Chemical characterization and mutagenicity testing of chlorinated trihydroxybenzenes identified in spent bleach liquors from a sulphite plant

Abstract The spent bleach liquors from a sulphite plant have been investigated for their content of phenols. Seventeen phenols were identified by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry analysis and chlorinated trihydroxybenzenes were found to be the main components. The effluent showed mutagenic activity in the Ames' Salmonella test and some of the identified phenols were synthesized to investigate if these compounds could be responsible for the observed effect.