The effect of solids on the electrochemical treatment of olive mill effluents

The electrochemical oxidation of an olive mill effluent over Ti–Pt anodes was studied. The effluent had an average total chemical oxygen demand (COD) value of 234 g L^?1, soluble COD of 61 g L^?1, soluble phenolic content 3.4 g L^?1, total solids of 80 g L^?1 and pH = 5.1. Experiments were conducted in a 10 L vessel with the effluent recirculating at 1 L s^?1. The applied current was varied between 5 and 20 A, the salinity between 1 and 4% NaCl, and experiments were performed with the effluent diluted with water to achieve the desired initial concentration. Emphasis was given to the effect of the presence of solids as well as of varying operating conditions on process performance as assessed in terms of COD, color and phenols removal. In general, degradation of phenols occurred relatively fast with conversion increasing with increasing applied current and decreasing initial organic loading and this was accompanied by low COD removal levels and moderate decolorization. The presence of solids had practically no effect on phenols removal, which, in most cases, was complete in less than about 180 min of reaction. However, oxidation in the presence of solids resulted in a substantial solid fraction being dissolved and this consequently increased sample color and the soluble COD content. The solid content typically found in olive mill effluents may partially impede its treatment by electrochemical oxidation, thus requiring more severe operating conditions and greater energy consumption. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of Ozonation and Biotreatment for Forest Industry Wastewater

This research is focused on the integrated process for the treatment of bleached Kraft pulp mill effluents. Pre-ozonation of softwood and hardwood combined bleaching effluents at alkaline pH resulted in 50 and 44% COD abatement, respectively. Segregation of highly polluted streams of bleaching process can be recommended to reduce the cost of treatment since the COD removal yield of CEH effluents was higher than combined bleaching effluents. Moreover, biodegradability of CEH effluents in terms of BOD₅/COD ratio was increased from 0.16 to 0.32. Noticeable color removal was achieved by pre-ozonation of the CEH stage and combined bleaching effluents. Pre-ozonation enhanced the performance of subsequent algal treatment in the sequential batch reactor (SBR) and activated sludge treatment. Algae have a higher ability to degrade AOX producing compounds together with a high COD removal rate. Although pre-ozonation increased the abatement rate of COD of SBR, the AOX removal rate remained constant as 87%.     

Strategies to reduce the brightness reversion of industrial ECF bleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp

BACKGROUND: Brightness stability is a key property of bleached chemical pulps and is primarily determined by wood species and bleaching process conditions. Eucalyptus globulus is becoming a very important raw material for hardwood pulp production. In spite of this importance, there is a relative lack of systematic studies in the literature dealing with the subject. This research aims to study the effect of some of the foremost bleaching parameters of a DEDD bleaching sequence as well as the effect of a final P stage (DEDP instead of DEDD) in the brightness stability of bleached E. globulus kraft pulps. RESULTS: The increase of the D₀ stage temperature from 55 °C to 90 °C caused an increase in brightness stability. Increasing the ClO₂ charges from 2.8% to 3.2% also improved significantly the brightness stability. A high H₂SO₄ charge in the D₀ stage (10 kg tonne^?1 pulp) diminished the brightness stability. The combination of H₂O₂ addition to the E stage and ClO₂ reduction in the two final D stages does not affect brightness reversion. Raising the D₂ stage temperature from 65 °C to 82 °C decreased the brightness reversion, while an increase was obtained when the temperature rose above 82 °C. Substitution of the last ClO₂ stage in the DEDD sequence by a H₂O₂ stage (DEDP) significantly reduced the brightness reversion. CONCLUSION: For an existing pulp mill in which the implementation of new technologies to improve brightness reversion is considered, the results obtained showed that brightness stability can be improved without any significant capital investment. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of xylanase on ozone bleaching kinetics and properties of Eucalyptus kraft pulp

Environmental pressure has led the pulp and paper industry to develop new technologies in order to reduce or suppress the presence of various pollutants in effluents from bleaching plants. One of the choices for this purpose is enzyme‐based biotechnology. This study deals with the effect of using a xylanase‐based enzymatic pretreatment, in a TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) sequence, on the properties of the resulting paper pulps. The hexenuronic acid content in the pulp and the physical properties of the paper were also studied. The performance of the xylanase was analysed through kinetic studies on ozone bleaching. The enzymatic pretreatment results in easier bleaching and delignification of the pulp, causing a bleach‐boosting effect. The decreased consumption of reagent is related to a decreased content of hexenuronic groups. The physical properties of the treated pulp are similar to those of untreated pulps. Cellulose degradation, delignification and chromophores' removal show first‐order kinetics. Enzyme pretreatment leads to differences between the kinetic constants of cellulose degradation and chromophores' removal, due to an increased accessibility to bleaching agents. The xylanase treatment leads to a lower floor kappa number (IK_∞) during the ozone stage. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of organic contaminants in paper pulp effluents by AOPs: an economic study

The degradation of the organic content of a bleaching Kraft mill effluent was carried out using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). The study was focused on the identification of the AOP, or combination of AOPs, that showed the highest efficiency together with the lowest cost. Direct UV photolysis (UV), TiO₂ assisted‐photocatalysis (TiO₂/UV), Fenton, Fenton‐like, and photo‐Fenton reactions (Fe(II)/H₂O/UV), UV‐assisted ozonation (O₃/UV) and addition of Fe²⁺ and/or H₂O₂ to the TiO₂/UV and the O₃/UV systems, were used for the degradation of a conventional cellulose bleaching effluent. The effluent was characterized by the general parameters TOC, COD and color, and analyzed for chlorinated low molecular weight compounds using GC–MS. The costs of the systems per unit of TOC reduction were compared. Fenton, Fenton‐like and photo‐Fenton reactions achieved better levels of TOC degradation than photocatalysis and with lower cost's than photocatalytic treatments. Ozonation is an effective but rather expensive process. The use of UVA light, however, increased the effectiveness of ozonation with a significant decrease (>25%) in the operational cost. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

A new electrochemical technique for bleaching cellulose pulp

A study of electrochemical bleaching of cellulose pulp was carried out in an electrolyte cell composed of a horizontal graphite anode and a parallel stainless screen steel cathode, using NaCl as electrolyte. Variables studied were: current density, sodium chloride concentration, pulp concentration, pH and temperature. The rate of bleaching was found to increase with increasing current density, salt concentration and temperature. The rate of bleaching was found to decrease with increasing pH and pulp concentration. Energy consumption ranged from 0.1 kWh kg^?1 (pulp) to 1.75 kWh kg^?1 (pulp), depending on current density and degree of bleaching. The quality of electrochemically bleached pulp was found to compare favourably with that of chemically bleached pulp.     

Two step sequential treatment of pulp and paper mill effluent by Cryptococcus albidus and Emericella nidulans var. nidulans in 2L bioreactor

A number of studies had shown biological treatment of pulp and paper mill effluent. However, almost all the studies have focused on reduction in physical and chemical parameters. Toxicity analysis, though very important, has been neglected. Thus in this study genotoxicity along with colour and lignin content were studied. Treatment of effluent, generated at the pulping stage in pulp and a paper mill, was done using two fungal strains, Cryptococcus albidus and Emericella nidulans var. nidulans, in sequential manner in 2 L bioreactor. Two different treatments were given. In treatment (I) effluent was first treated by C. albidus (stage A) and this treated effluent was further treated by E. nidulans var. nidulans (stage B). In treatment (II) effluent was first treated by E. nidulans var. nidulans (stage C) and this treated effluent was further treated by C. albidus (stage D). Treatment (I) was more efficient than treatment (II) with 71%, 51%, 44% and 70% reduction in colour, lignin, COD and genotoxicity, respectively. Class distribution of comets also showed that treatment (I) was more efficient than treatment (II). Colour content showed very good correlation (r² = 0.99) with effluent toxicity. The effluent treatment process (I) can be scaled up for industrial use. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

BDD anodic oxidation as tertiary wastewater treatment for the removal of emerging micro‐pollutants,pathogens and organic matter

This work reports for the first time the removal of 17α‐ethynylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic estrogen hormone, from secondary treated effluents by electrochemical oxidation. Experiments were conducted in a single compartment reactor comprising a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) anode and a zirconium cathode. EE2, in the range 100–800 µg L^?1, was spiked in the post‐chlorination effluent of a municipal treatment plant and oxidized at 0.9–2.6 mA cm^?2 current density. Complete degradation of 100 µg L^?1 EE2 was achieved in 7 min at 2.1 mA cm^?2 and inherent conditions, while the addition of 0.1 mol L^?1 NaCl achieved removal in just a few seconds. The process was then tested in the pre‐chlorination effluent at 2.1 mA cm^?2 and inherent conditions; complete E. coli killing and EE2 removal occurred in just 1.5 and 3.5 min, respectively, while overall estrogenicity (assessed by the YES assay) and residual organic matter (in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD)) decreased by 50% and 85% after 30 min, respectively. These results clearly show the potential of BBD electrochemical oxidation to serve as an efficient tertiary wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Investigation of soluble microbial products in anaerobic wastewater treatment effluents

BACKGROUND: Anaerobic treatment of distillery wastewater, purified terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater and synthetic glucose wastewater was conducted and the soluble microbial products (SMPs) in the anaerobic effluent were investigated. RESULTS: Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analysis showed that apart from the degradation residuals, the long chain alkanes, esters and acids totally accounted for the majority of the low molecular weight (MW) SMPs in the effluents. The sum of protein and polysaccharide SMPs in the effluent increased from 50 to 323 mg L^?1 when organic loading rate (OLR) was increased from 2.5 to 10.5 kg m^?3 d^?1; when influent COD changed from 5000 to 10 000 mg L^?1, the sum increased from 54 to 98 mg L^?1 at about the same OLR of 5 kg m^?3 d^?1. CONCLUSION: The results showed that SMPs made up an important proportion of organic compounds in the anaerobic effluents; the main low MW SMPs were long chain alkanes, esters and acids. The protein and polysaccharide SMPs increased with the increasing OLR, while higher influent concentrations led to higher concentrations of SMPs at the same OLR. From the variation of protein and polysaccharide SMPs along the height of the anaerobic reactors, it could be inferred that the methanogens might have contributed more in SMP consumption. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nanofiltration of Bleaching Pulp and Paper Effluents in Tubular Polymeric Membranes

Abstract

A systematic investigation of the nanofiltration (NF) of alkaline bleaching effluent (E₁) from the pulp and paper industry is carried out through a first assessment of NF of model systems, namely, solutions of salts—NaCl and Na₂SO₄—and organic solutes—glucose, saccharose, and raffinose—which develop membrane–solute(s) interactions similar to those developed by the bleaching effluent. The ampholytic polymer of the membrane active layer, under controlled feed conditions, develops a surface charge distribution which determines the membrane performance. The verification of the effects of the anion valence and the feed concentration on the salts rejections, in accordance with the Donnan exclusion principle, is an important feature of this work. For the bleaching effluent, the NF performance is strongly dependent on the pH due to the influence of this parameter on the membrane surface charge. The contribution of this work toward the optimization of the NF operating conditions would allow for future scale-up of this separation process for E₁ effluent purification and water recovery in the pulp and paper industry.     

Treatment of paper and pulp wastewater and removal of odorous compounds by a Fenton‐like process at the pilot scale

A Fenton‐like process, involving oxidation and coagulation, was evaluated for the removal of odorous compounds and treatment of a pulp and paper wastewater. The main parameters that govern the complex reactive system [pH and Fe(III) and hydrogen peroxide concentrations] were studied. Concentrations of Fe(III) between 100 and 1000 mg L^?1 and of H₂O₂ between 0 and 2000 mg L^?1 were chosen. The main mechanism for color removal was coagulation. The maximum COD, color and aromatic compound removals were 75, 98 and 95%, respectively, under optimal operating conditions ([Fe(III)] = 400 mg L^?1; [H₂O₂] = 500–1000 mg L^?1; pH = 2.5; followed by coagulation at pH 5.0). The biodegradability of the wastewater treated increased from 0.4 to 0.7 under optimal conditions and no residual hydrogen peroxide was found after treatment. However, partially or non‐oxidized compounds present in the treated wastewater presented higher acute toxicity to Artemia salina than the untreated wastewater. Based on the optimum conditions, pilot‐scale experiments were conducted and revealed a high efficiency in relation to the mineralization of organic compounds. Terpenes [(1S)‐α‐pinene, β‐pinene, (1R)‐α‐pinene and limonene] were identified in the wastewater and were completely eliminated by the Fenton‐like treatment. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Remediation of Kraft Effluent by Ozonation: Effect of Applied Ozone Concentration and Initial pH

In this study, the impact of ozone concentration (14 and 7mg/L^?1 applied for 120min) and pH (10 and 12) on color removal, and reduction of dissolved organic matter (DOC) and total phenol of Kraft E₁ effluent was investigated. The degradation kinetics for the all parameters at pH 12 were slower than of those at pH 10. The degradation at pH 10 ceased after approximately 120min, while for the ozonation at pH 12, ozone was still being consumed even after 5h of treatment. When the ozone dose was increased, the removal efficiency increased; however, the DOC removal efficiency continued limited.     

Performance of the hydrolyzation film bed and biological aerated filter (HFB–BAF) combined system for the treatment of low‐concentration domestic sewage in south China

The performance of the hydrolyzation film bed and biological aerated filter (HFB–BAF) combined system in pilot scale (with a daily treatment quantity of 600–1300 m³ d^?1), operated for 234 days, for low‐strength domestic sewage was assessed using different amounts of aeration, reflux ratios and hydraulic loading rates (HLR). In steady state it was found that the average removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand at 5 days (BOD₅) were 82.0% and 82.2% and the average effluent concentrations were 15.8 mg L^?1 and 9.4 mg L^?1 respectively as the HFB was running at an HLR of 1.25–1.77 m³ m^?2 h^?1 and the BAF was running at an HLR of 1.56–2.21 m³ m^?2 h^?1. In general, the removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) fluctuated with the HLR, gas–water ratio and reflux ratio, so the ratio of gas to water should be controlled from 2:1 to 3:1 and the reflux ratio should be as high as possible. The effluent concentration of TN was 10.4 mg L^?1 and the TN removal averaged 34.3% when the gas–water ratio was greater than 3:1 and the reflux ratio was 0.5. The effluent concentration and removal efficiency of NH₄⁺‐N averaged respectively 2.3 mg L^?1 and 78.5%. The overall reduction of total phosphorus (TP) was 30% and the average effluent concentration was 0.95 mg L^?1. The removal efficiency of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) reached 83.8% and the average effluent concentration was almost 0.9 mg L^?1. The effluent concentration and removal efficiency of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were 0.0654 µ g L^?1 and 37.05% respectively when the influent concentration was 0.1039 µ g L^?1. The excess sludge containing water (volume 15 m³) was discharged once every 3 months. The power consumption of aeration was 0.06–0.09 kWh of sewage treated. The results show that the HFB–BAF combined technology is suitable for the treatment of low‐concentration municipal sewage in south China. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Strategies to optimize phosphate removal from industrial anaerobic effluents by magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) production

BACKGROUND: Owing to more stringent phosphate discharge requirements and the increasing prices of fertilizers, beneficial recovery and reuse of phosphate from industrial anaerobic effluents is becoming an important issue. Phosphate recovery by struvite or magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) permits its recycling in the fertilizer industry because struvite is a valuable slow release fertilizer. Two different approaches to MAP crystallization depending on initial levels of phosphate in the wastewaters were tested and compared. RESULTS: For low‐phosphate‐containing anaerobic effluents (<30 mg PO₄^3?‐P L^?1), a novel approach using ureolytic induced MAP formation with MgO addition appeared to be suitable. The residual phosphate concentrations in the effluent ranged from 5 to 7 mg PO₄^3?‐P L^?1 and the separated matter contained residual amounts of Mg(OH)₂. High‐phosphate‐containing anaerobic effluents (100 to 120 mg PO₄^3?‐P L^?1) were treated efficiently using air stripping combined with MgCl₂ and NaOH reagents, yielding residual phosphate levels of 8 to 15 mg PO₄^3?‐P L^?1 and spherical pure MAP crystals of 0.5 to 2 mm. CONCLUSION: Results show that depending on the initial phosphate concentrations in the wastewaters and the ammonium and magnesium levels, the strategy selected for struvite crystallization is a determinative factor in achieving a cost effective technology. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Inert COD fractions in two-stage treatment of a pulp and paper mill effluent

Two-stage biological treatment schemes are often prescribed for pulp and paper mill effluents with high COD concentrations, in order to meet effluent standards. Recent conceptual developments in biological treatment of wastewaters indicate that the stoichiometry of the inert organic components is the key issue in performance predictions and the kinetics of degradable organic fraction play a relatively less important role in the compliance of effluent limitations. Besides, the differentiation between initially inert COD and inert metabolic products is very important in two-stage systems, as what is biodegradable for one phase may become non-biodegradable for the next phase in which a different microbial community is sustained. In this study a pulp and paper mill effluent is characterized in terms of its inert COD fractions and the changes induced by two-stage biological treatment to these fractions are observed. © 1998 SCI     

Soda—Oxygen bleaching of kraft bagasse pulp

Soda—oxygen bleaching of commercially available kraft bagasse pulp has been investigated. Alkali charge, temperature and oxygen pressure are important factors in controlling brightness and physical properties of the pulps produced. Pulp yields, lignin and degree of polymerisation of the bleached pulps decreased with increasing alkali charge from 2 to 6%. Strength properties as well as brightness increased by increasing alkali charge at 368 K, whereas optimum strength properties are obtained with 4% alkali at 383 K. In the range of oxygen pressure used, 5–8 kg cm^?2, DP as well as strength properties of the bleached pulps increased with increasing oxygen pressure. Brightness up to 61% was reached by soda-oxygen alone. To obtain higher brightness an afterbleaching step is necessary. The soda—oxygen—hypochlorite and soda—oxygen—chlorite pulps prepared have strength properties comparable with those of conventionally bleached pulps.     

Photocatalytic oxidation of treated municipal wastewaters for the removal of phenolic compounds: optimization and modeling using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs)

BACKGROUND: TiO₂ heterogeneous photocatalysis should be optimized before application for the removal of pollutants in treated wastewaters. The response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were applied to model and optimize the photocatalytic degradation of total phenolic (TPh) compounds in real secondary and tertiary treated municipal wastewaters. RESULTS: RSM was developed by considering a central composite design (CCD) with three input variables, i.e. TiO₂ mass, initial concentration of TPh and irradiation intensity. At the same time a feed‐forward multilayered perceptron ANN trained using back propagation algorithms was used and compared with RSM. Under the optimum conditions established in experiments ([TPh]₀ = 3 mg L^?1; [TiO₂] = 300 mg L^?1; I = 600 W m^?2) the degradation for both TPh and total organic carbon (TOC) followed pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model. Complete degradation of TPh took place in 180 min and reduction of TOC reached 80%. A significant abatement of the overall toxicity was accomplished as revealed by Microtox bioassay. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the variables considered have important effects on TPh removal efficiency. The results demonstrated that the use of experimental design strategy is indispensable for successful investigation and adequate modeling of the process and that ANNs gave better modelling capability than RSM. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrochemical treatment of pentachlorophenol in water and pulp bleaching effluent

Adsorbable organic halides (AOX) compounds produced during bleaching of pulp are recalcitrant and known to have eco-toxic effect. We have studied the removal of pentachlorophenol (PCP) as a model AOX compound in water as well as in pulp bleaching effluent of a bamboo based mill by electrochemical treatment in batch mode. It was found that 10 mg L⁻¹ of PCP in water was removed almost completely in <10 min at a current density of 6 mA cm⁻² in the presence of 1000 mg L⁻¹ NaCl serving as an electrolyte and source of chloride ions. The initial rate of PCP removal was found to decrease at alkaline pH (9.3) as compared to that at acidic pH (5.5). PCP removal in neutralized raw pulp bleach effluent (containing 1830 mg L⁻¹ of chloride) was very slow and incomplete even after 2 h of electrochemical treatment at a current density of 15 mA cm⁻². Various pretreatments of raw bleach effluent such as, alkaline sulfide using sodium sulfide, alkaline reduction using ferrous sulfate and coagulation using potash alum were evaluated. Electrochemical treatment of potash alum pretreated effluent (spiked with PCP) could achieve >90% removal of initial colour, COD and PCP in <1 h. The treatment scheme presented here may be a promising technology for removal of AOX, COD and colour from pulp bleaching effluent. The estimated cost of combined treatment (potash alum coagulation + electrochemical) is US$ 0.7–0.9 per cubic meter of the raw pulp bleach effluent.     

Degradation of C.I. Acid Red 88 aqueous solution by combination of Fenton's reagent and ultrasound irradiation

BACKGROUND: Pollution caused by industrial wastewater has become a common problem for many countries. In particular, dye pollutions from industrial effluents disturb human health and ecological equilibrium. The discharge of highly colored synthetic dye effluents is aesthetically displeasing and can damage the receiving water body by impeding penetration of light. Azo dyes can be reduced to more hazardous intermediates on anaerobic conditions. Therefore, an effective and economic treatment of effluents containing a diversity of textile dyes has become a necessity for clean production technology for textile industries. Herein we wish to report the degradation of Acid Red 88 by the combination of Fenton's reagent and ultrasound irradiation. RESULTS: The results show that the combination of ultrasonic irradiation and Fenton's reagent is effective for the degradation of Acid Red 88 aqueous solution. Furthermore, it can achieve better results than either Fenton's reagent or ultrasound alone. The optimum conditions for the degradation of Acid Red 88 aqueous solution were 1.96 mmol L^?1 H₂O₂, 0.108 mmol L^?1 Fe²⁺, pH 3.0, and ultrasonic irradiation frequency of 40 kHz. A degradation efficiency of 98.6% was achieved within 135 min. CONCLUSION: We have provided an efficient and convenient procedure for the degradation of Acid Red 88 aqueous solution. In the present procedure, the azo linkage of Acid Red 88 is broken and some carbonyl compounds are formed, but the complete mineralization of dye cannot be achieved. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of 4‐chlorophenol from contaminated water using coconut shell waste pretreated with chemical agents

BACKGROUND: At concentrations higher than 1 mg L^?1, 4‐chlorophenol (4‐CP) is very toxic to living organisms, and if ingested beyond the permitted concentration it causes health disorders such as cancer and mutation. This laboratory study investigates treatment of contaminated water laden with 4‐CP using coconut shell charcoal (CSC) waste. Batch studies were conducted to study the effects of dose, pH, and equilibrium time on 4‐CP removal. To improve 4‐CP removal, surface modification of the adsorbent with TiO₂, HNO₃, and/or NaOH was undertaken. RESULTS: At an initial 4‐CP concentration of 25 mg L^?1 under optimized conditions (dose 13.5 g L^?1, pH 2.0; agitation speed 150 rpm and 50 min equilibrium time), the NaOH‐treated CSC demonstrated a greater removal of 4‐CP (71%) than those oxidized with HNO₃ (40%) and/or coated with TiO₂ (52%). The adsorption capacity of the NaOH‐treated CSC (54.65 mg g^?1) was higher than those treated with HNO₃ (23.13 mg g^?1) or coated with TiO₂ (48.42 mg g^?1). CONCLUSION: Although treatment results using the NaOH‐treated CSC alone were promising, the treated effluents were still unable to meet the required limit of less than 1 mg L^?1. Therefore, subsequent treatments are still required to complement the removal of 4‐CP from the wastewater. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry