33/50 chemical
emissions by more than two million pounds (55 percent).
- One company achieved greater than 60 percent reductions in 33/50 chemical
emissions two years ahead of schedule. At this company, the reductions
between 1988 and 1994 equaled 1.3 million lb/year.
- In 1993, the Wisconsin Paper Council, in cooperation with the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, launched the Pollution Prevention Partnership.
The purpose of this initiative is to reduce the industry's release of
pollutants which could affect the environment. It involves 27 paper
companies and 43 facilities. The paper industry and the DNR agreed on
criteria for identifying chemicals to be included in the program and
prepared a list of over 130 covered releases based on those criteria.
In addition, an historical data base going back to 1987 was compiled
and reduction goals for 1999 were established. The second annual progress
report, issued by the Wisconsin Paper Council in January 1996, contains
company-identified summaries of progress toward the 1999 goals. Since
1987, the 43 facilities have achieved a production normalized reduction
of 30 percent in the release of the substances identified in the project.
Pulp and paper companies are also seeking ways to reduce wastes through
product substitution or recycling:
- One mill reduced hazardous waste generation by 90
percent by converting to a non-hazardous solvent for parts washing.
Another reported a similar effort which resulted in a 40 percent reduction
in solid waste generation.
- One mill substituted sulfuric acid for sulfur dioxide (SO2), a hazardous
gas. One company reported that through product substitution, 10 of the
division's 11 packaging plants were able to seek minor air permits rather
than major permits.
- Two companies reported replacing solvents containing 1,1,1-trichloroethane
with non-hazardous solvents
- One company reduced paper machine formaldehyde releases by 30 percent
by partial substitution of wet strength resin.
- Many companies are working with suppliers to reformulate products
to remove hazardous ingredients. One mill reported that between 1989
and 1994, the amount of solvents used per ton of pulp had been reduced
from 15.9 to 7.8 lb.
- A number of mills provided information on their programs to minimize
waste and keep hazardous materials from landfills. One company reported
a program which recycled lead acid batteries, scrap metal (28 ton/month),
chopped wire (3 ton/month), stainless steel and Ni-Cad batteries.
III. TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY
While the forest products industry has made, and will continue to make, great strides in reducing environmental releases at their source, waste treatment and emission control technologies continue to be an important component of the industry's environmental protection program. Companies are constantly striving to the find the optimum balance at each mill between making in-process modifications and installing add-on control technologies to reduce environmental releases. As part of this process, the industry continues in its attempts to improve the effectiveness and reduce the costs for add-on control technology.
A. Wastewater Treatment Technology
Over the last 20 or more years, the U.S. pulp and paper industry has learned how to design and operate highly effective wastewater treatment plants. Companies continue, however, to improve treatment efficiencies and reduce costs. The desire to avoid even minor excursions above permit limits has led companies to operate well below these limits. The result has been a demand for consistently high levels of waste treatment plant performance. A number of companies provided examples of performance improvements made for such reasons:
- One mill reported that between 1987 and 1994, the
BOD and TSS discharges had been reduced from 5.0 and 11.2 lb/ton to
3.8 and 7.2 lb/ton, respectively. During the same period, phosphorus
discharges had declined from 0.18 lb/ton to 0.08 lb/ton.
- Another mill reported that between 1979 and 1994, BOD discharges have
been reduced from 2.5 lb/ton to 1.0 lb/ton, and suspended solids discharges
had gone from 5.7 to 1.2 lb/ton.
- A third mill reported that between 1990 and 1994, BOD discharges had
gone down from 3.9 to 2.6 lb/ton, and suspended solids had gone down
from 7.0 to 2.1 lb/ton.
- A fourth company reported 19 and 24 percent reductions in BOD and
TSS, respectively, between 1987 and 1994.
A variety of approaches have been reported to accomplish such improvements
in wastewater treatment plant performance. These include improved pH
control systems using carbon dioxide in place of sulfuric acid, improved
or additional primary clarifiers, minimizing nutrient discharges to
receiving streams, better control of wastewater treatment system operational
parameters, nutrient addition and aeration equipment modification. Companies
reported a number of specific examples:
- One mill reported installing an anaerobic wastewater
treatment system for use on high strength waste prior to discharge to
a POTW.
- One mill reported installing concrete liners in two cells of a 30
acre wastewater treatment lagoon at a cost of $7.5 million.
- One mill reported completing a $1.8 million waste treatment system
modification which added new instruments and enhanced aeration efficiency.
- One mill conducted pilot trials to evaluate the use of ozone for wastewater
treatment.
B. Control of Gaseous Emissions
Pulp and paper mills have long used control equipment to reduce emissions of criteria pollutants and total reduced sulfur (TRS) compounds. Over time, additional sources have been addressed and the control devices have become more effective. The examples shown below illustrate this:
- One company reported that in order to reduce SO2
emissions from TRS thermal oxidizers, scrubbers were installed at two
Kraft mills. The same company reported upgrading blow heat recovery
systems at four mills, installing condensate steam strippers at two
mills, and installing backup thermal oxidizers to minimize TRS venting
at three Kraft mills.
- A number of facilities reported installing other technologies to reduce
emissions. For instance, two mills installed backup TRS thermal oxidation
systems, while two others installed SO2 scrubbers.
- One mill reported upgrading smelt dissolving tank scrubbers, and one
mill installed a particulate control device on the lime silo and recovery
furnaces.
- A number of mills reported significant upgrades of their noncondensible
gas collection systems to enhance their reliability and uptime.
- One mill reported installing an odor control and gas capture system
at a sludge and ash landfill.
- Upgrades of recovery furnaces were reported by four companies. The
projects involve installation of new recovery furnaces, conversion of
existing direct contact furnaces to non-contact design and upgrades
in air systems and economizers. Upgraded furnaces generally emit lower
levels of TRS, SO2, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter.
The reductions accomplished by these improvements and extensions of
technology have, in some cases, been dramatic. Several companies provided
examples:
- One company reported that between 1987 and 1994,
CO emissions had been reduced from 31.2 to 12.0 lb/ton, and SO2 emissions
had been reduced from 31.5 to 19.3 lb/ton.
- Another company reported that between 1979 and 1994, SO2 emissions
had been reduced from 55 lb/ton to 11.6 lb/ton, and particulate emissions
had been reduced from 6.2 lb/ton to 1.0 lb/ton.
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to emissions of
substances designated as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) under the Clean
Air Act. At pulp and paper mills, this has meant increased study and
control of emissions from pulping and bleaching. As in the case of wastewater
controls, the control of air pollutants, especially HAPs, has required
a mill-by-mill examination of the optimum balance of process modifications
and control technologies:
- Scrubbers for removing Cl2 and ClO2 from bleach plant
vents have been installed widely in the industry. One mill reported
installing scrubbers on the bleach plant and the ClO2 generator at a
total cost of $3.2 million.
- Three mills reported installing by 1990 bleach plant scrubbers capable
of meeting the projected MACT requirements on 3400 TPD of production.
- One company reported that between 1988 and 1994, while production
increased by 60 percent, Cl2, ClO2, and CHCl3 emissions decreased by
95, 80 and 75 percent, respectively.
C. Solid Waste Minimization Through Recycling and Beneficial Use
of Process Solid Waste and Sludge Disposal
Pulp and paper companies are intensifying their efforts to reduce their reliance on landfills for solid waste disposal. Mills have implemented extensive programs aimed at solid waste minimization through recycling, beneficial use and energy recovery. These programs involve not only sludge, but also ash and miscellaneous solid wastes. Beneficial uses range from energy recovery and land application to a variety of by-products. The industry's experience has shown that beneficial use opportunities tend to be highly site-specific. The examples shown below illustrate the variety of programs being pursued in the industry:
- The interest in land applying solid wastes is increasing
rapidly. Cooperative research projects are being carried out at a number
of universities, including the University of Georgia, Auburn University,
the University of Minnesota and Clemson University, to evaluate paper
mill wastes for land application. Companies reported a wide variety
of projects involving land application or other agricultural/silvicultural
utilization including:
- using mill sludge to reclaim strip mines
- using 35 TPD of sludge for land application
- landspreading 85 percent of the solid waste from the waste treatment
system
- developing a soil amendment product which uses 215,000 tons of sludge/year
- applying 60,000 yd3 of sludge and 3000 yd3 of compost to farmland
- applying 36,000 tons of sludge and bark ash over a nine-month period
- producing over 300 tons of a calcitic limestone agricultural material
from wastes
- supplying 180,000 yd3/yr of mixed wastes to farmers for land application
- research on the use of lime mud rejects and wood fly ash for mine
reclamation
- using boiler ash at an airport under the state's beneficial reuse
program
- using boiler ash as a liming agent
- selling lime solids to farmers as a liming agent
- use of lime solids as a filler for asphalt
- selling lime solids to another paper mill as a neutralizer
- selling boiler ash for use in potting soil
- marketing boiler ash as an agricultural supplement
The interest in beneficial uses for solid waste is not limited to land
application and agricultural utilization:
- One mill reported a project aimed at using paper
mill sludge for producing lightweight aggregate for the concrete industry.
Another mill reported being involved in research to use boiler ash as
an aggregate in cement. A third mill reported recycling boiler ash and
waste treatment plan sludge as a raw material for cement manufacture.
- One mill reported that it had implemented a program of grinding wood
waste from lumber mill operations to generate fuel. Two mills reported
projects aimed at mixing sludge with coal to improve the fuel value
of the sludge.
- Three mills reported using primary clarifier sludge as raw material
for manufacturing corrugating medium. Wastewater treatment sludges are
commonly used as furnish at recycled paperboard mills.
- One mill reported using 300,000 cubic yards of sludge for capping
a landfill.
- One mill reuses gritty bark on forest roads for improved fire prevention
access.
- One company reported that in 1995, at nine of its manufacturing sites,
projects had been implemented which resulted in: (a) using wood waste
as poultry bedding, landscaping material, and boiler fuel; (b) converting
log yard waste into bark mulch, fill material and compost; (c) converting
sludge from recycling into gypsum board; and (d) applying wood ash as
agricultural liming agent. Similar projects are being initiated at 22
additional sites belonging to this company.
As a result of the efforts to find beneficial uses for solid wastes,
companies have reduced their reliance on landfills. A number of companies
cited their own experience:
- As a result of implementing a variety of beneficial
use programs, one mill reported that between 1987 and 1993 the amount
of waste material sent to landfills decreased from 20 million ton/year
to two million ton/year.
- One company reported that its solid waste reduction program had reduced
the amount of material sent to landfills by 17 percent in 1994, following
a 19 percent reduction in 1993.
- Another reported reducing solid waste to landfill by 93 percent between
1987 and 1995.
- One mill reported that as a result of its sludge landspreading program,
it had discontinued the use of its landfill.
IV. SUMMARY
The industry's overall progress in: (a) understanding and minimizing its potential impact on the environment; (b) reducing environmental releases at the source; and (c) applying effective treatment to its wastes and emissions was documented in "Sustainable Environmental Pathways for the Pulp and Paper Industry - Development of Agenda 2020." In this follow-on report, which highlights a series of company programs, the variety of voluntary measures that account for the industry's progress are documented. In the context of the industry's overall accomplishments, these examples reflect a dynamic industry working toward a sustainable future via pathways that allow site-specific decisions best suited to individual mill circumstances.