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and mistakes We have nothing to hide from the regulators, this Committee, or our 

 community. 



History 



Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC) began operations in 1954 producing high quality 

 dissolving pulp using a magnesium bisulfite pulping process that fully recovers cooking 

 liquor chemicals. Most dissolving pulp mills of the era utilized the calcium based bisulfite 

 process which did not allow recovery and reuse of cooking chemicals 



The magnesium base process was chosen to meet the pollution control requirements of 

 KPC's Timber Sale Agreement with the US Forest Service The initial stage of water 

 pollution control at the Ward Cove mill was accomplished through spent cooking liquor 

 capture, evaporation and incineration in specially designed chemical recovery boilers. 



The mill was designed to operate continuously, twenty four hours per day, with 

 shutdowns for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance 



Wood fiber is supplied from logs that are generally unsuitable for lumber production, 

 purchased wood chips and sawmill residues Logs are debarked, chipped and then 

 screened together with purchased chips and sawmill residues. 



Wood chips are cooked under pressure in nine batch digesters using cooking liquor made 

 in the acid plant. Each cook takes about four hours The cooked pulp is then processed 

 in de-knotters and screening systems to remove uncooked chips and knots The pulp fiber 

 is separated from the spent inorganic pulping chemicals and dissolved organic material in a 

 four-stage countercurrent rotary drum vacuum washing system 



Bleaching of the washed and screened pulp is accomplished in six different stages using 

 chlorine, caustic, hypochlorite and sulfurous acid Pulp is to be washed on rotary drum 

 vacuum washers after each stage of bleaching Bleach plant effluent streams that are not 

 recycled are discharged either to a secondary treatment facility or an effluent 

 neutralization system. 



The fully bleached pulp receives final removal of fine dirt in centrifijgal cleaners prior to 

 dewatering and drying on a conventional pulp machine The final product is cut and baled 

 or wound into mini rolls and wrapped for shipment to customers worldwide. 



Collected spent cooking liquor is fed to multiple effect evaporator systems where water is 

 removed to a degree that allows the material to sustain combustion Condensates from 

 the evaporation process are sent to a secondary treatment facility and the concentrated 

 cooking liquor is burned in four chemical recovery boilers 



Combustion of spent cooking liquor results in the generation of energy that is converted to 

 steam, recovery of sulfur dioxide and magnesium oxide Flue gases from the recovery 



