While we discussing the merits or other wise of Dr Raverty it is interesting to read what the CSIRO has to sayt about pulp mill odour

The following is from their Q&A re pulp mills

Q14: What about odour from kraft pulp mills – I’ve heard that kraft mills always smell bad?
A14: Many older kraft mills do smell bad. This is because the process of pulping uses a compound of sulphur, called sodium sulphide. In the process of removing the lignin polymer and retaining the strength of the fibres a small amount of the sulphur is converted into malodorous gases, including hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg gas), methyl mercaptan (smells of rotten cabbage) and dimethyl sulphide (smells of burning rubber).

Collectively these gases are called Total Reduced Sulphur, or TRS. In modern kraft mills, these by-products of pulping are collected in sophisticated pollution control systems and burnt to remove the odour.

The only time that these gases escape to the atmosphere are during periods of process upset. In a mill using Accepted Modern Technology odour should only be detected beyond the mill boundary for 2 – 3 days per year at most, during the time the mill is being started up or being shut down for its annual maintenance program.

The emission limit guidelines for odour established by the Tasmanian Government are the most stringent in the world

The CSIRO has another very interesting answer to a much spruiked alarmist claim about ECF.

Again from their Q&A

Q7: What about the organochlorines produced in ECF and chlorine based bleaching, don’t they persist in the environment and eventually build up to unacceptable levels?
A7: The reason that the older chlorine-based bleaching technology is being phased out is largely due to environmental concerns over the levels of organochlorine by-products (measured using a term “AOX” that stands for absorbable organohalides – halogens are elements in the chlorine chemical group that also includes fluorine, bromine and iodine). In order to remove the organohalides from effluents from older mills, very extensive waste water treatment systems were required and those were very expensive.

It was found that when chlorine was replaced by chlorine dioxide in the bleaching sequence, most of the bleaching was done by the “dioxide” part of the molecule and the levels of AOX dropped by factors of between 10 and 50.

The organochlorines produced by the ECF process have been extensively studied and found to be degraded biologically and by sunlight to carbon dioxide and sodium chloride, so they do not accumulate in the biosphere in the way that certain obsolete chlorine-containing pesticides, such as DDT and chlordane, accumulate

Getting the facts straight eh?

According to Miotti, author of the mill guidelines, the proposal failed to meet 13 of the guidelines and the flaws couldn't be corrected through permit conditions.

In addition, Gunns was 'critically non-compliant' with the RPDC.

There were mistakes of 1390 x magnitude in dioxin calculations.

Bass Strait described in IIS as an 'area with comparitively minimal marine aquatic life' despite that it forms a major fishing ground.

Where has Mr Ashbarry been during all of this?

Alan says “All its needs now is a decision based on science, not politics, and removal of sovereign risk, that is Government risk, before this year’s Federal Election”. I say what’s needed is a good look at the practice.

Lets be blunt, this focus on dioxins is a Furphy. Malcolm won’t find dioxin as there is too much water wasted in the proposed ECF process. What is most at risk is the resource and all that comes right back to the nature the RFA. Both Libs and Labs have a lot of catching up to do on this one.

A premature decision by the current Minister for the Environment and Water resources will be a headache for the incoming government either way. I reckon it would be cheaper for the Australian taxpayer to consider subsidizing 300 ‘new mill jobs’ value adding in a chair factory using only pulpwood after this federal election.

Native forest pulp wood as I know it contains good timber. We once owned a sea side cottage built in the early days with local timber. It was still covered with bull nosed weather boards above the water line that were like the frame as hard as iron. Agriculture had caused increased flooding and sand dune subsidence. I guessed most of it was blue gum by the original wonky timber cut a century before.

Today our leading furniture outlets feature solid dining suites built with the chunky timber left rough for that same stressed look. We can even have a few knots in every board. I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea but we can do more than make paper with every tree growing on the block.

Cropping rates on public and private forest areas for pulpwood consumption after the signing of an RFA aren’t being discussed in the media as they were. The incoming government has a primary responsibility to look at the question of advanced deforestation as we all go down the sustainability path. This cleanest pulp mill in the world could become a white elephant

At least they are not wasting paper...Kevin07!

good god. it's obvious ashbarry is simply a company hack. does anybody honestly believe he's gonna give "the facts"? the notion is laughable.