Abstract

Resin acids (like abietic acid (AbA)) are one of the source of chronic toxicity of the kraft mill effluents. The goal of this work is to evaluate the biodegradation of AbA contain in kraft mill effluent by means an aerated lagoon. The operation strategy was to increase the Organic Load Rate (OLR) and the AbA Load Rate (AbALR) in the system, whereas the Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) . The system removal efficiency for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) were ranged between 51-67% and 95-99%, respectively. Beside that, aerated lagoon system is able for AbA removing ranged between 80-98%. It can be observed that the most adapted biomass resulted in the highest AbA degradation rates.