Characterizing Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand Load Reductions from Pulp and Paper Mills for Activities Related to Total Maximum Daily Loads
Characterizing the effect of organic materials on receiving water-dissolved oxygen levels is important in water quality assessment studies involving pulp and paper facilities. Long-term biochemical oxygen demand (LTBODBODBOD) tests of pulp and paper effluents can be used to estimate many important characteristics such as ultimate BODBODBOD, rate coefficients, ultimate to 5-day BODBODBOD ratios (f-ratios), and reactivity. However, many of these characteristics are difficult to forecast as a function of future efforts to improve wastewater treatment, which is precisely what is needed for typical water quality assessments such as total maximum daily loads (TMDLMDLMDL). We provide a conceptual framework using simulation to predict effluent BODBODBOD characteristics as a function of improved wastewater treatment. The simulations use equations that describe BODBODBOD kinetics and are able to reproduce trends in f-ratio observed at various pulp and paper facilities and predict BODBODBOD reactivity as a function of treatment.