The role of biosorption in the fate of organic halide present in a Kraft mill wastewater

Abstract

This report summarizes and discusses the research and results of the investigation of biosorptive removal of organic halogens from a Kraft mill wastewater. Wastewater from a lagoon treating Kraft mill wastewater was placed in contact with returned activated sludge (RAS) collected from a Tucson wastewater treatment plant. Removal of organic halogens was quantified as the difference in total organic halogen (TOX) level between samples containing wastewater and biomass and samples containing wastewater alone. Two molecular weight distributions were analyzed: total molecular weight and <1000 molecular weight. Total organic carbon (TOC) levels for the total molecular weight fractions were monitored. The effects of pH, temperature, biomass viability and contact time on biosorptive capabilities were examined. Implications concerning lagoon operation are discussed. Improvements for future research in this area are included in this report.