Treatment of Bleachery Effluents from Kraft Mills Pulping Mature Eucalypts

Abstract

This study concentrated on the biological treatment and post-ozonation of mature eucalypt kraft bleachery effluents. The objectives were to optimise reduction of priority pollutants such as AOX, chlorate, high molecular weight chromophores and toxicity while maintaining high COD/BOD removals. Biological treatment was adequately modelled with Monod kinetics, using biodegradable COD. Sludge yields were of the order 0.76 g biomass/g BCOD. Treatment was most effective (70% total COD reduction and 95% BOD5 reduction) with sludge ages over 20 days and F/M ratios 0.2-0.3. Biological treatment did not reduce total AOX nor colour but reduced chlorate by 63% in preliminary trials. A fungal isolate, Aspergillus.p2 reduced colour by 54% when supplemented with glucose. Ozonation as a tertiary treatment reduced AOX by 60% and colour decrease followed first-order kinetics with respect to ozone consumption.