Abstract
Intermittent planted filters are extensive biological purification techniques aimed at oxidizing and decontaminating urban wastewater at a low cost and with minimum environmental impacts. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the performances of intermittent planted filters in treating urban wastewater under arid conditions of southern Tunisia. The experimental study was carried out on a pilot scale plant comprising five constructed gravel-sand basins. Screened urban wastewater effluent was intermittently applied with a daily hydraulic load of 400 L/m2. Several water quality parameters were monitored at the inlet and outlet of this treatment plant. The average removal rate were 94.8%, 92.3%, 99.3%, 89.9% and 93.3% for chemical and biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonium nitrogen and orthophosphate, respectively. Additionally, results demonstrated that this treatment system is capable of removing 3.67, 3.22 and 2.44 log units of total and faecal coliforms, and faecal streptococci, respectively. Results showed that Phragmites australis allowed the development of biofilm in the sand filter beds, improving their purification efficiency. Furthermore, no bio-sludge production, no mechanical aeration, low energy requirement (0.02 kW/m2) and green aesthetic ambience are the additional particular strengths of the proposed pilot plant.
Highlights
At this time, water resources shortage have become more and more serious and human activities continue to affect detrimentally the quality and quantity of existing fresh water resources
The results showed that planted filters were considerably more efficient in BOD5 removal from the wastewater than in the unplanted filters
The purification performances of the treatment system composed of gravel filter beds and sand filter beds was investigated
Summary
Water resources shortage have become more and more serious and human activities continue to affect detrimentally the quality and quantity of existing fresh water resources. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, several countries are regularly facing significant water demand and supply imbalances, during the summer period, due to simultaneous occurrence of low precipitation, high evaporation and increased demands for irrigation and tourism. There is an urgent need for fresh water conservation and wastewater renovation. Unmanaged wastewater is an important source of pollution and a hazard for human health and ecosystems services. The selection of the most appropriate wastewater management approach requires an economic appraisal of alternate options (Akpor & Muchie 2011). The reuse of treated wastewater involves significant environmental, social and health benefits (Munir et al 2012)
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