Airborne Investigations of Aerosol Particles from a Paper Mill

This paper is directed to individuals concerned with the effects on the atmosphere of the effluents from a paper mill. Results are presented of airborne measurements made in the plume of a Kraft process paper mill and in nearby air unaffected by the mill. Aerosol particle measurements were made using a new airborne particle sampling system which integrates the data from five instruments. Particles with equivalent diameters from 0.002 to 90 µm were measured with this facility. The concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN, aerosol particles which lead to the formation of cloud droplets) were also measured. The aerosol particle measurements show that the effluent 7 km from the paper mill investigated contains significantly higher concentrations of particles with diameters greater than 0.08 µm than nearby air unaffected by the effluent. The effluent was found to contain lower concentrations of particles smaller than 0.08 µm than nearby air, indicating that enhanced coagulation of particles may be occu...