Septic Tank Effluent Research Articles

Performance and kinetic modeling of modified attached-growth anoxic-oxic-anoxic reactor for onsite sanitation system treating septic tank effluent

This paper investigated a combined process of a modified attached-growth anoxic-oxic-anoxic reactor (AG-AOAR) as a sustainable and effective post-treatment system for septic tank effluent was developed. The AG-AOAR was operated by varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs) from 24 to 72 h. The results showed that the AG-AOAR achieved highest removal efficiencies of 84, 66 and 91% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), respectively, under the HRT of 72 h, resulting its effluent meeting the international and national discharge quality standards for non-sewered sanitation system. The Stover-Kincannon model was applicable to describe the kinetic constants of COD, TN, and NH4-N removal in the AG-AOAR (R2 > 0.85). Accordingly, the maximum utilization rates (μmax) were determined to be 41.1, 0.15 and 0.50 g/(L-d) for COD, TN and NH4-N removals, respectively, while the saturation constants (KB) were 57.7, 0.12 and 0.51 g/(L-d), respectively. These constant values could be applied for the design of the AG-AOAR to produce treated effluent meeting desired standards.

Treatment of septic tank effluent using sequencing batch reactor along with the incorporation of rice husk and Bael pericarp as a natural adsorbent in reducing BOD and COD

The generation of liquid forms of waste has rapidly shown its hike in the presently expanding world. This quantification hugely includes the day today’s secretion of the human excreta into the septic tanks that are commonly found in every household. Proper treatment and disposal of faecal waste, once the septic tank is full, becomes challenging for every resident and local bodies. The primary contaminants found in the Septic Tank Effluents (STE) include many disease-causing pathogens, faecal coliform bacteria, detergents and toxic gases. The Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) takes its position when treating any waste, which contains a high amount of organic content. In this study, the characteristics, namely COD and BOD of STE samples collected from different locations of the semi-urban area at the outskirt of a town were analyzed. The STE samples treated using SBR mainly to reduce COD and BOD concentration found to be in higher concentration beyond the permissible limit. The same samples subjected to contact with adsorbents such as rice husk and powdered form of dried Bael (Aegle marmelos) outer shell. Results showed a good reaction with the adsorbents and found a significant reduction in COD and BOD concentration.

The land use legacy effect: looking back to see a path forward to improve management

Water quality has suffered as humans have increased nutrient inputs across the landscape. In many cases, management actions to reduce nutrient inputs have not been met with concomitant ecosystem responses. These missed expectations are partly due to the continued slow delivery of nutrient-enriched groundwater pre-dating input reductions resulting from management actions. Land use legacies as expressed through this time lag are important to quantify in order to adjust management expectations. We present a novel coupling of nitrogen source maps with groundwater transport times to create a high-resolution (120 m) fully distributed estimate of the timing and magnitude of groundwater nitrogen deliveries to surface water across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. This new view of the landscape has been designed around common management timelines for: elected officials looking to make a difference for re-election (<5 years), career managers hoping to see the fruits of their labor (5–30 years), and advocacy groups whose work can span generations (>30 years). One striking result is that after 100 years, in our study area, approximately 50% of the nitrogen that enters the groundwater system remains in transit. This means that actions taken now may not show the expected lower nitrogen loads to receiving ecosystems for decades to centuries. We show that differences in groundwater travel times create a heterogeneous patchwork over which managers can prioritize actions to best match their targeted response times. Across the highest nitrogen inputs in our study region, less than 10% had short enough groundwater legacies to match the management timeline of most government and agency work. Agricultural practices (manure and chemical fertilizer) are the main nitrogen contributors across the top three management classes; however, human contributions through septic tank effluent and lawn fertilizers contribute 5%–8% of nitrogen.

Evaluating the performance of horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands: A case study from southern India

Constructed wetlands are a nature-based engineering solution enabling polishing of septic tank effluents at low-cost. However to date, the influence of planting on treatment efficiency remains little understood. Here we report a case study evaluating the performance of two near-identical Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetlands (HSSF-CW) deployed at a school in southern India. The HSSF-CWs were of similar size and construction with the exception that one system was planted (Canna indica) whilst the other was operated without plants. Both systems were operated at similar hydraulic loading rate (HLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 84 mm day−1 and 3.7 days, respectively to treat the effluent from septic tanks. The systems were monitored fortnightly for one year and the performance kinetics, nutrient and organics removal efficiencies were evaluated. Significant reduction in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (p < 0.05) were observed in both systems with BOD5 removal efficiency of 67% and 61% in the planted and unplanted systems, respectively. Whilst the effluent from both systems met the environmental discharge standards set by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India, the total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal in the unplanted system were significantly greater than in the planted system. The first-order decay rate constants (K) obtained for TN (KTN) and BOD5 (KBOD5) in the planted system (0.16 day−1 and 0.30 day−1) were higher than in the unplanted system (0.09 day−1 and 0.27 day−1). Greater R2 values obtained for the planted system (~ 0.90) suggests applicability of a first-order decay model to assess contaminant degradation. Plants contributed to 7% (0.3 g/m2/day) BOD5, 18% (1.9 g/m2/day) COD and 5% (0.09 g/m2/day) TN load removal. Our data demonstrates that planting is effective in improving treatment efficiency in constructed wetlands, and whilst the improvement is marginal here, it is noted that a rust infection could have limited effectiveness of the plants in this case.

The relationship between soil nitrate distribution and growth rate of Capsicum frutescens in subsurface flow constructed wetland integrated with household septic tank

Domestic wastewater treatment unit consisted of a single chamber septic tank and Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland (SFCW) was built in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. SFCW played a significant role as secondary treatment of septic tank effluent. This study aimed to analyze the soil nitrate and its distribution in sand layer of SFCW. The SFCW had a depth of 0.2 m of coral and sand layers with two leach pipes that were installed in the depth of 0.3 m along the garden and planted with chili (Capsicum frutescens). Soil nitrate content of SFCW and plant growth were analyzed for 8 weeks of observation. Soil samples were taken in different direction, both vertical and horizontal. In vertical direction, samples were taken with three different depth (10, 15, and 20 cm) from the surface. In horizontal direction samples were taken with three different distance from outlet pipe. Soil nitrate obtained in vertical direction was significantly different (P<0.005) with soil nitrate at the depth of 20 cm was higher than 15 cm and 10 cm. However, the soil nitrate obtained in horizontal direction was not significant (P>0.05). The soil nitrate has positive correlation with plant growth, the higher soil nitrate will increase the plant growth.

Removal of 1,4-dioxane during on-site wastewater treatment using nitrogen removing biofilters

The presence and release of 1,4-dioxane to groundwater from onsite-wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), which represent 25% of the total wastewater treatment in the U.S., has not been studied to date. In this study we monitored 1,4-dioxane in six septic tank effluents (STE) and receiving OWTS installed at residences on Long Island (LI), NY, for a period of 15 months. We specifically evaluated the performance of Nitrogen Removing Biofilters (NRBs) as an innovative/alternative-OWTS, consisting of a top sand layer and a bottom woodchip/sand layer, to simultaneously remove nitrogen and 1,4-dioxane. 1,4-Dioxane levels in STE (mean: 1.49 μg L−1; range: 0.07–8.45 μg L−1; n = 37) were on average > 15 times higher than tap water from these residences, demonstrating that 1,4-dioxane primarily originated from the use of household products. NRBs were effective in removing both 1,4-dioxane and total nitrogen with an overall removal efficiency of 56 ± 20% and 88 ± 12%, respectively. The majority of 1,4-dioxane removal (~80%) occurred in the top oxic layer of the NRBs. The detection of functional genes (dxmB, prmA, and thmA), which encode for metabolic and co-metabolic 1,4-dioxane degradation, in NRBs provides the first field evidence of aerobic microbial degradation of 1,4-dioxane occurring in a wastewater system. Given that there are ~500,000 conventional OWTS on LI, the 1,4-dioxane discharge to groundwater from residential wastewater was estimated at 195 ± 205 kg yr −1, suggesting high risk of contamination to shallow aquifers. The results also demonstrate that installation of NRBs can reduce 1,4-dioxane to levels even lower than the NY State drinking water standard of 1 μg L−1.

Effects of specific wavelengths of lights on performance of biofilm photobioreactor for treating septic tank effluent

Biofilm photobioreactors (BPBRs) employing algal-bacterial symbiotic reactions were designed as an on-site post-treatment system to treat septic tank effluent containing high concentrations of organic and nutrient matters. In this study, three BPBRs equipped with blue (peak wavelength ∼ 460 nm), red (peak wavelength ∼ 635) and mixed blue and red (50:50) lights for growing algal biomass (Chlorella sp.) were continuously operated at hydraulic retention times (HRT), light intensity and light/dark period of 6 days, 124 μmol/(m2.s) and 12/12 h, respectively. The experimental results illustrated that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 85 % and the highest total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies of 87 and 84 %, respectively, were found in the BPBR with mixed blue and red lights, corresponding to the data of biomass productivity. Mass balance analyses of the BPBR performance indicated that TN (9.2 mg N/(L.d) or 74 %) and TP (0.73 mg P/(L.d) or 73 %) were mainly removed via biomass assimilation. Overall, the results of this study suggested that the mixed blue and red lights could enhance the biomass productivity and increase the treatment efficiencies of the BPBR system, resulting in the treated effluent meeting the discharge standards.

Reduction of Nitrate Content in Water by the Use of Banana Peels Biochar

The intensification of agricultural, domestic and industrial activities leads to the increasing contamination of groundwater and surface water by nitrates. Indeed, agricultural runoff, septic tank effluents, landfill leachates or wastewater treatment plant effluents contribute to this nitrification, yet drinking water containing high nitrate content can cause health problems. The study examines the improvement of nitrate removal in synthetic water solution by adsorption on banana peel’s activated carbon (BPAC). Different effects of physicochemical parameters, such as the optimal contact time of BPAC in solution, the pH of the nitrate solution, the initial concentration of nitrate solution, the BPAC mass, and the temperature were evaluated. The study revealed that BPAC has a low nitrate adsorption capacity under normal laboratory conditions. However, this adsorption capacity of BPAC increases with increasing of temperature and initial content of nitrate, while it decreases with increasing BPAC mass. For a content of 100 mg/L nitrate solution, the maximum adsorption capacity was 0, 687 mg/g for an equilibrium time of 180 min. Nitrate adsorption is optimal in acidic media (pH=3). The application of kinetic models to the experimental data showed that the mechanism of nitrate adsorption on BPAC obeys pseudo-first order kinetics. The Freundlich isotherm perfectly describes the mechanism of nitrate adsorption on BPAC.

Microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles of two domestic sewage treatment systems.

Anaerobic systems for domestic sewage treatment, like septic tanks and anaerobic filters, are used in developing countries due to favorable economic and functional features. The anaerobic filter is used for the treatment of the septic tank effluent, to improve the COD removal efficiency of the system. The microbial composition and diversity of the microbiome from two wastewater treatment systems (factory and rural school) were compared through 16S rRNA gene sequencing using MiSeq 2 × 250bp Illumina sequencing platform. Additionally, 16S rRNA data were used to predict the functional profile of the microbial communities using PICRUSt2. Results indicated that hydrogenotrophic methanogens, like Methanobacterium, were found in higher abundance in both systems compared to acetotrophic methanogens belonging to Methanosaeta genus. Also, important syntrophic microorganisms (Smithella, Syntrophus, Syntrophobacter) were found in the factory and rural school wastewater treatment systems. Microbial communities were also compared between stages (septic tank and anaerobic filter) of each wastewater treatment stage, revealing that, in the case of the rural school, both microbial communities were quite similar most likely due to hydraulic short-circuit issues. Meanwhile, in the factory, microbial communities from the septic tank and anaerobic filter were different. The school system showed lower COD removal rates (2-30%), which were probably related to a higher abundance of Firmicutes members in addition to the hydraulic short-circuit and low abundance of Chloroflexi members. On the other hand, the fiberglass factory presented higher COD removal rates (60-83%), harboring phyla reported as the core microbiome of anaerobic digesters (Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria phyla). The knowledge of the structure and composition of wastewater treatment systems may provide support for the improvement of the pollutant removal in anaerobic process.

Performance evaluation of anoxic–oxic–anoxic processes in illuminated biofilm reactor (AOA-IBR) treating septic tank effluent

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the treatment performance of the anoxic–oxic–anoxic processes in illuminated biofilm reactor (AOA-IBR) in removing organics and nitrogen contained in septic tank effluent. The 27 L of the AOA-IBR was illuminated with red light-emitting diode (LED) lamps (peak wavelength of 635 nm, intensity of 100 μmol/(m2s)). Three types of biofilm media, namely ball ring®, plastic sheets and zeolite beads, were placed in the anoxic, oxic and anoxic zones, respectively, of the reactor to support the growth of microalgal–bacterial biofilm. The AOA-IBR was continuously fed with septic tank effluent and operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 24, 48 and 72 h. The experimental results found the increases in chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) removal efficiencies with increasing HRTs in which the HRT of 72 h resulted in 78.6, 72.8 and 90.6% removals of COD, TN and NH4-N, respectively. The effluent quality of the AOA-IBR could meet the ISO 30500 effluent standards for Non-Sewered Sanitation Systems. The predominant microalgal biofilm species was observed to be Oscillatoria sp., while Proteobacteria was the predominant bacterial phylum found in the biofilm growing in the reactor. The above results suggested the applicability of the AOA-IBR in improving septic tank treatment performance which should result in better water pollution control.

Performance of novel constructed wetlands for treating solar septic tank effluent

To improve treatment performance of the solar septic tank technology, novel constructed wetland systems have been proposed as an effective post-treatment system. This study aimed to investigate the treatment performance of the multi-soil layer based constructed wetland (MSL-CW) and comparing with the modified constructed wetland (mCW) for treating solar septic tank effluent in long-term operation. Pilot-scale MSL-CW and mCW units were operated in parallel under the same conditions during the period of 2016–2019. Removal efficiencies of TCOD, SCOD and TBOD in the MSL-CW were not significantly different (p < 0.05) from those of the mCW unit, which were 70–72%, 63–68% and 78–82%, respectively. The removal efficiencies of TSS, TKN, NH4-N and TP were found in the same magnitude in both units. The total coliform and E.coli counts in the effluent of MSL-CW and mCW units were reduced from 105 MPN/100 mL to be lower than 103 MPN/100 mL. These long-term operational results demonstrated that the effluent from the MSL-CW and mCW units could meet the global standards of non-sewered sanitation systems and the WHO guidelines. The effects of seasonal variations and plant harvesting on the monthly treatment performance are discussed in this study.

Pathogen flows from on-site sanitation systems in low-income urban neighborhoods, Dhaka: A quantitative environmental assessment.

Despite wide usage of on-site sanitation, there is limited field-based evidence on the removal or release of pathogens from septic tanks and other primary treatment systems, such as anaerobic baffled reactors (ABR). In two low-income areas in Dhaka, we conducted a cross-sectional study to explore pathogen loads discharged from commonly used on-site sanitation-systems and their transport in nearby drains and waterways. We collected samples of drain water, drain sediment, canal water, and floodwater from April-October 2019. Sludge, supernatant, and effluent samples were also collected from septic tanks and ABRs. We investigated the presence and concentration of selected enteric pathogens (Shigella, Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae), Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi), Norovirus Genogroup-II (NoV-GII), and Giardia) and presence of Cryptosporidium in these samples using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).The equivalent genome copies (EGC) of individual pathogens were estimated in each sample by interpolation of the mean Ct value to the corresponding standard curve and the dilution factor for each sample type. Absolute quantification was expressed as log10 EGC per 100mL for the water samples and log10 EGC per gram for the sediment samples. Among all samples tested (N=151), 89% were contaminated with Shigella, 68% with V. cholerae and NoV-GII, 32% with Giardia, 17% with S. Typhi and 6% with Cryptosporidium. A wide range of concentration of pathogens [range: mean log10 concentration of Giardia=0.74 EGC/100mL in drain ultrafiltration samples to mean log10 concentration of NoV-GII and Giardia=7.11 EGC/100mL in ABR sludge] was found in all environmental samples. The highest pathogen concentrations were detected in open drains [range: mean log10 concentration=2.50-4.94 EGC/100mL], septic tank effluent [range: mean log10 concentration=3.32-4.65 EGC/100mL], and ABR effluent [range: mean log10 concentration=2.72-5.13 EGC/100mL]. High concentrations of pathogens (particularly NoV-GII, V.cholerae and Shigella) were frequently detected in environmental samples from two low-income urban neighbourhoods of Dhaka city. The numerous environmental exposure pathways for children and adults make these findings of public health concern. These results should prompt rethinking of how to achieve safe sanitation solutions that protect public health in dense low-income areas. In particular, improved management and maintenance regimes, further treatment of liquid effluent from primary treatment processes, and appropriate application of onsite, decentralised and offsite sanitation systems given the local context.

Discrimination of Nitrogen Sources in Karst Spring Contributing Areas Using a Bayesian Isotope Mixing Model and Wastewater Tracers (Florida, USA)

ABSTRACT Many springs in Florida have experienced a proliferation of nuisance algae and alteration of trophic structure in response to increases in nitrate concentration concurrent with rapid population growth and land use intensification beginning in the mid-20th century. While loading targets and remediation plans have been developed by state agencies to address excess nitrogen inputs, further confirmation of the relative contribution of nitrogen sources to groundwater is necessary to optimize the use of resources when implementing projects to reduce nitrogen loads. In the present study, stable isotopes of nitrate and wastewater indicators were used to discriminate sources of nitrogen in wells and springs in central Florida. Sampling was performed in 50 wells at 38 sites and at 10 springs with varying levels of agriculture and urban development. Nitrate isotope values were used to develop Bayesian mixing models to estimate the probability distribution of the contributions of nitrate sources in wells. Prior probabilities for the fractional contribution of each source were adjusted based on land use and density of septic tanks. Sucralose and the Cl:Br mass ratio were used as confirmatory indicators of wastewater sources. In residential areas, mixing model results indicated that fertilizer or mixed fertilizer and wastewater (septic tank effluent and reuse water) were the primary sources, with sucralose detections corresponding to wells with elevated contributions from wastewater. Sources of nitrogen in pasture and field crop areas were primarily fertilizer and manure; however, model posterior distributions of δ15N indicated that manure sources may have been overpredicted. The present study demonstrates the utility of a multi-tracer approach to build multiple lines of evidence to develop locally relevant remediation strategies for nitrogen sources in groundwater.

Elevated groundwater concentrations of arsenic and chromium in ultramafic environments controlled by seawater intrusion, the nitrogen cycle, and anthropogenic activities: The case of the Gerania Mountains, NE Peloponnese, Greece

This study aimed to investigate the role of seawater intrusion, nitrogen (N)-cycle, and anthropogenic activities on the elevated groundwater concentrations of oxyanion-forming trace elements in an ultramafic environment and to study the factors controlling the hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater in a broader, ultramafic-dominated area of the Gerania Mountains in NE Peloponnese, Greece. Sixty-eight groundwater samples from the a) Schinos area, b) Loutraki area, and c) springs in the Gerania Mountains were analysed for an extensive set of physical and chemical parameters. Elevated concentrations of As, up to 15 μg/L, along the coastline in the Schinos area, and abnormally high concentrations of Cr6+, up to 460 μg/L, in the central part of the Schinos area, were recorded. The strong spatial correlation of Cr6+, NO3-, and P in the central part of the Schinos area, indicated that the release and subsequent oxidation of geogenic Cr in groundwater can be triggered by N and P anthropogenic inputs, such as a) septic tank effluents or N-bearing fertilisers that lead to nitrification and subsequent soil acidification and drive Cr3+ oxidation by the NO2−/NO3− redox couple and b) P-bearing fertilisers that cause the desorption of anionic Cr6+ with simultaneous PO43- adsorption and contribute additional Cr and other trace elements to the soils. Unlike Cr, geogenic As follows a different pattern of groundwater release mechanism, which is driven by seawater intrusion and initial stages of denitrification along a flowpath near the Schinos coastline, as pointed out by the strong positive correlation coefficient between As and Cl− (0.78). The increased salinity controls the mobilisation of As and other oxyanion-forming trace elements, such as B, Se, and V, resulting in their elevated groundwater concentrations through a) their desorption from the surface of Fe/Mn-oxyhydroxides under alkaline pH conditions, b) the reductive dissolution of Fe/Mn-oxyhydroxides under local hypoxic conditions, and c) an increase in the ionic strength of groundwater favouring the dissolution of Fe/Mn-oxyhydroxides.

Electrohydromodulation for phosphate recovery from wastewater

The mining of phosphate rock to produce fertilizer, and subsequent disposal of the municipal wastewater containing a significant fraction of the phosphate applied agriculturally, has led to environmental impacts of phosphate mining as well as surface water eutrophication. However, recovery of phosphate (H2PO4-, HPO42-, PO43-) from wastewater, either chemically or biologically, has not been sufficiently economical at low phosphate concentrations in raw wastewater (~2.4 mg-P l−1) to motivate widespread adoption. In this work, we demonstrate phosphate recovery directly from raw and mineral-spiked septic tank effluent by electrochemical pH shifting, termed electrohydromodulation (EHM), without expensive chemical addition. EHM using a CMI-7000 multivalent cation exchange membrane (MCEM) at 5 V at 1.347 mA/cm2 resulted in the highest efficiency at lowest energy consumption. 94 and 95% phosphate were recovered from mineral-spiked septic tank effluent (simulating advanced oxidation-based direct potable reuse water), and raw septic tank effluent, at an energy demand of 1.046 kWh/m3 (3.960 kWh/1000 Gal) and 1.863 kWh/m3 (7.054 kWh/1000 Gal), respectively, low despite use of non-toxic, inexpensive graphite electrodes. Results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) indicated that recovered precipitates consisted principally of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), with minor amounts of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), having an overall Ca:P ratio of 2. CO2 stripping at low pH prior to pH shifting was found to minimize competitive calcite precipitation to improve product purity. Electrodes used intermittently, with polarity reversal, over 1.5 years of experiments were intact from fouling.

Comparative study on attached-growth photobioreactors under blue and red lights for treatment of septic tank effluent

Attached-growth photobioreactors (AG-PBRs) employing low-cost attached-growth media were applied to treat septic tank effluent which contained abundant organic and nutrient matters as well as pathogenic microorganisms. This study investigated effects of blue and red LED lights on organic, nutrient and pathogenic removals, biomass productivity and compositions of microbial community in the AG-PBR system. The experimental results showed the blue AG-PBR to be more effective in removing chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N) and generating biomass productivity than those of the red AG-PBR (P < 0.05). Mass balance analysis indicated that the TN and total phosphorus (TP) were removed mainly by assimilation into the biomass. The TN removal rates via nitrification and denitrification processes in the blue AG-PBR were found to be higher than that of the red AG-PBR, corresponding to the observed results of bacterial biomass and abundances of nitrifying and denitrifying bacterial species in the treatment systems. The maximal areal algal biomass productivity of 47 gDW/(m2. d) in the blue AG-PBRs was found to be higher than those of other algal attached-growth systems. Although, the red and blue AG-PBR systems could effectively treat the septic tank effluent to meet the national and international discharge standards, based on treatment efficiencies and biomass productivity, the blue AG-PBR is recommended for treatment of septic tank effluent.

Filter Media-Packed Bed Reactor Fortification with Biochar to Enhance Wastewater Quality

Contamination of water sources by inappropriately disposed poorly treated wastewater from countryside establishments is a worldwide challenge. This study tested the effectiveness of retrofitting sand (Sa)- and gas–concrete (GC)-packed reactors with biochar (C) in removing turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), phosphate (PO43−), and total phosphorus (Ptot) from wastewater. The down-flow reactors were each intermittently loaded with 0.063 L/d for 399 days. In general, all reactors achieved &lt;3 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) effluent turbidity (99% efficiency). GC reactors dominated in inlet PO43− (6.1 mg/L) and DOC (25.3 mg/L) reduction, trapping &gt;95% and &gt;60%, respectively. Compared to Sa (PO43−: 35%, DOC: 52%), the fortified sand (SaC) filter attenuated more PO43− (&gt;42%) and DOC (&gt;58%). Student t-tests revealed that C significantly improved the Sa PO43− (p = 0.022) and DOC (p = 0.034) removal efficacy. From regression analysis, 53%, 81%, and 85% PO43− sorption variation in Sa, C, and SaC, respectively, were explained by variation in their effluent pH measures. Similarly, a strong linear correlation occurred between PO43− sorption efficiency and pH of fortified (r &gt; 0.7) and reference (r = 0.6) GC filters thus suggesting chemisorption mechanisms. Therefore, whereby only sand may be available for treating septic tank effluents, fortifying it with biochar may be a possible measure to improve its efficacy.

Influence of solids contained in septic tank effluent on lifespan of soil infiltration systems

Influence of solids contained in septic tank effluent on lifespan of soil infiltration systems

A simple anaerobic and filtration combined system for domestic wastewater treatment

Anaerobic treatment of domestic wastewater can only partially treat the effluent and still contains concentration of organic matter, suspended solids, nutrients and pathogens beyond the recommended safe limit. This study aims to observe the effect of sand filter as a low cost post treatment solution. A 250 L pilot scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was fed septic tank effluent and operated at an average ambient temperature of 19 °C. The reactor was fed intermittently at 6 h hydraulic retention time and the performance was monitored. The UASB effluent was filtered in a 1 m3 sand filter unit. The removal efficiencies of Total Suspended Solid, Chemical Oxygen Demand and Faecal Coliform for combined system were 93%, 87% and 93%, respectively. However, the top layer of the sand in the filter needs to be replaced in every two to three months to maintain acceptable filtration capacity performance. The tested combined anaerobic and filtration system was sufficient to treat effluents from a typical Nepalese family and the result could be useful to design and develop a suitable compact, low cost onsite sanitation system in developing countries like Nepal. The result should encourage investigating on the establishment of a safe route of sand replacement and handling as well as alternative low cost filtration media in order to avoid frequent replacement of the sand.

Removal of bacteria and pollutants from low susceptible to bio-decomposition septic tank effluent by textile filter

Removal of bacteria and pollutants from low susceptible to bio-decomposition septic tank effluent by textile filter