This paper reports on cork boiling and bleaching wastewaters treatment by solar photocatalytic
processes, TiO(2)/UV and Fe(2+)/H(2)O(2)/UV (TiO(2)-only for bleaching wastewater),
in a pilot plant with compound parabolic collectors. The photo-Fenton reaction (k=0.12L/kJ(UV),
r(0)=59.4 mg/kJ(UV)) is much more efficient that TiO(2) photocatalysis and TiO(2)+S(2)O(8)(2-)
(k=0.0024 L/kJ(UV), r(0)=1.36 mg/kJ(UV)), leading to 94% mineralization of the bleaching
wastewater after 31.5 kJ(UV)/L, consuming 77.1mM of H(2)O(2) (3.0 mmol/kJ(UV)) and
using 20 mg/L of iron. For the cork boiling wastewater, after a slow initial reaction
rate, the DOC degradation curve shows a first-order kinetics behaviour (k=0.015 L/kJ(UV),
r(0)=20.8 mg/kJ(UV)) until 173 kJ(UV)/L ( approximately 300 mgC/L). According to the
average oxidation state (AOS), toxicity profiles, respirometry and kinetic results
obtained in two solar CPCs plants, the optimal energy dose estimated for phototreatment
to reach a biodegradable effluent is 15 kJ(UV)/L and 114 kJ(UV)/L, consuming 33 mM
and 151 mM of H(2)OT:/PGN/ELSEVIER/WR/web/00007490/(2), achieving almost 49% and 48%
mineralization of the wastewaters, respectively for the cork bleaching and boiling
wastewaters.