Treatment of Municipal Wastewater Using Passively Aerated Biological Filter

Abstract

Management of water and wastewater tend to trigger the growing human and environmental health problems throughout the world. The problem of sanitation in Egypt increases due to the increase of population density and water consumption. Egypt, as a developing country, has around 60% of its population with access to sanitation facilities, while almost 100% of the population have access to improved water source. Accordingly, there is a need to provide sanitation facilities to the remaining 40% of the population. On-site low-cost options or decentralized sanitation systems are all become interesting solution for application and testing. This study aims to the development and testing of a pilot scale passively aerated biological filter as a decentralized low energy system for the treatment of municipal wastewater that can be applied in small communities and/or rural areas. The pilot-plant system was designed, manufactured and installed in a nearby wastewater treatment plant at Giza Governorate. The system is capable of treating up to 5 m3/day of wastewater. It consists of inclined plate settler, followed by passively aerated biological filter (PABF) packed with supporting media (either non-woven