APPROVflD Redacted for privacy Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering in charge of major Redacted for privacy Head of De ptfriént of CiYEngine e ring Redacted for privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is preseiited / Typed by Cheryl E. Curb for Jack Wayne Hoffbuhr ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his gratitude and appreciation to Fh follow in x, )'e and organizations who made this research s s ible. To the faculty and staff of the Department of Civil Engineering for the use of the research facilities. To the U.S. Public Health Service who supported the author's educational program. To Professor F. J. Burgess who provided much assistance to enable the author to return to school. To Dr. Frank D. Schaumburg for his many hours of consul- tation and direction in all phases of the study. To Dr. Donald C. Phillips for his advice and assistance. To Michael Soderquist and Guy Blanton for their many helpful suggestions and hours of help. To my wife, Donna, and my daughter, Kristen, for their enduring patience and constant encouragement. A special thanks to my wife for typing and proof reading the rough draft many times. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION General 1 Wood Products Industry in the Pacific Northwest 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 4 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 The Chemical Nature of Log Pond Water 5 Wood Chemistry 5 Log Pond Studies 6 Biological Treatment of Log Pond Water 8 LABORATORY INVESTIGATION 10 Methods and Materials 10 General 10 Sampling Techniques 10 Sample Storage 14 Acclimation Procedure 15 Biological Treatability Study Procedure 16 Laboratory Tests 22 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 30 Composition of Log Pond Water 30 General 30 COD 34 BOD 35 Solids 36 Nitrogen 37 Phosphates 38 PBI 39 Dissolved Oxygen 40 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (Cont. ) Biological Treatability of Log Pond Water 40 COD Removal 40 BOD5 Removal 44 PBI Removal 45 Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids 49 Effluent Suspended Solids 52 Total Solids Removal 52 Oxygen Transfer Coefficients 55 Oxygen Uptake 60 SUMMARY 65 CONCLUSIONS 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY 69 APPENDIX Pond A 72 Pond C 73 Pond D 74 LIST OF FIGURES Page Typical log pond 12 1 Log pond water 12 2 Pond B 13 3 Diagram of experimental apparatus used for 4 biological treatability study 17 Aeration unit used for biological 5 treatability study 18 Aeration units in operation 19 6 Apparatus used in determining oxygen 7 transfer coefficients 26 Aeration tank used in determining oxygen 8 transfer coefficients 27 Total and soluble COD removals obtained by 9 Aeration Unit 1 treating log pond water 42 10 BOD removals obtained by aeration units 5 treating log pond water 46 PBI removals obtained by aeration units 11 treating log pond water 48 MLSS accumulation in aeration units 12 treating log pond water 50 Effluent suspended solids for aeration units 13 treating log pond water 53 KLa determination for distilled water 58 14 l termination for log pond water 59 15 K La 16 Oxygen uptake by MLSS from Aeration Unit 1 62 Oxygen uptake by MLSS from Aeration Unit 2 63 17 LIST OF TABLES Page Physical characteristics of log ponds studied 11 1 Aeration unit flow rates 20 2 Chemical characteristics of log ponds studied 31 3 Total and soluble COD removals by aeration 4 units treating log pond water 41 BOD removals obtained by aeration units 5 treati5ng log pond water 45 PBI removals obtained by aeration units 6 treating log pond water 47 Influent suspended solids, MLSS, effluent 7 suspended solids and sludge ages for aeration units treating log pond water 51 Total solids removal and percent volatile 8 solids for aeration units treating log pond water 54 Oxygen transfer data 56 9 10 Results of oxygen transfer tests 57 11 Oxygen uptake data 61 Results of oxygen uptake tests 64 12 THE CHARACTER AND BIOLOGICAL TREATABILITY OF LOG POND WATERS INTRODUCTION General Down through the ages, man has relied upon wood as one of his principal nattira' ,-;sources. Even in today's complex industrial so- ciety, wood is the world's most widely used raw material. Although the primary use of wood is still as a construction material, techno- logical advances in wood chemistry and related fields have given birth to a whole new realm of forest products. The manufacture of pulp and paper, packaging materials, cellulosic fiber, plastics, drugs and other wood chemicals constitute vast industries and con- sume huge quantities of wood. Wood Products Industry in the Pacific Northwest The magnificent forests of the Pacific Northwest supply a very large percentage of the timber used in the United States. These forests contain 42 percent of all the softwood sawtimber and 35 per- cent of the total sawtimber in the Nation. Furthermore, during 1963 this region produced 41 percent of all the softwood lumber manufactured in the United States, and in 1962 produced 16 percent of the Nation's wood pulp (21). Obviously, the timber resources of