Physico‐Chemical and Kinetic Evaluation of a Combined Vertical Settler/Self‐Aerated Unit for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

Abstract

AbstractWater resource limitation is one of the crises facing many countries worldwide. The work aims to apply a compact unit consisting of a vertical settler (VS) followed by a self‐aerated chamber (SAC) for wastewater treatment. The dimensions of the unit are 2 × 1 × 2.5 m for length, width, and height, respectively. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) is 5 h in the VS for performance study while for the kinetic study the HRT is 4, 6, 8, 10, to 12 h. The unit is packed with a non‐woven fabric material produced from waste plastic. The influent organic concentrations expressed by chemical and biological oxygen demand (CODtot and BOD) are 367.7 and 254.7 mg L−1, respectively. The concentrations of CODtot and BOD in the treated effluent are 78.8 and 80.5% to 36.7 and 16.6 mg L−1, respectively. The prevailed removal kinetic for COD and nitrogen (N) concentrations is the second‐order reaction kinetic. With the exception of fecal coliform (FC), the final treated effluent meet the National regulatory requirements. The disinfection step is essential to reuse the final treated effluent safely. The unit can serve 100 p.e. in rural and unserved areas in developing countries with area of 2–3 m2.