Six Steps to Developing a Best Management Practices (BMP) Plan for Spent Liquor Management, 1999 Pulping Conference Proceedings

Kirsten Vice & Paul Stuart

Simons International Corp.

Tony Johnson

Beca Simons Ltd.

Teri Ard

Weyerhaeuser Co.

In 1999, a majority of the bleached papergrade kraft and papergrade sulfite mills in the US began implementing Best Management Practices (BMP) for spent liquor loss control, as part of meeting their effluent limitations under the USEPA Cluster Rule [1]. The unique “regulated due diligence” aspects of the BMP requirement have led mills to examine their spill collection strategy in the context of the BMP Plan, in terms of issues ranging from exposure to legal and local community concerns, through to process analysis and the mill capability for collecting and managing spent liquor.

At the end of the process, mills are developing plans which are rational, implemented in a practical manner, and can even result in operating efficiencies. Lessons learned in developing BMP spill control programs are discussed in this paper, highlighting elements of effective spill control program design.

The foundation of an effective spent liquor loss control program is the “Engineering Analysis”. It is through a structured Engineering Analysis that a mill can effectively establish a basis for cost-effectively recovering liquor while at the same time minimizing potential environmental exposure.

This paper summarizes a detailed approach on assembling BMP Plans, which is to be published as part of the third edition of Industrial Environmental Control – Pulp and Paper Industry [2].