Industriella utsläpp till Östersjön: En kartläggning av utsläpp och effekter från pappers- och massaindustrin

Sammanfattning

Manufacturing of paper and pulp has been an economically important industry in Sweden since the beginning of the 20th century, however it has historically contributed to large amounts of pollution, something legislators have tried to mitigate through both national and European legislation. This report focuses on two main types of pollution, brown water and fibers. Brown water is the result of high levels of chromophoric dissolved organic matter, CDOM, in which lignin is the main contributor in wastewater originating from pulp and paper mills. Large effluents of brown water can contribute to brownification of the coastal waters and lead to reduction of water transparency as well as lower primary production due to less solar radiation deeper down in the water column. Suspended solids in wastewater is caused by loss of cellulose fiber in pulp production. Sedimentation of fibers can lead to the formation of fiber banks and fibrous sediments, both of which have several environmentally hazardous properties. The purpose of this report is to map and assess the main types of emissions from pulp and paper mills today as well as how the emissions have changed since the 1980s. To answer the research questions a literary review has been conducted in which emission statistics from two time periods of five years each has been analysed. In addition to this GIS has been used to analyse secchi depth and energy levels in the Baltic Sea. The results indicate a correlation between the secchi depth in coastal waters and proximity to pulp and paper mills, likely adhering to emissions of brown water with higher concentration of CDOM. Furthermore the results indicate a correlation between primary type of emission and manufacturing process. It is concluded that pulp and paper mills still have a large impact on coastal waters and seafloor conditions in nearby areas despite extensive reduction in emissions since the 1980s.