Sains Malaysiana 44(1)(2015): 101–106

Optimizing the Performance of a Paper Mill Effluent Treatment

(Mengoptimumkan Prestasi Aliran Keluar Sisa Rawatan Kilang Kertas)

MOETAZ ELSERGANY¹*, AMIMUL AHSAN² & MD. MANIRUZZAMAN A. AZIZ^3,4

¹School of Health & Environmental Studies, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

²Department of Civil Engineering and Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia

43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

³Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Skudai,

Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia

⁴UTM Construction Research Center (CRC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

81310 Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia

Received: 29 May 2014/Accepted: 7 July 2014

ABSTRACT

The paper making industry is characterized by high rate of water consumption and hence high rate of wastewater generation. The purpose of this research was to assess and optimize the existing complete mix activate sludge treatment plant that is used to treat the high strength paper mill effluent with the highest possible efficiency at a reasonable cost. The collected paper mill wastewater is equalized in an equalization tank before being pumped to the treatment plant. The treatment plant includes chemical treatment unit, complete mix activated sludge and granular media filtration unit. The results showed that effluent of a chemical treatment unit was found to be relatively similar to the laboratory simulated plain sedimentation unit. It can be concluded that addition of chemical coagulant can be eliminated with an overall saving of chemical addition costs. The complete mixing activated sludge achieved good removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Furthermore, the results showed that the plant is operated under low BOD:P ratio. The treatment efficiency of the plant can be improved by increasing the phosphorous dose to the plant to have BOD:P ratio of 100:0.5 to 100:1. It was found that 50% of the treated effluent is recycled to the manufacturing process, however this percentage can be increased through proper plant optimization and control of nutrient addition to the activated sludge unit.

Keywords: Activated sludge; nutrient balance; paper mill effluent; paper recycling

ABSTRAK

Industri pembuatan kertas dicirikan oleh kadar penggunaan air yang tinggi dan dengan itu tinggi kadar penjanaan air kumbahan. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai dan mengoptimumkan loji rawatan campuran lengkap enap cemar aktif yang digunakan untuk merawat aliran keluar kilang kertas berkualiti tinggi dengan kecekapan tertinggi pada harga yang berpatutan. Air sisa kilang kertas terkumpul dalam tangki penyamaan sebelum disalur ke loji rawatan. Loji rawatan adalah termasuk unit rawatan kimia, campuran lengkap enap cemar yang diaktifkan dan unit penapisan media butiran. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa aliran keluar unit rawatan kimia didapati agak serupa dengan unit makmal simulasi pemendapan kosong. Dapat disimpulkan bahawa penambahan coagulant kimia boleh dihapuskan dengan penjimatan untuk keseluruhan kos tambahan kimia. Campuran lengkap enap cemar yang diaktifkan mencapai penyingkiran yang baik untuk permintaan oksigen biokimia (BOD) dan permintaan oksigen kimia (COD). Selain itu, hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa loji dikendalikan di bawah nisbah BOD: P rendah. Kecekapan loji rawatan boleh diperbaiki dengan meningkatkan dos fosforus ke loji untuk nisbah BOD: P 100:0.5 ke 100:1. Didapati 50% aliran keluar terawat yang dikitar semula dalam proses pembuatan, namun peratusan ini boleh ditingkatkan melalui pengoptimuman semula loji dan kawalan nutrien tambahan kepada unit enap cemar yang diaktifkan.

Kata kunci: Aliran keluar kilang kertas; diaktifkan enap cemar; kertas kitar semula; keseimbangan nutrien

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*Corresponding author; email: m.elsergany@hbmsu.ac.ae