Kamloops This Week
Domtar said it has reduced particulate emissions at its Mission Flats pulp mill by 68 per cent over the past seven years, a time period during which it has spent more than $35 million in new technology.
The information was contained in a report from Domtar going to Kamloops council on Tuesday.
While documenting emissions-reduction as a percentage per year, the report does not include the volume of emissions the percentages represent, nor does the report include a baseline number for emissions in 2009, when the seven-year project to reduce emissions began.
The report from Kristin Dangelmaier, Domtar’s environmental manager, notes the company has reduced particulate emissions from the pulp mill’s four boilers incrementally since embarking on a seven-year plan in 2009.
The report documents progressive decreases in particulate emissions based on 2009 levels — decreases of 13 per cent in 2011, 38 per cent in 2012, 43 per cent in 2013, 59 per cent and 68 per cent at the end of last year.
Domtar bought the pulp mill from Weyerhaeuser in 2007.
In 2013, it shut down its sawdust pulp line, reducing mill production by 25 per cent and resulting in 125 employees being laid off.
As a result, Dangelmaier said, equipment in several process areas was retired, including the No. 1 black liquor recovery boiler, resulting in the elimination of associated emissions.
In 2014, Domtar decided to install a high-stack discharge cone to further improve emissions. In October, the cargo ship transporting the cone equipment was waylaid by a typhoon in the Pacific Ocean and delivery was postponed to 2015.
Because the cone was damaged en route to B.C., it was housed in Vancouver for repairs before being installed in July of last year.
