Diversity of Filamentous Bacteria in Paper Systems from Incoming Water to Wastewater Effluent, 2000 Environmental Conference Proceedings

- L. E. Rice, V. M. Kehoe, L. R. Robertson -- Slime problems in papermaking systems are often attributed to the growth of filamentous bacteria. Filamentous bacteria enter papermaking systems with the incoming supply water and contribute to deposit formation, which is notoriously difficult to control. Sloughing of deposits can lead to holes or spots in the sheet and even felt plugging. The growth of filamentous bacteria can also lead to additive degradation. If these microorganisms are not adequately controlled in the papermaking process, they enter the wastewater treatment system where they thrive and contribute to bulking problems. If biologically stabilized wastewater is recycled back into the process, the system can be continuously inoculated with high densities of filamentous bacteria. In this work, filamentous bacteria were isolated from paper machine deposits. Isolates were evaluated for their ability to degrade additives and screened for the effect of biocontrol agents on their viability. The filamentous isolates degraded a variety of the paper additives tested and varied in their response to the biocontrol agents tested. This paper discusses issues related to the growth of filamentous bacteria in papermaking systems from the incoming water to the wastewater effluent. The effects of biocontrol agents on the growth of filamentous bacteria are also discussed. Finally, this work demonstrates the diversity of filamentous bacteria that are detrimental to the paper industry.