ANAEROBIC TREATMENT OF RECYCLED PAPER-MILL EFFLUENT IN THE NETHERLANDS

Industriewater Eerbeek B.V. operates a complete wastewater treatment facility for effluents from three nearby paper mills. Primarily, all three mills use recycled paper as a fiber source. Due to increased organic wastewater loads, the wastewater treatment facility added an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor system in 1985. This system has operated well ever since its installation, and has contributed to a reduction in total cost of the treatment per ton of paper in spite of inflation and an increase in BOD released per ton of paper produced. Overall operation has been stable, but the operational history has illustrated: The impact of varying levels of influent sulfate concentrations The effect of and recovery from accidental biocide and antifoam spills The importance of maintaining good wastewater flow distribution through the UASB The requirement for proper materials selection to protect the system against corrosion. Anaerobic technology is a relatively new development. The track record at Industriewater Eerbeek, one of the first paper industry plants to use the process, will be helpful to other mills evaluating anaerobic technology for paper mill effluent treatment.