Treatment of Effluent of the Cellulose and Paper Industry Using Aerobic Granular Sludge Thermophilic

Abstract

Large amounts of effluents are generated in pulp and paper mills. In general, these effluents present temperatures above 40 ºC, which may preclude biological treatment in mesophilic conditions (35 ºC). For this, the present work aimed to produce aerobic granules in mesophilic conditions and, after their stability, leads them to thermophilic conditions. After the thermophilic granules were obtained, analyzes of their maintenance, treatment efficiency and verification of the production of the extracellular polymeric substances (carbohydrates, proteins and humic acids), present in the granules under these conditions were carried out. It was observed that the granules, generated from the biological sludge and the effluent of a pulp and paper industry, can act up to a temperature of 45 ºC, presenting a removal rate of around 70%, without great loss of efficiency of the proposed treatment compared to that of mesophilic flocculent sludge.