The study on Chemi-thermomechanical pulp wastewater treatment using electro-fenton process

In the present paper the color characteristics of Chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) wastewater were studied by ultrafiltration and acid adjusting, and a novel electrochemical method, electro-fenton process, was applied on the treatment of CTMP wastewater. CTMP wastewater produces toxic pollutants which are not easily biodegradable and requiring costly physical or physical-chemical pretreatment. That forms the barrier for the industrial application of eucalyptus CTMP. Electro-fenton proces is based on the generation of very reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals. Owing to their high oxidation potential (E-0=2:80 V), the OH radicals were extra-ordinarily reactive oxidants and can attack the most part of organic molecules and decompose most organic compound parts into carbon dioxide. The main influencing factors were investigated to get the optimum conditions according to the removal ratio of CODCr and color unit. The optimum conditions were obtained by singular factor comparing experiments. The results showed that with pH value as 5.0, current density as 80A(.)m(-2), reaction time as 60min, temperature as 30 degrees C, and aeration rate as 2.1 L(.)min(-1), an encouraging result was that its color removal ratio was above 90% and CODCr removal ratio was above 60%. In conclusion electro-fenton process was a promising wastewater treating method for CTMP wastewater.