Dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) technology combined with coagulation-flocculation for wastewater treatment of pulp and paper industry

Dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDi) and a mixture of coagulants (poly aluminum chloride (PAC) and chitosan) in this study were combined for liquid waste treatment of pulp and paper industry. A coagulant was added as a pre-treatment of liquid waste that contained total suspended solids (TSS). The effect of coagulant and time on the reduction of TSS, reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD), and color were investigated in this study. The coagulant was a combination of PAC and chitosan with amounts of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 g/L. DBDi process was conducted at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min. A combination of DBDi and coagulants was performed to investigate the reduction of TSS, COD, and color. The initial liquid waste characteristics in this study were 3,929.40 mg/L of COD, 4,185 mg/L of TSS, and 17,140 Pt-Co of color. The efficiency of COD removal was significant at 89.81% using 0.3 g/L coagulant mixture and 40 min of DBDi operation time with a power input of 75 W. The highest TSS removal reached 99.14% and 99.22% color removals. The highest TSS and color removals were observed at 0.4 g/L coagulant and 50 min DBDi operating time. It can be concluded that the combination of DBDi with a mixture of coagulant (PAC and chitosan) is significantly effective in treating liquid waste pulp and paper industry.