Trends and strategies in the effluent treatment of pulp and paper industries: A review highlighting reactor options

Highlights • Pulp and paper mills generate huge amount of wastewater. • Physicochemical processes have several limitations to treat wastewater. • Integrated microbial based technology improves the quality of wastewater. • Eco-friendly MBBR process creates opportunity for reuse of treated wastewater.
From the beginning of the paper-making process, the pulp and paper industry has utilized a large amount of water and generated a vast amount of highly polluted wastewater. The paper industry faces global pressure to reduce water use and lower environmental pollution. However, traditional physicochemical methods of wastewater treatment need high energy input, and their ecological impact is questionable. Due to the zero discharged policy, the industries urgently require novel eco-friendly, sustainable, and efficient treatment techniques. Microbial technology is the most recommended option to treat wastewater and support sustainable growth. The present article describes the overview of traditional and novel methods, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology's with their current state and their limits for treating pulp and paper wastewater. It is expected to integrate the novel methods with advanced hybrid technology to fulfill wastewater treatment criteria and prospects. Furthermore, coupling MBR and MBBR technology make energy and water recovery possible, and recycling wastewater will be economically and environmentally feasible.
Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract