Going Green – The Pulp and Paper Industry

Today in the name of industrialization people are invading into the forest lands. As a result of this the forests are receding throwing to the wind the nature’s ecological balance. Everyone knows that Paper that is made out of pulp comes from wood. Vast areas of forest have been destroyed in the US as the trees were cut for furniture and pulp for paper and other industry using forest produce. It has also been given as one of the reason for the Global warming. The power and recovery boilers of paper mills generate steam to meet all the requirements, the age, technology and emission controls of the boiler will determine the amount of air emissions generated by the mill. The emissions from the pulp mill vary depending on the process (mechanical or chemical) commonly known emissions are Volatile Organic Compunds (VOCs), Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Sulphur Oxides (SOx), Nitogen Oxides (NOx), H2S, Cl2, ClO2, methanol, acrolein, acetaldehyde or formaldehyde.

Many countries are consciously making effort to overcome this man made tragedy. Canada is one of them. Canada has initiated a program entitled ‘The Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. This program provides pulp and paper mills with one-time access to $1 billion to finance capital investments with a difference. This program is aimed at improving the environment and in performance towards energy efficiency, the production of renewable energy from forest biomass and other areas.

Mills that avails loan from this fund are encouraged to take advantage of waste heat, increase the production of steam from wood waste and boost their capacity to generate bio-energy, among other green projects. Similar changes can lead to significant environmental benefits, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy efficiency and reduced industrial odour and noise.

The Green Transformation Program has helped Canada's pulp and paper sector achieve commercial sustenance through support investments in green technologies. Thirty-eight pulp and paper mills in Canada, comprising of 24 companies have generated credits under the PPGTP [2009 production levels].

Companies approved by the Transformation program need to submit project proposals for their facilities to apply the credits to environmental improvement projects. The money provides qualified pulp and paper facilities with the opportunity to invest in equipment that relies less on fossil fuel energy sources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while transforming mills into more efficient producers and suppliers of renewable energy.

Benefits

Canada's pulp and paper industry is worth $30-billion and it contributes to direct employment of almost 75,000. Canada is one of the leading global pulp and paper exporter, where 65 percent of its products are exported around the world.

The PPGTP is also playing a supportive role for the pulp and paper sector in Canada. It lays the benchmark for a greener and competitive industry which has contributed to the growth of a domestic clean energy market. These investments have contributed to the industry’s competitive edge, being a global leader in environmental performance.