Pulp and paper industry based pollutants, their health hazards and environmental risks

Abstract The pulp and paper industry in contrast to other manufacturing industries consumes a large amount of energy and emits pollutants along with greenhouse gases. The waste generated from the pulp and paper industry causes severe harm to the aquatic life, disturbs the food chain and also causes various health implications. In this review, we have highlighted some of the primary pollutants released from the industry and their health hazards. Strict action and implementation of the regulatory model is required in this industrial sector for environmental compliance. The environmental pollution caused by the pollutants poses a threat to aquatic life as well as plant and human beings. The effect of pollutants on the environment has been assessed many times but their mitigation still has a significant challenge. This review highlights some recent techniques to reduce pollutants from the pulp and paper industries. Among these techniques, microbial fuel cell, anaerobic digestion, bleaching technologies, cleaner production and transformation pathway are the most used techniques. These will help in understanding the risk of pollutants released from the industry and the techniques will help in tackling these pollutants for a sustainable environment development.