Emission and odour control in Kraft pulp mills

This paper describes systematic work done in the field of atmospheric emissions from Portuguese Kraft pulp mills, focused mainly on the gaseous emissions responsible for its characteristic odour. These mal-odorous gases, which were identified as hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan, deimethyl mercaptan and dimethyl-disulphide, were experimentally quantified and classified into groups so that alternatives for abatement could be devised. The considered abatement techniques were evaluated economically and it was concluded that the costs to be incurred by pulp mills for an efficient abatement of TRS gases are not dramatic and could be easily covered by this industry, resulting in an evident reduction of an important and noticeable environmental impact.