Abstract: | Batch biodegradation kinetic studies were conducted with various bleached kraft pulp mill effluents containing organically bound chlorine measured as adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) (6.0 - 35 mg Cl/L). Biomass, generated in both a continuous bench scale reactor and a mill scale activated sludge system, at various concentrations (0.4 - 3.1 g VSS/L) was added to various effluents (about 70% ClO2 substitution). AOX removal kinetics were best described by a simple recalcitrant first order model: - dS/dt = ks,1X(S-S∞), where S and S∞ are AOX concentrations (mg Cl/L) at time t and t∞, respectively, ks,1 is the AOX removal rate constant (L/g VSS.h) and X is the biomass concentration (g VSS/L). The model indicated a constant non-biodegradable fraction of AOX (0.4 mg of AOX per mg of influent AOX) and was able to predict the effect of dilution on AOX removal with a single value of ks,1 (0.13 L /g VSS.h). The degradation constants (0.16 L /g VSS.h) in the absence of effluent from the neutral sewer (i.e. for a mixture of acidic and alkaline effluent only) were significantly higher than those for whole mill effluent. |