Pulp and paper industry wastewaters and pollutants: characteristics, recovery, and utilization

Abstract

The pulp and paper industry is the sixth-most polluting industry in the world and the third-largest producer of effluents in terms of quantity. Its wastewaters are generated during various stages in each particular mill and are characterized by having a high oxygen-consuming organic compound content and a large number of toxic chlorinated organic substances. Through the years, several strategies of water recirculation and chemical and energy recovery have been developed for reducing the volume and pollution of these effluents.