June 2004

Paper Mill Takes Steps to Ensure Environmental Improvements

Concord, NH— The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) joined state officials and representatives of Nexfor Fraser Papers in Berlin to announce the completion of several important pollution prevention projects at the Nexfor Fraser Papers Berlin-Gorham Mills. These projects improve the economic viability of mill operations and bring the mills into compliance with state and federal air pollution regulations.

Fulfilling an agreement reached with DES and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the 2002 purchase of the Berlin-Gorham mills, Nexfor has put systems in place to significantly reduce air emissions from the pulp mill operations. A key component of the environmental improvements is a new boiler at the Berlin facility that replaces two more polluting, less efficient boilers.

“This new boiler has state-of-the-art pollution controls and is the cleanest oil-fired boiler in the region,” noted Robert Scott, DES Air Director, at a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the Berlin mill.

“The controls will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by over 85 percent, and particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions by over 80 percent. The boiler will also destroy 1,560 tons per year of methanol being removed from the pulping and chemical recovery processes. Methanol is a hazardous air pollutant which is regulated under federal and state toxic air pollutant programs.”

The new boiler will work in conjunction with a foul condensate collection system and new steam stripper. In addition to removing the methanol, the new steam stripper will remove 98 percent of the total reduced sulfur compounds from the pulping processes and send it to the boiler for destruction, reducing odors at the Berlin Pulp Mill.

The boiler is connected to a new 25-megawatt steam driven turbine generator, which allows the facility to generate its own power and send excess power to the New Hampshire electric grid, saving overall energy costs.