Abstract

Two advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), TiO2/UV/O2 and TiO2/UV/Cu (II), were used to remove color from a Kraft bleaching effluent. The optimal decoloration rate was determined by multivariate analysis, obtaining a mathematical model to evaluate the effect among variables. TiO2 and Cu (II) concentrations and the reaction times were optimized. The experimental design resulted in a quadratic matrix of 30 experiments. Additionally, the pH influence on the color removal was determined by multivariate analysis. Results indicate that color removal was 94% at acidic pH (3.0) in the presence of Cu (II) as an electron acceptor. Under this condition, the biodegradation of the effluent increased from 0.3 to 0.6. Moreover, 70% of COD (chemical oxygen demand) was removed, and the ecotoxicity, measured by Daphnia magna, was reduced. Photocatalytic oxidation to remove the color contained in the Kraft mill bleaching effluent was effective under the following conditions: short reaction time, acidic pH values, and without the addition of oxygen due to the presence of Cu (II) in the effluent. Moreover, residual Cu (II) was a minimum (0.05 mg L-1) and was not toxic to the next biological stage. The experimental design methodology indicated that a quadratic polynomial model may be used to represent the efficiency for degradation of the Kraft bleach pulp effluent by a photocatalytic process. © 2007 American Chemical Society.