HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 11/3

Adopted 15 February 1990, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention

 

RESTRICTION OF DISCHARGES FROM THE SULPHITE PULP INDUSTRY

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING that according to Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention) the Contracting Parties shall take all appropriate measures to control and strictly limit pollution by noxious substances,

 

RECALLING ALSO that Annex II of the Helsinki Convention defines lignin substances contained in industrial waste waters as noxious substances for the purposes of Article 6 of the Convention, and that Annex III of the Convention defines organic substances and nutrients as substances to be controlled to minimize land-based pollution of the marine environment,

 

RECALLING ALSO that the Ministerial Declaration at the ninth Meeting of the Helsinki Commission calls for a reduction of persistent organic substances and of nutrients for example in the order of 50%,

 

RECOGNIZING FURTHER that the sulphite pulp mills are responsible for an important part of the discharges from the pulp and paper industry into the Baltic Sea,

 

DESIRING to limit the discharges from this industry with best available technology, *) 

 

RECOMMENDS that the Governments of the Contracting Parties as a first step take measures so that the specific loading from each Contracting Party's production of sulphite pulp and of neutral sulphite semi-chemical pulp (NSSC) within the catchment area of the Baltic Sea shall

 

a) from January 1, 1995 not exceed the following annual mean values in kg/tADP (Air Dry Pulp) for

  

  1) sulphite pulp

	UNBLEACHED	BLEACHED
COD	90	150
tot-P	0.08	0.1
AOX	no value	2-3
BOD	15	20

  2) NSSC

	fresh process water	salt process water
COD	30	200
tot-P	0.05	0.15
BOD	6	15

 

b)  from January 1, 2000 not exceed the following annual mean values in kg/tADP  for sulphite pulp

	UNBLEACHED	BLEACHED
COD	50	100
tot-P	0.05	0.08
AOX	no value	1
BOD	10	15

The method of analysis for AOX should be SCAN-W 9:89 or DIN 38 409, part 14. For the analysis of COD the dichromate method should be used. For the analysis of tot-P SFS 3026 or similar methods should be used. When analysing BOD₅ ATU should be used. All analyses should be made on unsettled samples,

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the method of analysis for tot-N be agreed upon so that maximum average loads of tot-N from the production of sulphite pulp and NSSC can be considered and agreed upon within three years,

 

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the Contracting Parties re-evaluate before the Commission meeting in 1994 the emission limit values of the present Recommendation and reconsider them, e.g. on a "plant by plant" basis,

 

RECOMMENDS ALSO that the Contracting Parties report to the Commission every three years starting in 1997.

 

*)         The term "best available technology" is understood to take into consideration technical and economic feasibility.