Sequential treatment via Trametes versicolor and UV/TiO2/Ru(x)Se(y) to reduce contaminants in waste water resulting from the bleaching process during paper production

An efficient sequential, biological and photocatalytic treatment to reduce the pollutant levels in wastewater due to the bleaching process during paper production is reported. For a biological pre-treatment, 800 ml of non-sterilized effluent was inoculated with Trametes versicolor immobilized in polyurethane foam, with 25 g l(-1) glucose, 6.75 mM CuSO(4), and 0.22 mM MnSO(4) added, and cultured at 25 degrees C with an air flow of 800 ml min(-1) for 8d. The fungus did not inhibit growth of the heterotropic populations of the effluent. After 4d of culture, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and colour removal (CR) were 82% and 80%, respectively, with laccase (LAC) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities of 345 U l(-1) and 78 U l(-1), respectively. The COD reduction and CR correlated positively (p