Special Report No. 95-11: Relationship between Biotreatment Removal Efficiencies for Methanol and Soluble BOD5 in Chemical Pulp Mill Wastewaters

Hard-piping of pulp mill condensates to biotreatment is under consideration by EPA as an alternative technology for the wastewater component of the proposed MACT emission standards. EPA has expressed an interest in monitoring one or more parameters which would indicate that a biological treatment system is “well-operated,” thus indicating that atmospheric emissions of methanol are minimized. The use of soluble BOD5 may be an acceptable indicator of methanol removal in secondary treatment systems.