It is our ambition that our environmental care is world class. By continuously improving and developing our manufacturing processes, we seek to minimize emissions into the air and water.
Environmental actions, not just talk!
In recent years, Östrand’s pulp mill has made a number of major investments that represent significant environmental improvements.
Wastewater-treatment plant, Multibio
In 2004, the most modern wastewater-treatment plant in the world was inaugurated. Wastewater treatment comprises various bacteria that consume effluents like a natural ecosystem and is divided into several steps. The purpose is to dramatically reduce emissions of oxygen-consuming substances (COD) into wastewater. Emissions have been reduced by 30 percent, but in combination with process sealing and wastewater treatment, emissions have already been reduced by 80 percent since the 1980s.
The wastewater-treatment plant has a number of advantages compared with traditional plants. Principally, the reduction of effluents is high in relation to the volume. The plant is also energy efficient and has high accessibility.
In 2006 a chemical and biological characterisation was carried out on the effluent water. The purpose was to scientifically show the positive effects of the last ten years of environmental measures. The results proved to be the best for forest industrial effluent water that have ever been measured at the Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
Timber train instead of truck
A new railway track to the pulp mill enables timber transportation by rail directly to the mill. This logistic solution for incoming wood supply saves emissions from 50 trucks/day.
Great environmental benefits with soda recovery boiler
The soda recovery boiler and turbine increases energy efficiency and produces the mill's need for electrical energy. The production capacity from our black liquor and other biofuels are 0,5 TWh green electricity.
This also means that fossile CO2 –emissions from other electrical energy sources are reduced by some 180 000 tonnes yearly.
Other effects are significantly lower air emissions and a radical reduction of the harmless, but unpleasant, odours in the mill’s surroundings.
Windpowered industries at SCA
SCA and Statkraft in major wind power venture.
SCA and Statkraft, a Norwegian energy company, have signed a long-term agreement on supply of electricity and are to form a jointly owned company for a major investment in wind power in northern Sweden. The plans involve production of 2,400 GWh of wind power electricity per year in six wind farms, which will reduce CO2-emissions by some 1 000 000 tonnes annually.
For more information and to check the ongoing project work follow the link to the right.