Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines

 

PULP AND PAPER MILLS 

                                                              

 

D

ECEMBER 

10,

 

2007 

              

   

 

 

                      

2 

 

                                     

 

 

  

 WORLD BANK GROUP 

1.0  Industry-Specific Impacts 

and Management 

The following section provides a summary of EHS issues 

associated with pulp and paper mills, which generally occur 

during the operational phase, along with recommendations for 

their management. Recommendations for the management of 

EHS issues common to most large industrial facilities during the 

construction, operation and decommissioning phases are 

provided in the General EHS Guidelines.  

1.1 

Environment 

The more significant environmental aspects of pulp and paper 

mills during the operational phase relate to:  

•

 

Wastewater 

•

 

Air emissions 

•

 

Waste 

•

 

Noise 

Wastewater 

Pulp and paper manufacturing activities may generate 

wastewater discharges at a rate of 10-250 cubic meters per 

metric ton (m3/t) of product.  Product is measured as air dry 

pulp (ADP

2

) in pulp mills, and as weight of paper sold in paper 

and board mills.  Prior to treatment pulp mill effluents are high in 

total suspended solids (TSS; mainly from cooking and pulping 

process screening, washing, and bleaching stages as well as 

from debarking residue, chemical recovery inorganics and 

fillers); biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) chemical oxygen 

demand (COD) and dissolved organic compounds mainly 

arising from wet debarking cooking/pulping, screening, washing, 

bleaching, and chemical recovery plant liquor spills).  Bleach 

plant effluents may include PCDD (poly chlorinated 

                                                 

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Air dry pulp refers to pulp that is 90% dry.

 

dibenzodioxins) and PCDF (poly chlorinated dibenzofurans), 

commonly referred to as chlorinated dioxins and furans.  When 

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) or Total Chlorine Free (TCF) 

bleaching technologies are used, the concentrations of dioxins 

and furans in the effluents are below the detection limits.

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 .     

Among the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds 

released into wastewaters, and potentially contributing to 

eutrophication of receiving waters, is the wood raw material 

which is also a source of resin acids.  Resin acids, especially 

those based on coniferous wood pulp, can be toxic to fish and 
benthic invertebrates.  Chlorinated phenols can be produced by 

elemental chlorine based bleaching of pulp.     

Other issues related to wastewater discharges may include fish 

tainting, color related to COD content and discharges of black 

liquor, pulp spills from overflowing tanks, and runoff from log 

yards.  This last source may contain toxic chemicals (such as 

tannins, phenols, resins, and fatty acids) leached from the 

timber, and soil and other materials washed out of the bark.  

Wastewater Management – General  
Information about water conservation strategies applicable to 

most industrial facilities, which may contribute to the reduction of 

wastewater streams, is provided in the General EHS 

Guidelines.  Industry-specific wastewater prevention strategies 

potentially applicable to most pulp and paper manufacturing 

processes are presented below. Recommended wastewater 

prevention and control methods include the following:  

                                                 

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Of the chemicals listed in Annex C of the Stockholm Convention, only PCDD 

and PCDF have been identified as being produced during the production of pulp 

using elemental chlorine. Of the 17 PCDD/PCDF congeners with chlorine in the 

2,3,7 and 8 positions, only two congeners – namely 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 2,3,7,8-
TCDF  – have been identified as potentially being produced during chemical pulp 

bleaching using chlorine. Most of the formation of the 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 2,3,7,8-

TCDF is generated in the C-stage of bleaching via the reaction of chlorine with 

precursors of TCDD and TCDF (UNEP, 2006).