Bio-Treatment of Wastewater from Pulp and Paper Mill by White Rot Fungi

Eight white rot fungi were used from treating wastewater from pulp and paper mill using wheat straw as raw material and the effectiveness of bio-treatment was evaluated in this paper. The fungus L02 was selected among the eight and used in the experiments because the strain could decrease COD (chemical oxygen demand) content, color and pH value of wastewater effectively. The suitable conditions of treatment of wastewater, such as treatment time, reaction temperature, consistency of effluent, initial pH value, and rotating speed of shaking bed, etc. were optimized. The results showed that the fungus L02 has a good commercial outlook and can be used directly for treating the effluent from pulp and paper mill. The COD content and color of effluent were decreased by about 84% and 94% respectively by treating with fungus L02 for 6 days.