Treatment of pulp and paper mill effluent using low cost adsorbents: An overview

Abstract

In the present review, the suitability of adsorption process using low cost adsorbent for the treatment of pulp and paper mill effluent has been discussed. It is clear that adsorption processes are appropriate for the removal of recalcitrant compounds such as surfactants and pesticides, among others biodegradable or non-biodegradable compound present in pulp and paper mills effluents. The importance of the adsorption is to improvement of the removal of various physico- chemical (biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour, suspended solids, lignin), heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Ni and Mn etc) organochlorine compounds, all recalcitrant pollutant, reduce toxicity, enhance colour removal by using different cost effective adsorbents. The effective use of the different adsorbents developed from different adsorbent media such as activated carbon, agriculture by product and industrial wastes and sludge as adsorbents for the removal of different pollutants from the various processes and operations of pulp and paper mill as potential alternatives to different treatment process and received widespread attention. Adsorption necessity is a novel treatment option to improve the efficiency of removal within the discharge limits of wastewaters into the receiving bodies without causing any damage of the environment. However, still there is a need to find out the practical usefulness of such low cost adsorbent at industrial scale with the special reference to metals.