Effect of Biological Treatment on Pulp Mill Effluent Chemical Characteristics

In the last 20 years, detailed characterizations of pulping and bleaching wastewaters have been performed identifying a large variety of chemical by-products. However, formation in the process does not translate into discharge into the environment. Pulp and paper mills in the US almost uniformly practice biological treatment. Although initially implemented for BOD removal, biological treatment is also responsible for removing or reducing many classes of compounds. This paper will briefly review the literature related to the characterization of process versus biologically treated wastewaters. Data on specific removal efficiencies for these compounds will be summarized and discussed. mechanisms of removal (such as biological degradation or transformation, sorption or volatilization) for selected compounds will be discussed. Examples of mass emission rates for volatiles, resin and fatty ,acids, plant sterols, mono-terpenes (and related compounds), chlorinated and non-chlorinated phenolics and other cellulose degradation products will be presented. Factors influencing the discharge rates such as pulping and bleaching practices, geographical location of the mills and wood species being pulped will be discussed.