Abstract
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), TiO~2~ assisted‐photocatalysis (TiO~2~/UV), Fenton, Fenton‐like, and photo‐Fenton reactions (Fe(II)/H~2~O/UV), UV‐assisted ozonation (O~3~/UV) and addition of Fe^2+^ and/or H~2~O~2~ to the TiO~2~/UV and the O~3~/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