Waste treatment and disposal aspects to development of California's pulp and paper resources ... : a cooperative study.

  • California. State Water Quality Control Board.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Waste treatment and disposal aspects to development of California's pulp and paper resources ... : a cooperative study. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The following report has been concerned with sev- eral of the primary problems which will confront an expanding pulp industry in California. Particular emphasis has been placed on the availability of wood fiber, adequacy of water for process uses and waste disposal, and the assimilative capacities of |receiving waters. The report has been prepared with the ex- pectation that it will serve as a useful guide to forest products industries in their plans for development of California’s forest resources. It is hoped also that water pollution control, sanitary, chemical, and hy- draulic engineers will find the content of the following pages valuable in their future considerations of the waste disposal problems of the pulp industry. A summary of the content of this report is as fol- lows: Fiber Resources At present California ranks second among the states in volume of lumber production, third in the volume of soft-plywood production, but twenty-third in in- stalled wood-pulp capacity. In 1952 lumber took 91 percent of the State’s timber cut, plywood 5 percent, and all other products 4 percent. Further significant increases in volume of timber cut in California are not likely. Future expansion of forest industries to contribute to support of the State’s population must come primarily from increased use of present timber cut rather than from additional in- creases in volume of timber cutting. California has 17.3 million acres of commercial for- est land, mostly in Northern California, and includes some 20 percent of the nation’s total volume of saw timber. Annual cut in these forests can be expected to exceed growth for the next few decades because of the necessity for harvesting mature or overmature saw-timber volume to avoid losses from insects and disease and to make room for younger stands. Most of this cut will continue to be used for lumber and veneer with low-quality or low-market-value material available for pulpwood. The principal sources of wood supply for initial expansion of the pulp industry in California will be mill residues from sawmills and plywood plants and residual material left in the woods after logging. In 1952 about 242 million cubic feet of coarse mill resi- dues suitable for pulping were produced at primary forest products plants in California. Since 1952 both the demand for and the supply of coarse residues have increased. Two major pulp mills operating in the State have made increased use of wood chips from mill residues for pulp production. Several sawmills have installed barkers and chippers to supply this limited demand. All of the commercial softwood and several hard- wood species found in California are suitable for pulp- ing by presently used commercial processes. Pulp and Paper Mill Potentialities From the Standpoint of Fiber Resources Groundwood or other mechanical processes are gen- erally promising in application to northern California pulp woods. The pulp produced from such processes is cheap and yields are high. Sulfite and soda processes, on the other hand, do not appear to have much potential for application in California. Both are in a comparatively static posi- tion in the pulp industry. They are most suitable for pulping of woods which do not predominate in Cali- fornia forests. California pulpwoods are more readily pulped by other processes. Sulfate and semi-chemical processes are partic- ularly applicable to California pulpwood. The sulfate, or ‘‘kraft,’’ process is especially versatile, accomo- dating almost any wood. Yields, although lower than groundwood, are comparable to other chemical proc- esses. The average size of established pulp mills in the West is as follows: mechanical—125 tons (per day), semi-chemical—125 tons, and chemical—300 tons. Maximum sizes are: mechanical—400 tons, semi-chem- ical—160 tons, and chemical—700 tons. Considering northern California fiber resources and pulp process characteristics, the minimum plant size for a wood pulp mill would probably range from 50 tons for mechanical and semi-chemical processes to 250 tons for unbleached sulfate pulp. From the viewpoint of fiber resources alone, there is a potential for an increase in pulp production from the present level of 521 tons to a level of approxi- mately 6,000 tons. The sources of raw material and the potential production attributable to each source are estimated as follows: Unused coarse mill residues_______-_____~- 2,160 tons/day Diversion of coarse mill residues now msecdatoni tue). wees eae ee oe BaD aa oe hogging residuet 2a eee ee eee L440R OTe Cutting’ ini timber stands.) 3 i=] _ aes ESCO ere Dota lig eee eee wee ek eee 6,000) tania The extent to which this potential is realized will depend on such factors as water supply, power costs, available sites, waste disposal potential, and detailed market analyses as well as wood supply.