The UASB reactor as an alternative for the septic tank for on-site sewage treatment

Although septic tanks are amply used for on site sewage treatment, these units have serious drawbacks: the removal efficiency of organic material and suspended solids is low, the units are costly and occupy a large area and operational cost is high due to the need for periodic desludging. In this pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science and technology 2003-01, Vol.48 (11-12), p.221-226
Main Authors: COELHO, A. L. S. S, DO NASCIMENTO, M. B. H, CAVALCANTI, P. F. F, VAN HAANDEL, A. C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Biological treatment of waters
Bioreactors
Biotechnology
Colloids
Construction costs
Cost Control
Developing Countries
Effluents
Environment and pollution
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects
Infiltration
Other wastewaters
Pollution
Reactors
Septic tanks
Sewage
Sewage - chemistry
Sewage - microbiology
Sewage disposal
Sewage tanks
Sewage treatment
Sludge
Suspended solids
Waste Disposal, Fluid - economics
Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods
Wastewater treatment
Wastewaters
Water Purification - economics
Water Purification - methods
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:Although septic tanks are amply used for on site sewage treatment, these units have serious drawbacks: the removal efficiency of organic material and suspended solids is low, the units are costly and occupy a large area and operational cost is high due to the need for periodic desludging. In this paper an innovative variant of the UASB reactor is proposed as an alternative for the septic tank. This alternative has several important advantages in comparison with the conventional septic tank: (1) Although the volume of the UASB reactor was about 4 times smaller than the septic tank, its effluent quality was superior, even though small sludge particles were present, (2) desludging of the UASB reactor is unnecessary and even counterproductive, as the sludge mass guarantees proper performance, (3) the UASB reactor is easily transportable (compact and light) and therefore can be produced in series, strongly reducing construction costs and (4) since the concentration of colloids in the UASB effluent is much smaller than in the ST effluent, it is expected that the infiltration of the effluent will be much less problematic.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2004.0846