Oxidative Decomposition of Pollutants of Pulp and Paper Industry Effluents: a Review

Abstract

Pulp and paper industries are releasing a lot of effluents in to the environment with far reaching consequences. This has drawn the attention of public and there is a heavy pressure on industries to go for decreasing pollution load in the effluents before their release into water bodies. Amongst all the known methods, oxidation of pulp and paper industry effluents is an effective and easier method for removing colour loads and lowering chemical oxygen demand (COD). In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the different oxidative methods and their ability to reduce pollution load from the effluents of pulp and paper industry. The methods include ozonation (in absence and presence of catalyst like TiO2, Fe3+ and ZnO), oxidation in presence of oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, per acetic acid, UV-radiation etc. The elimination of pollutants in the effluents is monitored by the disappearance of colour