2. Material and methods

Thus, considerable quantities of wood residue are generated, which produce large volumes of leachate by percolation of water and following industrial processes. Woodwaste leachate contains lignin and phenolic compounds at important concentrations and must be treated

Phenolic compounds are toxic to humans and ecosystem, persistent, and endocrine disruptor molecules. They are found in woodwaste leachate and pulp and paper industrial effluents. It is necessary to develop new and innovative technologies adapted for these toxic effluents' treatment and phenolic compounds' removal. Several processes were studied for phenol removal such as membrane processes, ozonation [2], advanced oxidation [3], and activated carbon [4]. Ozonation was proven to be effective but it requires energy, and produces gases and causes the formation of not yet identified by-products with an important risk to human health [5–8]. As phenolic compounds are persistent, it might be suitable to combine ozonation with biological

Biological methods are efficient, innovative, and economic. Biological treatment of organic pollutants was investigated in conventional activated sludge treatment plants (CAS) and in membrane bioreactors (MBR). Mailler et al. [10] compared emerging pollutants removal by both biofiltration and conventional activated sludge plants. This classical biological unit (CAS) has already been well documented and compared with membrane bioreactor [11–18]. No significant difference was observed between CAS and MBR when a critical solids retention time (SRT) necessary for nitrification (SRT > 10 days at 10°C) was exceeded and the suspended

Biofiltration process has various advantages compared to CAS and MBR technologies [20, 21]. It is an economical, simple, and innovative solution for water and air pollution control [20, 22, 23].

solids concentration in the effluent was low for CAS plants [19].

Figure 1. Possible mechanisms in operation during biofiltration process.

before its discharge in the environment.

374 Phenolic Compounds - Natural Sources, Importance and Applications

treatment [9].
