An Approach for Reducing AOX in the Bleachery Effluents of a Turkish Pulp and Paper Plant

SEKA Dalaman Pulp and Paper Plant which is located on the Aegean Sea coast, is the largest mill in Turkey with a pulping capacity of 100.000 tons/year. The mill mainly produces kraft pulp, and also linter cellulose. One of the most urgent problems faced in this plant, as the other pulp and paper plants in Turkey is that of decreasing the pollutionary load of the bleaching effluents. In all the countries producing bleached pulp, the environmental authorities are focusing on chlorinated organic compounds in the bleacheary effluents (Heimburger et al., 1988; Reeve et al., 1989). Many governments have already set regulatory limits to the amount of chlorinated organics, measured as adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) test (Hart et al., 1991). There is no limit set for AOX, in the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment, yet. However; State Enterprise SEKA, which is the sole pulp producer in Turkey has initiated a research towards reducing AOX discharge levels in bleaching effluents.