From: "O'Shaughnessy, Niall" <noshaugh@rocktenn.com> 

Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 8:00 AM 

To: Sabol, Elizabeth 

CC: Acker, Ken G.; Butler, Nina-Mary; Schwartz, Jerry 

Subject: FW: FW: Request for 2009 DMR Data Clarification 

See the responses to you questions below. Let me know if you have any other 

questions or need clarifications on the answers below. 

Niall O'Shaughnessy, PE  

RockTenn  

3700 Crestwood Parkway  

Suite 850  

Duluth, GA 30096  

770-570-1607 (office)  

770-361-7359 (cell)  

noshaugh@rocktenn.com 

From: Elizabeth Sabol [mailto:Elizabeth.Sabol@erg.com] 

Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 8:26 AM 

To: O'Shaughnessy, Niall 

Subject: RE: FW: Request for 2009 DMR Data Clarification 

Niall,

 

As discussed on the phone, the following questions are listed as follow-up to the responses provided in 

early March 2011 regarding 2009 sulfide discharges at the facility. 

 

For the sulfide discharges confirmed: 

 

1. What processes at the facility contribute to the sulfide discharges? Please explain why sulfide 

is used or a byproduct of this process. 

The mill uses a kraft pulping process. The kraft process uses a sodium-based 

alkaline pulping solution (liquor) consisting of sodium sulfide (Na2

S) and 

sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in 10 percent solution. This liquor (white liquor) 

is mixed with the wood chips in a reaction vessel (digester). The output 

products are separated wood fibers (pulp) and a liquid that contains the 

dissolved lignin solids in a solution of reacted and unreacted pulping 

chemicals (black liquor). The black liquor undergoes a chemical recovery 

process to regenerate white liquor for the first pulping step. Overall, the kraft 

process converts approximately 50 percent of input furnish into pulp. 

The kraft chemical recovery process consists of the following general steps: 

Black liquor concentration Residual weak black liquor from the pulping 

process is concentrated by evaporation to form "strong black liquor.” After 

brown stock washing in the pulping process, the concentration of solids in 

the weak black liquor is approximately 15 percent; after the evaporation 

process, solids concentration can range from 60 - 80 percent. In some older 
facilities, the liquor then undergoes oxidation for odor reduction. The 

oxidation step is necessary to reduce odor created when hydrogen sulfide is 

stripped from the liquor during the subsequent recovery boiler burning 

process. Almost all recovery furnaces installed since 1968 have non-contact 

evaporation processes that avoid these problems, so oxidation processes are 

not usually seen in mills with modern recovery furnaces. Common modern 

evaporator types include multiple effect evaporators as well as a variety of 

supplemental evaporators. Odor problems with the kraft process have been 

the subject of control measures. 

Recovery boiler The strong black liquor from the evaporators is burned in a 

recovery boiler. In this crucial step in the overall kraft chemical recovery 

process, organic solids are burned for energy and the process chemicals are 

removed from the mixture in molten form. Molten inorganic process 

chemicals (smelt) flow-through the perforated floor of the boiler to watercooled spouts and dissolving tanks for recovery in the recausticizing step. 

Energy generation from the recovery boiler is often insufficient for total 

plant needs, however, so facilities augment recovery boilers with fossil-fuelfired and wood-waste-fired boilers (hogged fuel) to generate steam and often 

electricity. Industry-wide, the utilization of pulp wastes, bark, and other 

papermaking residues supplies 65 percent of the energy requirements of pulp 

and paper companies. 

Recausticizating Smelt is recausticized to remove impurities left over from 

the furnace and to convert sodium carbonate (Na2

CO3) into active sodium 

hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulfide (Na2

S). The recausticization 

procedure begins with the mixing of smelt with "weak" liquor to form green 

liquor, named for its characteristic color. Contaminant solids, called dregs, 

are removed from the green liquor, which is mixed with lime (CaO). After 

the lime mixing step, the mixture, now called white liquor due to its new 

coloring, is processed to remove a layer of lime mud (CaCO3

) that has 

precipitated. The primary chemicals recovered are caustic (NaOH) and 

sodium sulfide (Na2

S). The remaining white liquor is then used in the pulp 

cooking process. The lime mud is treated to regenerate lime in the calcining 

process. 

Calcining In the calcining process, the lime mud removed from the white 

liquor is burned to regenerate lime for use in the lime mixing step. The vast 

majority of mills use lime kilns for this process, although a few mills use 

fluidized bed systems in which the reactants are suspended by upwardblowing air. 

2. Are there any treatment technologies in place for the sulfide? 
There are no specific treatment technologies in place for sulfide treatment, 

however, the wastewater is treated across the mill’s wastewater treatment 

ponds before being discharged. 

3. Are both sulfide and flow measurements taken at the same location in the process? If not, is a 

smaller flow associated with the sulfide discharge? 

Yes. The sulfide and flow measurement represent the effluent being discharged 

to the receiving stream. 

4. Please provide a description of Outfall 001. 

The effluent from the treatment ponds is routed through a 30-inch effluent 

pipeline where it is discharged subsurface into the Pee Dee River. The Pee 

Dee River has a daily minimum flow of 673 cfs and a minimum mean flow of 

3,480 cfs (1996 thru 2010). The effluent sample is collected from the 

wastewater where it enters the 30-inch pipeline. Flow is measured using a 

venturi flow device in the pipeline. 

5. Are the sulfide concentrations reported in 2010 similar to the 2009 concentrations? 

Yes. 

I appreciate your timely response to the questions listed above. Also, please call me directly (703-633-

1659) if you have any questions or to discuss the answers. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Thanks, 

Elizabeth 

 

Elizabeth A. Sabol 

Environmental Engineer 

Eastern Research Group, Inc. 

14555 Avion Parkway, Suite 200 

Chantilly, VA 20151 

elizabeth.sabol@erg.com

Phone:703-633-1659 

From: "Schwartz, Jerry" <Jerry_Schwartz@afandpa.org> 

Sent: 3/3/2011 10:38 AM 

To: Sabol, Elizabeth 

Subject: FW: FW: Request for 2009 DMR Data Clarification 

Elizabeth: Here is a response from Smurfit. Jerry 

___________________________ 

Jerry 

See the response to the questions for the Florence Mill below: 
1. Please confirm the sulfide concentrations and units for 2009 for Outfall 001. 

DMR data and the attached spreadsheet reflects the results accurately. 

 

2. Are any BDL indicators missing? 

There are no missing BDL indicators. 

3. Please confirm an average flow of 13.6 MGD for Outfall 001. 

The annual average flow for Outfall 001 is 13.6 mgd 

4. Does this facility have any permit limits for sulfide? Could you please provide the facility 

permit if available. 

The permit has a monitor and report only for Sulfide. There are no Sulfide numeric limits 

in the permit. A copy of the mill’s NPDES permit is attached.