Wastewater from wood and pulp industry treated by combination of coagulation, adsorption on modified clinoptilolite tuff and membrane processes.

Wastewater from the wood and pulp industry is of environmental concern. It contains high concentrations of organic and inorganic matter. In this work a combined method of coagulation, adsorption and nanofiltration/reverse osmosis (NF/RO) was investigated in the purification of biologically treated wastewater from wood processing. Coagulation with 0.8 g dm−3 AlCl3·6H2O and adsorption on 2.5 g m−3 modified clinoptilolite tuff resulted in removal efficiencies of total carbon (TC), total organic carbon (TOC) and inorganic carbon (IC) up to 67.1%, 77.4% and 49.5%, respectively. Almost complete removal of solutes was achieved after NF/RO treatment. The TOC removal efficiency with RO membrane (CPA-3, LFC-1, XLE) and tight NF membrane (NF90) was 98% and with highly porous NF membrane (DK), 88%. After the proposed treatment the purified water stream can be recycled into the process or safely disposed to the river.