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September 12, 2007

Algae bloom forces paper co. to adapt

Katahdin Paper Company's Millinocket mill stopped using phosphoric acid for whitening paper products after the chemical triggered a massive algae bloom along 75 miles of the Penobscot River last month, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Glenn Saucier, spokesman for East Millinocket-based Katahdin Paper, said the company has found a suitable, albeit two times as costly, alternative for whitening the mill's glossy paper products he refers to as "supercalendars," the paper reports.

Previous blooms in the Penobscot River occurred in 2001 and 2004, according to the paper. Saucier said eliminating phosphoric acid should allow the company to meet phosphorus discharge limits set by the DEP, although stopping phosphoric discharge altogether may not be possible because small amounts of the acid are needed in other stages of papermaking.

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