Decolorization of Process Waters in Deinking Mills and Similar Applications: a Review

Process waters in deinking mills often feature a strong coloration, due to dyes and pigments released from the recovered paper. This can usually be remediated by pulp bleaching treatment with appropriate chemicals. However, the red shade (from rhodamine dye) is resistant to conventional bleaching treatments. This largely limits the use of deinked pulp in white paper grades. In this review, the available technologies for process water decolorization are discussed (chemical methods, physicochemical methods and biological treatments). Ozonation of the process water appears to be the most promising technique for decolorization of process water in deinking mills. Other emerging technologies such as photo-catalytic treatment or mineralization by white-rot fungi (after adsorption on low-cost agricultural residues) should be considered as well.