The effectiveness of a biological treatment with Rhizopus oryzae and of a photo-Fenton oxidation in the mitigation of toxicity of a bleached kraft pulp mill effluent

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

Pereira, R (Author) Other; Antunes, SC (Author) Other; Goncalves, AMM (Author) Other; Marques, SM (Author) Other; Goncalves, F (Author) Other; Ferreira, F (Author) Other; Freitas, AC (Author) Other; Rocha Santos, TAP (Author) Other; Diniz, MS (Author) Other; Castro, L (Author) Other; Peres, I (Author) Other; Duarte, AC (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Water Research

Vol. 43

Pages: 2471-2480

ISSN: 0043-1354

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 21 Citations

Scopus - 25 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Environmental engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-KPC

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2009.03.013

Abstract (EN): Huge efforts have been made both in adopting more environmental-friendly bleaching processes, and in developing advanced oxidation processes and more effective biological treatments for the reduction of deleterious impacts of paper mill effluents. Even so, the success of such treatments is frequently reported in terms of chemical parameters without a proper evaluation of the effluent's toxicity mitigation. This is the first study reporting an exhaustive evaluation of the toxicity of a secondary bleached kraft pulp mill effluent, after either tertiary treatment with the soft-rot fungi Rhizopus oryzae or with a photo-Fenton oxidation, using a battery of freshwater species. As it has been reported the photo-Fenton/UV treatment has proved to be the most effective in reducing the colour and the COD (chemical oxygen demand) of the effluent. Nevertheless, extremely low EC(50) values were reported for almost all species, after this tertiary treatment. The treatment with R. oryzae was less effective in terms of colour removal and COD reduction, but proved to be the most promising in reducing toxicity.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10