This study investigated the performance of sludge drying reed beds (SDRB) at full- and pilot-scale treating sludge from septic tanks in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The treatment units, planted with Cynodon spp., were based on an adaptation of the first-stage of the French vertical-flow constructed wetland, originally developed for treating sewage. Two different operational phases were investigated; in the first one, the full-scale unit was used together with six pilot-scale columns in order to test different feeding strategies. For the second phase, only the full-scale unit was used, including a recirculation of the filtered effluent (percolate) to one of the units of the French vertical wetland. Sludge application was done once a week emptying a full truck, during 25 weeks. The sludge was predominantly diluted, leading to low solids loading rates (median values of 18 kgTS m−2year−1). Chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency in the full-scale unit was reasonable (median of 71%), but the total solids removal was only moderate (median of 44%) in the full-scale unit without recirculation. Recirculation did not bring substantial improvements in the overall performance. The other loading conditions implemented in the pilot columns also did not show statistically different performances.
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Research Article|
March 26 2015
Performance of a system with full- and pilot-scale sludge drying reed bed units treating septic tank sludge in Brazil Available to Purchase
Luisa Fernanda Calderón-Vallejo;
1Engineering School of Natural Resources and Environment EIDENAR, Engineering Faculty, Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 100–00 Cali, Colombia
E-mail: [email protected]
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Cynthia Franco Andrade;
Cynthia Franco Andrade
2Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627 – Escola de Engenharia, Bloco 1 – sala 4622, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Elias Sete Manjate;
Elias Sete Manjate
2Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627 – Escola de Engenharia, Bloco 1 – sala 4622, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Carlos Arturo Madera-Parra;
Carlos Arturo Madera-Parra
1Engineering School of Natural Resources and Environment EIDENAR, Engineering Faculty, Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 100–00 Cali, Colombia
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Marcos von Sperling
Marcos von Sperling
2Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627 – Escola de Engenharia, Bloco 1 – sala 4622, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Water Sci Technol (2015) 71 (12): 1751–1759.
Article history
Received:
November 10 2014
Accepted:
March 09 2015
Citation
Luisa Fernanda Calderón-Vallejo, Cynthia Franco Andrade, Elias Sete Manjate, Carlos Arturo Madera-Parra, Marcos von Sperling; Performance of a system with full- and pilot-scale sludge drying reed bed units treating septic tank sludge in Brazil. Water Sci Technol 1 June 2015; 71 (12): 1751–1759. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2015.134
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