In This Issue• Best Management Practices Cover Page• Digital Cameras Uptime• River of No Return Downtime• Slitter Management Program Up & Running

Copyright 2006 by TAPPI, all rights reserved.

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Volume 2, Issue 5

Best Management Practicesfor Pulp Mills: Part 1 - Why?by Steve Stratton, NCASI

Remember when the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire in1969? This incident and other environmental problems droveCongress to pass the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972, creatingthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and establish-ing a mandate to clean up the nation’s waters.

The Clean Water Act focuses on two goals: eliminat-ing the discharge of pollutants to rivers, streams andlakes, and achieving water quality nationwide thatprotects fish and other wildlife and that is suitablefor swimming and other recreation.

The U.S. pulp and paper industry recognized the need for bettercontrol of environmental emissions as far back as 1943. At thattime senior industry executives created the National Council forStream Improvement. This organization, which is now called theNational Council for Air and Stream Improvement, NCASI, con-tinues to help forest products companies deal with a wide arrayof environmental issues.

”To develop, through research, solutions to the pulpand paper industry’s water pollution problems and tomake them available to members for application toactual mill operations.” [original mission in 1943]

WWhhaatt aarree tthhee wwaasstteewwaatteerr ttrreeaattmmeenntt mmeetthhooddss??Prior to 1950, most mills provided only “primary” settling ofwastewater, designed to remove fiber and other heavy solidsbefore discharge to receiving waters. The CWA effectivelyrequired mills to install “secondary” treatment using biologicalprocess technology that had been used for treating sewage.Secondary biological treatment systems are capable of remov-ing more than 90% of the biodegradable matter in settled waste-waters, and its widespread adoption was a major step towardsmeeting the goals of the CWA.

Most U.S. mills had already installed secondary treatment longbefore 1972, when the CWA came into effect. The vast majorityof mills use one of two basic designs, the activated sludgeprocess or the aerated stabilization basin process. Remarkablyeffective, biological treatment remains the workhorse of theindustry for purifying mill wastewaters.

HHooww ddooeess sseeccoonnddaarryy ttrreeaattmmeenntt wwoorrkk??What happens in secondary treatment? Well, it’s basically afeeding trough for billions of microscopic organisms, mostly bac-teria. They are sometimes referred to as “bugs”, because undera microscope some of the organisms resemble insects. Thebugs use the biodegradable chemical compounds in wastewateras food to obtain energy, and in the process convert those com-pounds to carbon dioxide, water and more bacteria.

It’s a remarkable process, capable of producing a product – finaleffluent – that is of consistently high quality day in and day out.That effluent is important for keeping the fish and other crittersin the river healthy. The bugs need several things in order to dotheir job well.

Bacteria, or “bugs” need the following conditions metto function well as secondary wastewater treatment:a stable and predictable source of food, some addedminerals like nitrogen and phosphorus to build strongbug bones, a source of dissolved oxygen (provided byaerators), a pH in the range of 6 to 9 (slightly acidic toslightly basic), and enough time to digest the food.

Men & Women & Work My wife and I frequently eat breakfast at alocal fast food place. They cook real eggs,crisp real bacon, and have decent coffee -all for less than $7. The overall manager isan experienced young woman and the gen-eral manager who works for her is a man.Most people who meet them assume theman is the boss. I know this because thewoman has told us so. She says that itdoesn't bother her. Perhaps it doesn't.

Our local paper mill has a new mill manager. She's a very niceindividual with excellent managerial talent and has made a goodfirst impression at the mill. I've only met her once, so most of myopinions have come from others. Inside the paper mill, she's easilyrecognized. But outside, since she's new to this area, I'm sure peo-ple would have trouble identifying her as the new mill manager.

So why am I writing about genders in the workplace? I beganwith the thought that women are slowly but surely changing theworking environment. Some folks still have preconceived notionsabout the roles of men and women. But these notions are chang-ing as each generation sees increasing workplace diversity. Ican say this because in every organization in which I'm active,women play a significant leadership role. And each organizationis better because of them.

Think about the gender roles in your organization. How hasdiversity made your operation better? Final food for thought -some organizations used to be all women! Can you think ofsome?

Gene Canavan

Best Mgmt Practices (cont.)

Stratton is the Manager, West Coast Regional Center for NCASI. Hemay be reached at sstratton@ncasi.org

Images courtesy of Stora Enso Corporation and the TAPPI Making Pulp& Paper CD-ROM Series.

SSppiillllss ssppeellll pprroobblleemmss ffoorr tthhee ttrreeaattmmeenntt ppllaannttIf an upset occurs in your millthat results in a loss of pulpingchemicals to the sewer, it cancreate problems at the treat-ment plant. The result can bea final effluent that is not up topar. The major chemicals thatcan cause problems are sulfu-ric acid, caustic, pulpingliquors, turpentine and tall oilsoap. Sulfuric acid can makethe wastewater too acidic,while caustic, green liquor,white liquor, weak wash, andblack liquor have the oppositeeffect and can make thewastewater too basic.

Black liquor, turpentine, and tall oil soap are rich in biodegradablematter, which the bugs can digest if the amounts spilled are nottoo large. Too large a spill can overwhelm the bugs and make

them sick. How much is toomuch? Well, it varies from millto mill. Those responsible foroperating the treatment plant atyour mill probably know howbig a spill has to be before badthings begin to happen.

TThhee CClluusstteerr RRuulleeMost mills have had systems in place to contain and control stockand liquor spills for many years. For the most part spill control hasbeen left up to each mill to decide what makes the most sense.That changed in 1989 when EPA implemented a new regulationknown as the Cluster Rule.

The primary goals of theCluster Rule are:

• the reduction of chlorinatedorganic compounds from pulpbleaching operations.

• the reduction of methanol andother airborne chemicalemissions from pulping andchemical recovery operations.

In addition, the rule also addresses the loss of spent pulpingliquor, tall oil soap and turpentine to the sewer. The Cluster Rulecost the industry more than $1 billion to modify chemical pulpbleach plants, to collect and treat digester and evaporator con-densates, and to implement liquor loss management programs.

In the second and final article in this series, we will discuss theEPA’s Best Management Practices, or BMPs. We’ll also learnwhich mills are required to follow them and how they are imple-mented – the good, the bad and the ugly. FF

UptimeDigital CamerasDigital photographs, with the addi-tion of simple notes, are a very pow-erful planning tool and can savehours of work. Here are a couple ofexamples:

Example 1

In example 1, the work to be done isclearly identified. Additionally, thisserves as a before shot that can beused later when reviewing the work.And creating this combination ofimage, text, and arrows took justabout a minute.

Example 2

In the second example, a laser point-er was used with a digital camera to

show the location of a leak in a pipe 15ft above the floor. Once again, just sec-onds to take the photo and add the text.

Compare the time it takes using a digi-tal camera to pass on detailed informa-tion with the time it takes to makesketches or write detailed descriptions.Then compare the cost of a digital cam-era to the value of your time when plan-ning a job, and its clear that this is atool that no planner should be without.

Inserting a photo into Microsoft Word

MMaakkiinngg iitt HHaappppeennSo how do you do this in the realworld? Well, we used Microsoft Wordin these examples. We copied the digi-tal photo we took to our computer’shard drive in the My Documents folder.Then we opened a blank document inWord. To add the photo, we clicked onInsert, then clicked on Picture, then

Famous Quotes“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.”–Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology atToulouse, 1872

“Airplanes are interesting toys but of nomilitary value.” –Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor ofStrategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre

clicked on From File… We browsedour hard drive to find the MyDocuments folder, selected thephoto, and then clicked on Insert.Voila – the image appeared in ourdocument!

With the image now in the document,it was time to add some text descrip-tions and arrows. That was doneusing the Drawing toolbar in Word.We clicked on the Text button, posi-tioned the label and entered the

label. Similarly, clicking onthe Arrow button allowedus to position and stretchan arrow to point from thetext to the appropriatepoint on the photo.

Try it – you’ll find it’s a pow-erful method of getting yourmessage across in a quickand easy fashion! FF

Many thanks to IDCON Inc.,www.idcon.com, for permissionto reprint this Reliability Tip.

It’s easy to add arrows and text using theDrawing toolbar in Microsoft Word.

"As an integral part of (npt)2’s activities and results, the National Network is developing

national skill standards for plant operation in the U.S. Pulp & Paper Industry."

www.npt2.net

Operational concerns such as dusting,fuzzy edges, intermittent cuts and woundroll defects are just a few of the commonheadaches winder operators are con-fronted with. As a winder manufacturer,Metso fully understands the entire slit-ting process. With Metso Paper’s SlitterManagement Program, SMP, winderoperators are provided the necessarytools and training to minimize theseissues and produce a better product.

Valmet and Valley Grinding invented theSlitter Management Program over adecade ago. It is a single-source com-prehensive program that empowersoperators to take control of the slittingprocess. SMP achieves continuousimprovement of your slitting process.Simply put – we bring best practices toyour winder.

SMP helps you to regulate your slittingprocess to improve cut quality andreduce maintenance costs. SMP doesthis by providing the training andresources you need, right at yourwinder. We help you manage the criticalfactors that affect slitting: slitter equip-ment condition, blade and band quality,regrinding quality (superfinishing), andoperator skill and knowledge. With con-trol of each of these factors, productivityand quality are increased, while down-time and costs are decreased. SMPworks with you to eliminate existingproblems and avoid future problems.

There are several key elements to SMP.For example, with SMP’s BladePool pro-gram, a constant inventory of blades ismaintained at your mill site. Let’s look ata few other elements of SMP – exchangeunits, superfinishing and general slittersection safety.

EEXXCCHHAANNGGEE UUNNIITTSSFor the best possible rollquality, all of the factorsin the slitting processhave to function properly.Dusting and ragged rolledges are usuallycaused by poor condition

of the slitting equipment. The MetsoSMP slitter holder and carriageexchange system involves a trade-inunit, sent to Metso Paper, for anexchange unit from our stock. Exchangeunits are rebuilt to the same condition asa new drop-in unit and upgraded to thelatest design.

All rebuilt holders are completelyassembled with their new replacementparts. Critical tolerances as well as spe-cific operational aspects are thoroughlychecked at a slitter station test standbefore each unit is accepted for serviceas an exchange unit and receives itsOEM certification and full mechanicalguarantee. Critical tolerance and opera-tional checks include sequence and sideload pressure testing and shear angleverification to acceptable tolerances

SSUUPPEERRFFIINNIISSHHIINNGGThe process used to grindblades heavily influencesblade life and cut quality.In most grinding applica-tions, a tub-type plungegrinder is used to removestock from the dull blade.When the blade is ground to the correctdiameter, a substantial burr still remainsand the grinder operator hand hones theburr off the edge of the blade. Becausethe grinder operator must chase the burrfrom side to side around the circumfer-ence of the blade to remove it, frequent-ly the tip is rounded off before the bladeis even run on the machine.

SMP uses the superfin-ishing process for sharp-ening slitter blades andbands. This produces thecleanest, sharpest cuttingedge possible. First, wornstock is removed with a traverse-typegrinder for a better finish. The bladethen goes to the superfinisher where theburr is mechanically removed and theedge is polished. This process results ina highly polished cutting surface with arazor-sharp blade edge.

BBEE SSAAFFEE IINN TTHHEE SSLLIITTTTEERR SSEECCTTIIOONNMost accidents occur when people arein a hurry and not thinking about whatthey are doing. The most important thingyou can do to protect yourself is to slowdown and use extreme caution. Safety ismostly common sense. Stay alert. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOINGAT ALL TIMES.

• Understand the operation of the equipment.• Always use the proper tool for the job.• Always disable all equipment.• Changing slitters is a ONE-person job.• Never throw blades or bands.• Always lay blades and bands on the floor.

Don’t prop them up on a ledge where theycan fall and cut someone.

• Never run your finger over the edge of aslitter blade or band.

• Always be certain that the top blade is out ofthe way before changing the bottom band.

• Never try to catch a falling blade or stop aspinning blade with your hand.

• Watch for carbide separation on bottomcarbide bands.

WWHHAATT CCAANN YYOOUU EEXXPPEECCTT FFRROOMM SSMMPP??Use of the Slitter Management Programconsiderably reduces maintenance costsof the winder, extending slitter blade lifeand blade change intervals, thus improvingslitting performance. Predictive mainte-nance and continuous development provided by Metso Paper’s SlitterManagement Program will help you main-tain and improve your customer roll qual-ity. Check out www.metsopaper.com/smpfor slitting tips! FF

Slitter Management Program

… for improved productivity and customer roll quality

Hand honed

Superfinished

Day 2 is filled with more challenges and more class III & IVrapids. The weather is cold and even in our wet suits, the energy level is low. That is… until a midday stop at SunflowerFlat where we revive with the 100°F water from a steaming hotspring coming out of a rock forma-tion. That’s the beauty of this river,numerous hot springs to stop atalong the way and warm up. Thechallenge of the day is Pistol CreekRapids (Class IV) and we getthrough unscathed to campsite 2.

As we descend on day 3, the watervolume increases, and so do therapids. A light snow falls as wearrive at campsite 3, Cow Creek. When we awake on day 4, thereis new snow on the ground about 300 ft above our campsite. Canit get colder? This is NOT the rafting you see in the brochures. Astop at the Flying B Ranch for hot drinks and lunch gets usthrough the day. Tappan Falls is a series of class III/IV rapids allwithin one river mile. Our final campsite is Elk Bar. As we arrive, the sun breaks through, and we feast on horsd’oeuvres, drinks, cigars and BBQ Pork loin. What appetites!

On the last day, there is still plenty of danger ahead. Our leadboat, a “cataraft”, surfs the face of a wave on a rapid calledRinky Dink. Redside, Weber, Cliffside and Rubber all show usclass IV fun. Devil’s Tooth and House Rocks finish up this tough-est (and most satisfying) day of whitewater.

As the Middle Fork flows into the main Salmon River, the canyonwidens and the geology is even more spellbinding. How earlyexplorers crossed these areas without the aid of waterproofgear, gortex and the knowledge that a vehicle awaits is proof of

their spirit and toughness. We share thatsense of accomplishment, and the bondswe’ve made will last a lifetime. FF

Downtime

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at 770 209-7364; lfeix@tappi.org

The “River of No Return” by Pat Ortiz, Longview Fibre

For whitewater enthusiasts, the Middle Fork of the Salmon Riveris high on the list of rivers to run. It’s a challenging river and grouppermits are hard to get. This is a river for expert oarsmen.

My group of rafting members has made annual rafting trips in theNorthwest since the late 1980s. We’ve entered the Salmon Riverpermit lottery for the last 10 years, and in 2005 we got our chanceto challenge our boating skills. Once a permit is granted, monthsof planning are necessary, including the logistics of getting 11people together, traveling hundreds of miles, and camping for 6days. Talk about anticipation!

We arrive from Oregon, Washington and Idaho to launch the raftsat Boundary Creek, near Stanley, Idaho. On the way we see elk inthe “Big Country” while driving narrow, bumpy roads. At 6500 feetof elevation the put-in on June 4th, sends shivers down the spine.The river drops nearly 3000 feet in 100 miles, with over 100 namedand classified rapids. Rapids are classified on a scale of I to VI,with V being dangerous to life and boat and VI being a definitehazard to life. The rapids are named for various misadventures or historical reasons.

On put-in day, 11people team to ropethe boats to riverlevel. We choose ouron-the-river campsitesand are briefed onriver etiquette by Ranger “Sherry”.After shoving offwe’re immediately infast moving water.Boat captains getreacquainted withworking the river just in time to meet our first big challenge -Velvet Falls, a class IV. This rapids is a drop and reversal, and aflip is a near certainty! The river gods smile upon us and wedodge catastrophe when one boat runs the falls sideways. Wemake it to campsite 1 at Fire Island with everyone upright andhappy.

SSMMPP -- tthhee ttoooollss yyoouu nneeeeddThe Slitter Management Program, invented by Valmetand Valley Grinding over a decade ago, brings slittingbest practices to your winder. SMP provides the training and resources you need to improve customerroll quality and productivity at your winder. SMP manages the factors affecting slitting performance,including: equipment condition and setup, blade andband quality and sharpness, and your skill level.

BBllaaddeePPoooollWith BladePool, Metso SMP provides you a continualsupply of sharp, high quality slitter blades. Regardlessof how frequently you use your blades, what gradesyou run, or number of positions used - your inventorywill always remain at a sufficient level to guarantee aprime quality end product.

EExxcchhaannggee UUnniittssMetso offers exchange units from stock for the current version KL1000 slitter holder and carriage andBeloit holder. We also rebuild older version KL1000carriages as well as Valmet KL200 and Jagenberg slit-ter holders. Exchange units are rebuilt to the samecondition as a new drop-in unit and and receive ourOEM certification and full mechanical guarantee.

Visit www.metsopaper.com/smp today and learnmore about how Metso can help you maximize yourslitting process!

Slitter Management Program…to improve productivity

and customer roll quality

Slitter Management Program…to improve productivity

and customer roll quality

Training

ExchangeExchange

Training