DETECTION OF REFRACTORY ORGANIC POLLUTANTS FROM PULP PAPER MILL EFFLUENT AND THEIR TOXICITY ON Triticum aestivum; Brassica campestris AND Tubifex-tubifex

Abstract

The pulp and paper industry released different chemical pollutants that are directly discharged into the environment without proper treatment. This experiment was carried out to study the effect of pulp paper mill sludge amendments with garden soil (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), and garden soil was utilized as a control in a pot experiment. This study revealed the growth parameters of Triticum aestivum and Brassica campestris in germination percentage and germination index values decreased with rising in sludge concentration. Further, Soil amended with 25% paper mill sludge slightly reduced the growth in root length, shoot length, biomass, photosynthetic, and 50% sludge amended soil had variable effects on the root, shoot, and photosynthetic pigment of T. aestivumand B. campestris. However, the toxicity of effluent on tubifex-tubifex worms was also carried out at selected concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Results of the study suggested that after 24 hours of exposure (>25% concentration), tubifex worms showed various changes such as morphological changes; hemoglobin content disappeared at the lethal concentrations of pulp paper mill effluent; cell bursting, and the back of the body became white with body disintegration at the lethal concentrations of pulp paper mill effluent. This article mainly focuses on the toxicity of the organic pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic life due to pulp paper mill effluent.