Sustainable Alternatives for Tertiary Treatment of Pulp and Paper Wastewater

Matia Mainardis, Silvia Mulloni, Arianna Catenacci, Maila Danielis, Erika Furlani, Stefano Maschio and Daniele Goi
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Matia Mainardis: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
Silvia Mulloni: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
Arianna Catenacci: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
Maila Danielis: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
Erika Furlani: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
Stefano Maschio: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy
Daniele Goi: Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: In this work, different alternatives to conventional tertiary treatment of pulp and paper (P&P) wastewater (WW), i.e., physicochemical coagulation-flocculation, were investigated to enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of industrial wastewater treatment. In particular, following a preliminary characterization of secondary effluents, cloth filtration and adsorption were studied, the former by pilot-scale tests, while the latter at laboratory scale. An economic analysis was finally accomplished to verify the full-scale applicability of the most promising technologies. Cloth filtration showed excellent total suspended solids (TSS) removal efficiency (mean 81% removal) but a very limited influence on chemical oxygen demand (COD) (mean 10% removal) due to the prevalence of soluble COD on particulate COD. Adsorption, instead, led to a good COD removal efficiency (50% abatement at powdered activated carbon—PAC—dosage of 400 mg/L). The economic analysis proved that adsorption would be convenient only if a local low-cost (100 €/ton) adsorbent supply chain was established. Ultrafiltration was considered as well as a potential alternative: its huge capital cost (19 M€) could be recovered in a relatively short timeframe (pay-back time of 4.7 years) if the ultrafiltrated effluent could be sold to local industries.

Keywords: adsorption; filtration; wastewater treatment; wastewater reuse; chemicals; circular economy; tertiary treatment; economic assessment; pulp and paper industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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