Clean water regulation : pulp and paper sector

9 Pages·1993·2.5 MB·English

February 1993
®
Enviinnment
Environnement
CLEAN WATER REGULATION:
Pulp Paper Sector
&
Ilinilneting substances .1 A more efficient, more productive,
concern and more competitive pulp and paper
Ontario has unveiled comprehensive industry will be better positioned to
water pollution regulations to prevent meet the challenges of changing world
the discharge of toxic contaminants paper markets. Purchasers in both the
from the province's pulp and paper public and private sector are increas-
mills. Based on current scientific find- ingly demanding environmentally-
ings, monitoring data and recent friendly products. To ensure they are
advances in pulp and paper-making well positioned for future markets,
technology, the proposed limits will Ontario's pulp and paper industry
prohibit the release of substantial must be able to offer recycled
amounts of hazardous chemicals every newsprint, chlorine-free papers and
year. other green consumer products.
The clean water regulation for the The draft pulp and paper regulation
pulp and paper sector, issued under doesn't specify what kind of abatement
the Municipal Industrial Strategy for equipment a company must install, or
Abatement (MISA) program, is a how it must treat its waste waters.
breakthrough in Ontario's campaign Instead, the regulation sets technically
against water pollution. The goal of feasible, scientifically sound standards
MISA is the virtual elimination of per- that will reduce the amount of contam-
sistent toxic substances in the effluents ination a mill may release. In the case
discharged from pulp and paper mills of organochlorines, the regulation will
to the province's rivers and lakes. stimulate the development of new
The pollution The clean water regulation pro- technologies that will eliminate their
motes a new direction for protecting release,
prevention limits the environment — pollution preven- The limits will take effect at the end
tion. Today's low-waste production of 1995, with additional AOX reduc-
are practiati,
technologies save raw materials, water tions phased in over the next six years.
and and energy while dramatically cutting The clean water regulation will ensure
the amount of pollution that must be the health of the environment and give
environmentally
treated. companies time to prepare long-range
The stricter environmental stan- plans to modernize plants, upgrade
sound.
dards in the regulation can be turned aging equipment, 4Enew
to a firm's competitive advantage. product lines
Stressing pollution prevention and a
switch to less-toxic process chemicals
JUN
over expensive, end-of-the-pipe solu- 1
tions will help companies meet the reg-
ulation effectively.
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"The Ontario
government's goal is
Jbra zero discharge
of organochionnes
by2002.By
eliminating
organochiorines in
stages, we have
addressed industry's
requests for practical
timeframes and long-
term certainly so it
can plan for its
foture investments."
— Environmatt
Minister
Ruth Crier
The limits are based
The zero discharge of AOX by pended solids (TSS), and aquatic toxici-
on what can be 2002 ty. Specific limits are specified for each
achieved using low- Prior to the release of this draft regula- of the province's 26 mills depending
tion, the provincial guidelines for the on the pulp and paper subsector they
waste, modern
pulp and paper industry did not reflect fall under.
paper-making what efficient, low-waste technologies The Ontario government is commit-
can achieve. There were no common ted to the zero discharge of the
technologies.
industry standards that applied to all organochlorines (known collectively as
the direct discharging mills. Many AOX, a term that refers to the analyti-
harmful pollutants were not regulated cal method used to measure their pres-
Over 90% of the
at all, and the standards for a number ence) from the eight Ontario kraft mills
organochiorines of other contaminants still allowed that bleach pulp with chlorine.
discharged by. unacceptably high levels of pollution. Organochlorines are a large family of
The regulation sets new effluent chlorine-based compounds which are
industry into the limits for ten different parameters: generally toxic and include mutation
province's water- adsorbable organic halides (AOX), bio- and cancer-causing agents.
chemical oxygen demand (BUDS), The Ontario government's objective
ways originate from chloroform, phenol, toluene, 2,3,7,8 is to eliminate AOX entirely from the
the pulp and paper TCDD (a dioxin), 2,3,7,8 TCDF (a industry's effluents by the year 2002.
furan), total phosphorus (TI'), total sus- To achieve this goal, each kraft mill
sector.
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must reduce their loadings and meet In its 1992 report on the Great
the limits of 1.5 kg/tonne AOX by 1995 Lakes, the International Joint
and 0.8 kg/tonne by 1999. As well, Commission stated that organochlo-
each kraft pulp mill must submit a rines are "dangerous to the environ-
series of detailed AOX elimination ment, deleterious to the human condi-
plans outlining how it intends to meet tion, and can no longer be tolerated in
—
the government's of zero AOX by the ecosystem, whether or not unas-
2002. The first is due six months after sailable scientific proof of acute or
the clean water regulation takes effect. chronic damage is universally accept-
Interim plans must be completed by
December 31, 1995 with the final plans The proposed effluent limits sup-
due by the end of 1998. port the recommendations of the
The environmental impact will be International Joint Commission to
widespread and sustained. By 1995, phase out persistent toxic discharges to
both BOD and toluene discharges will the Great Lakes.
be slashed by 85% from 1990 levels,
phenol by 88% and chloroform by 96%. The pelp and paper sector at
The use of new technologies and a glance
process changes that will prevent these Ontario's pulp and paper industry
pollutants from entering the environ- employs 16,000 men and women, mak-
ment will also significantly reduce the ing it the fifth largest manufacturing
levels of other contaminants. By reduc- sector in the province. The industry
It
ing the ten parameters specified in the provides one out of every three manu-
The Great are regulation, the mills will also cut the facturing jobs in Northern Ontario.
release of sulphide, volatile suspended There are 26 pulp and paper mills
the world's largest
solids, chlorinated phenolics and sev- discharging waste water directly into
source off resh water. eral toxic resin and fatty acids. Ontario's lakes and rivers. Five of these
plants are Located in Eastern Ontario,
The Pulpand Pap er Protecting the Great Lakes six in South-Central Ontario, and is in
The new regulation will improve the Northern Ontario. Their waste waters
1!gulationfrrt hers
quality of the Great Lakes making either flow through northern water-
the Ontario them more hospitable for fish and sheds into Lake Winnipeg and James
other wildlife. The regulation will stem Bay, or drain south into the Great
government's the build-up of dangerous toxic com- Lakes. The effluent from one mill,
pounds, protect human and aquatic located near Huntsville, drains into
continuing
health and help maintain an acceptable Vernon Lake.
commitment to the level of water quality in the Great Eighteen of these mills produce
Lakes. pulp directly from logs or wood chips,
protecting theGreat Six of the province's knit mills dis- nine through a variety of
charge their wastewaters directly into chemical/mechanical methods, and
Lakes and adhering
the Great Lakes basin. The elimination nine through the kraft process. Eight of•
to the US - Canada of AOX will help safeguard the drink- the nine kraft mills also use chlorine to
ing water supplies of the more than 30 bleach pulp. The province's remaining
Great Lakes Water
million people in Canada and the mills manufacture paper products
Quality Agreement. United States who live in the basin. from purchased pulp, some of these
facilities relying increasingly on waste
paper.
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Eight locations in What are the major In addition, environmental scientists
Ontario designate4 environmental concerns? continue to express concern about the
as areas of concern The Ministry of Environment is con- presence and impact of persistent or
cerned about the environmental acutely toxic substances in mill efflu-
by the international
impact of the wide variety of toxic ents. Many of these compounds do not
Joint Commission
compounds, oxygen-depleting sub- readily break down and may bioaccu-
have pulp and paper
stances and suspended solids found in mutate up the food chain to threaten
mills that contribute
the waste waters from pulp and paper both environmental and human health.
to the area's
plants. The discharges from mills cont- Those pollutants raising the greatest
pollution problem:
aminate water, sediments and aquatic environmental concern are the persis-
Thander Bay, life both in the immediate receiving tent toxic chemicals (such as the
Nipigon Bay, waters and throughout the Great Lakes organochlorines and heavy metals),
ecosystem. sulphur compounds, and fish-killing
Peninsular Over the last 20 years, pollution con- resin and fatty acids.
Harbour/Marathon, trol efforts have been directed towards Some 75 pollutants have been mea-
Spanish Harbour, reducing the huge quantities of sus- sured overall in the waste waters dis-
Sault Ste. Marie, pended solids and organic wastes gen- charged by mills; the toxic contami-
Cornwall, Trenton erated by the industry. While substan- nants vary depending on the type of
tial reductions have been achieved, pulp and paper-making process and
(Bay of Quinte).
these substances still pose a major pol- chemicals used. Organochlorines
lution problem.
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(AOX), unwanted byproducts of the In complying with the effluent lim-
chlorine bleaching process found in the its, mills are expected to implement a
effluents of kraft mills, are a parameter variety of in-plant measures designed
of special concern due to their toxicity to prevent pollution at source. For
and possible persistence. These stable example, mills could substitute a less
chemicals can build up in the tissues of toxic chemical for a more dangerous
New pulp and paper plants and animals with chronic and one, or install a more efficient piece of
• irreversible effects. Some may cause process equipment — as well as tradi-
production systems, mutations or cancers. Dioxins and tional abatement systems designed to
furans are probably the most notorious treat end-of-the-pipe effluents.
water conserrrzt ion
compounds in this large family; the The regulation does not require a
measU7rs, and regulation singles out chlorinated diox- mill to install a particular type of con-
in 2,3,7,8-TCDD and chlorinated furan trol system or equipment; therefore a
pollution prevention
2,3,7,8-1'CDF for special attention. company is free to find the most effec-
technologies can cut a s. tive or cost-efficient way to meet the
The development effluent limits.
discharges discharge regulation
The MISA program, under which the The elimination of AOX
dramatically. clean water regulation falls, was More than 250 different organochlo-
announced in 1986. As a first step, the rines have been detected in the efflu-
Pulp and Paper Effluent Monitoring ents from pulp and paper mills.
Regulation was made law in July, 1989. Measured collectively as Adsorbable
A year-long testing program identified Organic Halides or AOX, it makes
and measured the toxic contaminants sense to control them collectively
in the effluent from each of the rather than set dozens of separate
province's pulp and paper mills. effluent limits for different organochlo-
This information was used by nines. This is the approach being taken
Ministry staff to assess which contami- by British Columbia and Quebec, as
nants posed an environmental threat. well as a number of European coun-
The Ministry was aided by a joint tech- tiles.
nical comniittee with representatives In 1989, the MOE issued Control
from the pulp and paper industry and Orders requiring all kraft mills to
the MOE, an observer from reduce AOX effluents to 25 kilograms
Environment Canada and the per tonne of air-dried bleached pulp by
Minister's M1SA Advisory Committee. December31, 1991. As a result, a num-
The Minister also met with mayors ber of mills began to reduce or aban-
from Northern municipalities, industry don the use of molecular chlorine in
Most of Ontario's and labour representatives, and envi- favour of chlorine compounds that
ronment groups before the release of produce less AOX. These efforts have
kraft mills have
the draft regulation. continued so that today most of the
already begun The proposed limits reflect the low province's kraft mills are close to the
levels of contamination one could 15 kilogram limit proposed in the new
effective programs to expect to find in the waste water from regulation. However, despite these
a modem mill that uses the best avail- reduction efforts, mills are still dis-
comply with the new
able technology. The requirements for charging more than 5,500 tonnes of
effluent limits for AOX reduction are designed to stimu- AOX each year.
late the development of new, cleaner
AOX. pulp and paper-making technology.
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AOX can no longer be tolerated in firm that has already made the switch
the ecosystem; discharges must be fur- away from chlorine bleaching. The reg-
ther reduced and eventually eliminat- ulation differentiates between four
ed. Under the new clean water regula- basic classes of pulp and paper mill:
tion, kraft mills will have to cut month- (1) sulphate (kraft) mills, (2) mills
ly average discharges to 1.5 kilograms using a sulphite-mechanical pulping
of AOX per (air-dried) tonne of pulp process, (3) corrugating mills, and
they produce by December 31, 1995. By (4) de-inking/board/fine papers/tis-
the end of 1999, the limit drops to 0.8 sue mills. The regulation sets pfrocess
kilograms. effluent limits and monitoring require-
While they are achieving these ments for each of the 26 mills across
reductions, each mill must prepare and the province, based on their class, pro-
submit a series of elimination plans to duction levels and the daily and
show how it will be able to meet the monthly discharge standards.
government's objective of zero dis- The regulation also incorporates a
éharge of AOX by the year 2002. number of standard monitoring and
reporting requirements (in common
S.
Now will diuharg. with the clean water regulations being
r.g.Iatio. work? developed for other MISA sectors).
When the new effluent limits go into Sections of the regulation govern: com-
effect on December 31, 1995, they will pliance monitoring, the location of
significantly reduce the release of cont- sampling points, sampling and analyti-
aminants into the environment. Much cal procedures, toxicity testing, the cal-
of the BOD, toluene, phenol and chlo- culation of loadings, effluent flow mea-
roform will be removed from pulp and surements, monitoring quality control,
paper mill waste waters. The most stormwater controls, record keeping,
toxic forms of dioxin and furan must and reports to the Ministry.
be reduced to non-detectable levels. The day the regulation is filed, pulp
The other dangerous organochlorines and paper mills must begin to compile
will be eliminated altogether in a series their sampling plans and stormwater
of phased stages. In all, stringent new control studies. The AOX standard of
effluent limits are set for ten waste 23 kilograms per air-dried tonne of
water parameters. pulp applies from day one. The regula-
The type of mill and the processes it tion's monitoring, measuring and
employs will play a role in determin- reporting provisions take effect 90 days
ing the effluent limits that must be met. later. Daily and monthly limits take
For instance, a kraft mill that uses a effect December 31,1995.
chlorine-based bleaching process will
need to implement a more complex
pollution prevention program than a
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What's the next stage?
The draft clean, water regulation is
being released for a 6OTday public
review. All the comments will be col-
lected, reviewed and evaluated by
Ministry staff, necessary amendments
will be made to the regulation, and a
final draft will be published in the
Ontario Gazette.
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I los,. sor.? You can aLso call the Ministry of
To receive more information on the Environment Public Information
Draft Effluent Limits Regulation for Centre at 1-800-565-4923, or the follow-
the Pulp and Paper Sector, fill out the ing MOE Regional Offices:
coupon on this page and mail it to:
Central Region, Toronto [phone]
MISA Pulp and Paper Effluent Umits Northeastern Region, Sudbury
Regulation
[phone]
Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Northwestern Region, Thunder Bay
135 St. Clair Avenue West,
[phone]
Toronto, Ontario M4V iFS Southeastern Region, Kingston
El Send me the Draft Pulp and Paper [phone]
Southwestern Region, London
Effluent Limits Regulation
El Send me more information on the [phone]
West Central Region, Hamilton
MISA program
El Send me list of related background [phone]
documents and technical reports
Send your comments to: Ruth Crier,
Name:_____ Minister of the Environment, 135. St.
Address: Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario
City/Town: M4V IFS
Postal Code:
Telephone:
—
Do you have any questions or com-
ments?
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