Tubular biodigesters combined with granular filtration systems for decentralized wastewater treatment in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Keywords:
Domestic wastewater, Low-cost biodigesters, Granular filtration systems, Decentralized systems, Water qualityAbstract
In this work, the results of monitoring a pilot plant for wastewater treatment consisting of a digester system combined with an artificial wetland are presented. The pilot plant was implemented at the Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, located in the city of Tena, Napo Province, Ecuador. The system comprises three tubular digesters in series, one with a liquid volume of 10 m3 and two with 5 m3 each, followed by a subsurface horizontal flow artificial wetland covering 20 m2. The plant was monitored for six weeks, with samples taken at the inlet and outlet of each component. Preliminary results show that the system was efficient in terms of organic load reduction in COD terms (81%), with the digesters being primarily responsible for the reduction (70.3%). Regarding nutrient reduction, there was a 30% reduction in ammonia and 16% in phosphates observed. Additionally, the system showed potential for reducing other analyzed parameters such as volatile solids (51.7%) and sulfates (56.4%). The obtained results indicate that the pilot plant complies with some parameters of the Ecuadorian environmental regulations.
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